Asthma is an illness that can spiral out of control when left unchecked. Not only can asthma attacks prove severe, some are flat out fatal. Along with advice you get from medical experts, it is also important to do research on your own. The following tips will help you manage your asthma symptoms and live an active lifestyle.
You need to make sure that you do not smoke and that you stay away from a lot of fumes and vapors if you suffer from asthma. You should avoid jobs where you might be exposed to fumes and chemicals, such as factories.
If your child has asthma, do not smoke cigarettes near them. As far as triggers that cause asthma attacks or causes of the condition in general, secondhand cigarette smoke ranks right up there. It’s best to also keep your child away from places in which others will be smoking.
It is vital that neither you, nor anyone else, smoke around a child with asthma. One leading cause of issues in children who have asthma is that people smoke around them. Keep your child away from any area where people are smoking.
If you are suffering from asthma, it is essential that you quit smoking cigarettes. Smoking is horrible for people, it is really bad if asthma becomes worse and blocks oxygen to your body, you need oxygen to work and stave off asthma.
Stay away from anything that you are aware of that may trigger your asthma. For many, allergens like dust and pollen, can trigger their attacks. Some people get attacks after being physically active. Knowing exactly what sets off your asthma is thus, very important.
Chemical Cleaners
Because asthma is a continuing condition, you have to continually manage your health. Make sure to take the right medication for controlling everyday asthma symptoms, but also have quick relief medication with you in case of an attack. Discuss treatment strategies with both your primary care physician and your allergist.
Be careful of chemical cleaners if you are asthmatic. The chemicals in these products make you more prone to an asthma attack. Use natural cleaners instead of chemical cleaners to reduce your chances of asthma attacks after cleaning.
If you are suffering from a moderate or mild attack, do your best to force as much air out of the lungs as possible. Breathe out aggressively, as hard as you can. Get the air all out of the lungs. After that, take in three shallow breaths and one deep breath. Once your lungs are full again, do another forceful exhale. This technique develops a breathing rhythm, allowing you to notice the breaths that you take in. It also pushes the air out of your lungs, so that more air can come in. This breathing technique may cause some coughing or sputum, but it can help regulate your breathing and reduce the attack.
Prescriptions and over-the-counter medications can actually trigger an asthma attack. Aspirin is a common medication that can affect asthma sufferers. Beta blockers that are used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease can develop asthma like symptoms. Make sure your doctor knows if you are taking such medicine and also have asthma.
If you are dealing with asthma, make sure you take lots of Vitamins E and C. These vitamins can help improve your lung function, ultimately controlling asthma. Get these nutrients through supplements or food. The vitamins will help improve the immune system, which will help you fight off illnesses that cause asthma.
If you have asthma, you need to avoid any kind of tobacco smoke. Smoking is off limits. Avoid breathing in vapors from smoke or other chemical-type fumes. This can cause your asthma to flare up, causing an attack that may be uncontrollable. Leave a room if people smoke, or ask them to stop.
Always choose unscented products for your home if you have asthma. Scented products, like air fresheners, incense and perfume, raise indoor pollution levels and can trigger asthma attacks. Fresh pain and new carpet also let off odors that are irritable to the airways. As much as possible, try to keep your home filled with fresh, pure air.
Should you wind up inside a really dusty room, don’t activate any fans. An asthma attack can be easily triggered by the moving dust. Open a window to bring clean, cool air inside instead.
Join a support group, online or in “real life”, to find help from your peers. Asthma can be severe enough to keep you away from social activiites. In addition, a community of other asthma sufferers will let you know about changes in medications or other relevant scientific discoveries.
Leukotriene Inhibitors
Mold and mildew can thrive in a humid home environment. Asthma attacks are easily triggered by these substances. You will benefit greatly from keeping the moisture out of your home’s air. Using a dehumidifier during cold weather and turning on your air conditioner when the weather gets hot again can help keep humidity out of your home to ensure your asthma is under control.
Leukotriene inhibitors may be helpful to you if you suffer from asthma. Leukotriene inhibitors are used to prevent things called leukotrienes. Leukotriene is a type of chemical substance which may cause inflammation and could cause an attack. The inhibitor will prevent leukotrienes, which can decrease the amount of asthma attacks that you have.
In the winter, cover your mouth and nose with a scarf or shawl to prevent asthma attacks. This allows you to warm air before it enters your lungs. Cool air has been known to trigger an asthma attack, particularly in very young children who have severe or moderate asthma.
It is always a problem if you have asthma and don’t have health insurance, but talking to a social worker may help you resolve this issue. It is important that you are able to afford your asthma medications, so a social worker may be able to find you a clinic or hospital that offers your medication at little to no cost.
Avoid smoke to prevent asthma and asthma attacks. Breathing in smoke can trigger an asthma attack. Avoid exposure to chemical fumes and vapors, and any type of wood or cigarette smoke. These environmental conditions can exacerbate your asthma symptoms. Politely request that smokers abstain from smoking in your presence.
If you suffer from asthma, be sure your diet includes lots of Vitamins C and E. These vitamins help to control asthma symptoms and improve the function of your lungs. You can take these vitamins in pill form, or you can eat fresh fruits and vegetables and get the vitamins that way. Your immune system gets a boost with these vitamins, and this helps protect your body against illnesses and asthma.
