A lifetime of having asthma could be really challenging, but by finding ways to manage it, you could find ways to have an active and healthy life. There are lots of ways to prevent or control asthma from messing up your life. Read on to find some helpful tips and techniques to take back your life despite the diagnosis of 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. Social workers are often able to locate a hospital or clinic that can offer free or low cost options to make sure you can fill your medication prescriptions.
People afflicted by asthma should make it a priority to always avoid exposure to smoke, vapors and fumes. You should avoid jobs where you might be exposed to fumes and chemicals, such as factories.
Make sure that everyone in your family gets their flu shot. Try to avoid getting any respiratory infections if you have asthma. It is important to do things like hand washing and receiving proper vaccinations.
If you have an asthmatic child, do not allow anyone to smoke around him. One of the biggest reasons people have asthma is secondhand smoke. Try to keep your children out of environments that are smokey to ensure the health of their lungs.
Make sure you are taking plenty of Vitamins E and C if you suffer from asthma. These vitamins help reduce asthma flare-ups by improving lung function. You can get these vitamins from food or take a supplement. The vitamins can help to boost the immune system, which will help you to stay healthy and less ill, which means you will have less asthma attacks.
It is very important that an asthma sufferer refrain from smoking, if you do then it is advisable you quit now. Smoking is bad in general for everyone, but it is particularly worse for asthma suffers because it decreases the amount of oxygen in the lungs, putting you at higher risk for asthma attacks.
A dehumidifier is a beneficial investment for anyone with asthma. A reduction in humidity will also lessen the amount of dust mites in your home. This lessens the chance of an asthma flare up. Dehumidifiers cause the air in your home to become dry, which means less humidity.
Cleaning Products
There are certain types of household cleaning products that can trigger asthma attacks, and using multiple products is particularly dangerous. Consider purchasing and using organic cleaning products since they are void of irritating chemicals.
If you suffer from asthma, you should avoid cleaning products that have strong odors. Many of the harsh chemicals inside cleaning products might trigger symptoms or even a full blown asthma attack. If you’re the one that cleans your home, try organic or natural cleaning solutions that are much less risky to your health.
Those with asthma should always opt for unscented items because they are safest. Products that contain fragrance, such as perfumes, colognes, or air fresheners, can pollute the air triggering your asthma. New carpet and fresh paint can also emit odors that can irritate the airways. As much as possible, try to keep your home filled with fresh, pure air.
Prescriptions and over-the-counter medications can actually trigger an asthma attack. Believe it or not, something as seemingly innocuous as aspirin can actually trigger symptoms. Some medications for blood pressure and heart disease – those referred to as beta blockers – can also exacerbate asthma problems. Make sure your doctor knows if you are taking such medicine and also have asthma.
Your asthma treatments will likely increase when you suffer from hay fever or a cold. These kinds of illness can inflame you asthma to a degree that a treatment increase is necessary. Your family doctor may recommend adding another treatment or medication to your current regimen until you recover from your illness.
If you have moderate asthma attacks, exhale forcefully, so that you force air from your lungs. Breath out as hard and fast as you can. Try hard to push the air out from your lungs! Take three short breaths, and then take a fourth, deeper breath to fill your lungs comfortably; then, breathe out with force again. This creates a rhythm to your breathing, making you pay attention to the breaths you take. Expelling the air from your lungs in this fashion also allows you to breathe in deeper. There may be periods of harsh coughing and a substantial generation of sputum, but this is actually what you want in order to get the airways opened and the breathing back on a regular pattern.
Receiving a flu shot annually is very important if you or a loved one are asthmatic. A yearly vaccination will help minimize the number of infections your children have to deal with.
It is crucial that you stay away from all types of cigarette smoke if you suffer from asthma. Never smoke yourself! Avoid fumes and vapors of any kind. This can cause your asthma to flare up, causing an attack that may be uncontrollable. If you see people smoking in your vicinity, you should get away from them as soon as possible.
Be certain you are aware of all your asthma attack triggers so you know both how to steer clear of them and also be ready to take care of your symptoms. Most asthma sufferers have a few common triggers such as smoke, pet dander or pollen. When possible, stay away from these triggers that cause symptoms or ultimately, full-blown attacks.
If allergy symptoms cause you to have moderate to severe asthma attacks, there is a medication available that can help for extended periods of time. Ask your allergist about omalizumab, an antibody drug that can reduce the severity of asthma symptoms and the frequency of attacks.
If you are on the road, be certain to travel with your inhaler at all hours. You may find that the stress of traveling makes an asthma attack more likely. Controlling your environment is harder when traveling, so this makes it much more probable that you experience worsening symptoms or an attack.
Make sure you use the inhaler in the proper, prescribed method. Find a spot that is peaceful, and then follow the instructions given by the manufacturer. The medicine in the inhaler only works if it actually makes it to your lungs. While inhaling, spray the dosage in your mouth. You should keep your breath held for 10 seconds at a minimum to let the medicated mist fill up your lungs.
Even if you are feeling great, never skip your regular asthma checkup. It is impossible to predict the next attack. Furthermore, newer or safer asthma medications may be approved in the time since you last visited your doctor.
Think about getting a home dehumidifier if you have asthma. Though you may not be aware of it, high levels of humidity in indoor spaces can increase dust mites, which then can affect asthma. Dehumidifiers work by taking the humidity out of the air.
Take the time to understand the proper usage of your asthma medication, particularly any that is labelled as rescue medication. Typically, asthma is treated using normal medications along with rescue medication, like an inhaler, for emergency situations. Asthma doesn’t go away, so it’s important to be vigilant about taking your daily medication and using your rescue inhaler when an attack occurs.
Avoid exposure to secondhand smoke because it is as dangerous to asthmatics as smoking a cigarette. Inhaling smoke from tobacco products can compromise your lung function, which then makes you more susceptible to an attack. The risk of an attack from cigarette smoke is increased as the space you are in decreases.
If you are flying with your asthma medications, especially a large piece of equipment such as a nebulizer, be sure to bring along a written prescription from your doctor. If you have the proof that this is a medical necessity, it can cause less hassles during the security check.
While everyone appreciates the look and feel of a clean house, asthma sufferers in particular benefit from a healthy environment as it can decrease the risk of asthma attacks, especially in a sleeping area. Don’t smoke indoors, or allow any junk food in your home. After cleaning around the house, open windows and allow fresh air into the house. This can reduce the smell and pervasiveness of household cleaners like bleach.
Avoid all types of smoke, including cigarette smoke, if you have asthma. Breathing in smoke can trigger an asthma attack. Stay away from cigarette smoke, fumes, and vapors as much as you can. All of those things can trigger and aggravate asthma symptoms. Ask any smokers not to smoke in your presence.
If you’ve been diagnosed with asthma, be sure to get flu shots every year. This is doubly important for asthmatic children. This annual flu shot will prevent infectious damage to your lungs.
Those with asthma should minimize time with pets and animals. Animals are a danger to asthma sufferers who are already allergic to them, but pets also carry a wide array of dust particles and pollen, so avoiding them is a good move for anyone dealing with asthma.
You can rely on different methods to reduce your asthma attacks and live a normal life. Asthma is not a death sentence; so create a plan to manage and live with asthma, and your life will be a fulfilling one.
Allergens, dust, pollen and other things that can aggravate your asthma tend to collect inside bed linens. The easiest way to get rid of these triggering agents is by washing all of your bedding using your washer’s hot setting every Sunday. Fresh bed linens, laundered on a regular basis, will keep you breathing clearly and easily at night while you slumber.