You should have a team of medical professionals to help you craft your asthma treatment. Although your primary doctor can treat your asthma, a specialist may be able to provide further help. Asthma centers, pulmonologists, allergists or even nutritionists will be able to work with you, make certain that you check out all outlets offering treatment.
Make sure you know what triggers asthma attacks so you can either avoid those triggers or be prepared to manage your asthma symptoms. Generally, it is found that items such as smoke and pollen can trigger attacks in those that suffer with asthma. Avoid your asthma triggers as much as you can to prevent attacks.
People with asthma should not smoke. Most people are educated about how dangerous smoking is, but it is much more harmful for people who have asthma. Sensitive asthmatic lungs are easily irritated by smoke, so they need to avoid smoking and to avoid situations where there are people who smoke.
If you suffer from asthma, you might want to use a pillow that doesn’t contain feathers. Feather can decrease lung function and trigger asthma symptoms. Patients should also buy hypoallergenic bedding.
If you need to use your inhaler more often than twice each week, this means your asthma isn’t adequately controlled and a medication change is required. If you need to use your inhaler that often, the medicine in it isn’t working as well as it should. Additionally, if your inhaler needs refills more often than about every six months, you are in the same situation and should see your physician.
Take your rescue inhaler and keep it handy when you travel. Traveling is hard on your body, opening you up to an asthma attack. Traveling can make asthma symptoms worse, and it is difficult, nearly impossible to control environmental triggers during travel.
Don’t skimp on vitamin B6. Studies have found that vitamin B6, which is sometimes referred to as pyridoxine, can make asthma attacks less frequent and less intense. Through this research, it has been proven that pyridoxine helps produce molecules that aid in relaxing the bronchial tissue. One excellent source of vitamin B6 is bananas.
Your home can be full of the major triggers leading to an asthma attack. Some triggers include spores, dust and mold. To ensure health and reduce the potential for asthma attacks, have a yearly inspection for the presence and removal of these hazards. Keep your house clean to keep these asthma triggers out of your home.
Make sure your space is clean. Also, be sure to keep your bedding as clean as possible. Cleaning will prevent dust and mites from building up, lessening the risk of asthma attacks. Dust build up can increase your chances of getting an asthma attack as causes irritation to your breathing.
Asthma Attacks
Keep an eye out for any symptoms or signs of a severe asthma attack setting in so you can decide appropriately if you need to get your kid to the ER. If your child is experiencing a serious asthma attack, you will see: increased use of medication with little or no effect, gray or bluish fingernails and/or lips. In addition, you may not be able to understand your child when he speaks.
When the weather starts to turn colder, wear a scarf or shawl that covers your mouth and nose to help prevent asthma attacks. This will keep you from breathing cold air. In multiple studies, breathing cold air is linked to increased asthma attacks. This link is especially pronounced in younger children.
If you live with a person who smokes and you suffer from asthma, obviously smoking should not be permitted in your home. Smokers should be required to leave the premises and put significant distance between themselves and the asthma sufferer. Heavy smokers can cause an asthma attack by carrying the smoke smell on their clothes.
You need to know how to properly use asthma medications that are prescribed to you, especially your rescue medication, so that you are prepared if you need to use it during an emergency. Asthma is a condition traditionally treated with a combination of a regular medicine and an emergency medicinal inhaler. Asthma is a serious, chronic health condition, and it’s vital that you take medicine to manage the disease properly and use the rescue medications as directed.
Monitor your children for food allergies. You should test your children for a food allergy if they experience any strange symptoms such as hives when they eat something in particular. Food allergies are sometimes related to asthma.
Asthma isn’t often something that pops up over night, but instead takes time to develop and the symptoms are slowly noticeable. In some serious cases, people have dropped dead due to an asthma attack without ever knowing they had asthma in the first place. Because of this, persistent respiratory problems need to be checked out by a doctor, who may prescribe medication to treat existing symptoms or prevent new ones from appearing.
Get a flu shot every year. Even if you are not affected by the flu or colds, it’s still safer to get the vaccination against them. When you are prone to asthma attacks, you are more inclined to suffer seriously from any kind of respiratory and sinus infections that could be caused by the flu virus.
When you fly, make sure to take along prescriptions or doctors’ notes for all of your asthma equipment and medications, especially if they are unusual. Having proof in writing from a doctor that states the item is a medical necessity can eliminate security hassles.
If a child younger than five is in your home and suffers from asthma, keep a watchful eye out for pending attacks that could mean a sudden trek to the emergency room. ER symptoms include: sucking in their abdomen under their ribs while attempting to breath, difficulty speaking because of shortness of breath, or gasping for air. When a child shows any of these symptoms, they need medical care right away.
Asthma is an uncurable disease, but that doesn’t mean that the symptoms are permanent and can’t go away. However, just like most things in life, overcoming your asthma symptoms takes time and effort. If you follow these easy tips, you’ll find that your symptoms will get better over time and you’ll be able to enjoy a healthier, more active lifestyle.
If you are asthmatic, exercise should not be done in cold, dry outdoor air. When the bronchial airways become cold and dry, you’re much more likely to experience an asthma attack. Therefore, any strenuous exercise that you do outdoors should be in a somewhat warm, slight humid climate.