Asthma is a very serious illness than can restrain you from enjoying life. You can manage your condition efficiently if you take the proper medication and learn effective coping skills. This article is packed with useful tips and advice for living with asthma.
To keep your child healthy, make sure they are never around smoke. Secondhand smoke is a leading cause of asthma. Keep your child away from cigarette smoke and any other kind of fumes.
Avoid anything that is known to trigger your asthma. For some, allergens such as dust and pollen can trigger an attack. For others, physical activity can irritate them. Look for the trigger points in your life, so you can work around them.
If your health insurance situation cannot help you with your asthma, talk to a social worker. Having the financial ability to purchase your asthma medications is essential, and a social worker can help you locate a hospital or clinic that can provide you with these medications for free or at a significantly reduced rate.
Asthma is not a curable disease and will require life-long health management. It is crucial that you have the proper medications for controlling asthma, as well as medication, such as a rescue inhaler to treat sudden attacks. Discuss treatment strategies with both your primary care physician and your allergist.
If you are an asthma patient, be sure to stay away from people who smoke, even if you are not a smoker yourself. When you inhale tobacco smoke, the lung’s function can be decreased, and you will increase the chance you have an asthma attack. Smaller areas without proper ventilation make you even more susceptible to an attack.
Cigarette Smoke
Buy products that are unscented if you suffer from asthma. Products that contain strong scents, like incense, perfume, or air freshener can trigger an asthma attack just by lingering in the air. Fresh paint and new carpeting can also irritate the airway. Try to see that the air inside your home remains as fresh as possible.
Cigarette smoke will make your asthma worse. This cannot be emphasized enough: Stay away from cigarette smoke! Air pollution and fumes from harsh chemicals also increase asthma symptoms. This can trigger an asthma attack, which may be difficult to stop. If you find that you have people smoking around you, get yourself out of that area rather quickly.
Make sure you are aware of what triggers your asthma so you can avoid it or prepare properly. Those who experience asthma are susceptible to some common things like pet dander, smoke, or pollen. If at all possible, strive to avoid substances and locations that trigger your asthma symptoms or attacks.
If you have asthma and find yourself having frequent attacks caused by alleries, it may be time to consider a long-lasting medication. Omalizumab is an antibody medication that is used to control these allergic reaction symptoms and may be recommended by your allergist.
Feather pillows can be bad for those with asthma. People are often allergic to these natural products that can affect breathing and bring on asthma symptoms. This extends to the rest of your bedding, as well. There are hypoallergenic comforters and sheets you can use to limit asthma symptoms.
If you have asthma that is not covered by health insurance, contact someone in a government agency, like a social worker. Having the financial ability to purchase your asthma medications is essential, and a social worker can help you locate a hospital or clinic that can provide you with these medications for free or at a significantly reduced rate.
You should definitely use your preventative inhaler on a daily basis. However, you should be warned that the drug can also cause infections in your mouth, particularly near your teeth and gums. To prevent complications from using a preventative inhaler, brush your teeth immediately after using it and use mouthwash as well.
Make sure that you and your loved ones get a flu vaccination yearly. If you have asthma, it’s important to prevent all respiratory infections, if at all possible. This means that you should take all standard precautions to avoid illness, such as washing your hands, getting vaccinated and avoiding those who are sick.
For people with serious asthma, exposure to household pets should be limited. An allergy to an animal will worsen asthma symptoms, and an animal can carry enough dust or pollen to trigger an attack.
If you suffer from asthma, it is best to buy unscented products. Indoor air pollution rises with the constant use of anything scented, ranging from air fresheners to incense, and all this can trigger asthma attacks. Fresh paint and new carpeting also give off odors that may aggravate the airways. Take all necessary measures to ensure that your home is always filled with fresh, clean air.
Dust and other allergens often accumulate in bed sheets. Clean your linen and pillow case every week to prevent asthma attacks. Clean bed linens will help you breathe better while you sleep.
Receiving a flu shot annually is very important if you or a loved one are asthmatic. Make sure your child’s vaccinations are up-to-date to avoid as many infections as possible.
To make sure all of your medical needs are being met, you will need to consult at least two doctors. You may use your primary physician for most things, but a specialist can be very helpful as well. Think about going to a pulmonologist, an allergist or even a nutritionist, depending on what is triggering your attacks.
Whenever you travel, always keep your rescue inhaler or other fast-acting medication by your side at all times. Traveling is hard on your body, opening you up to an asthma attack. Controlling your environment is harder when traveling, so this makes it much more probable that you experience worsening symptoms or an attack.
Don’t smoke. Most people know how dangerous smoking is, but for someone afflicted with asthma, the dangers are ten times more serious. Your lungs could become very irritated if you smoke, and you should avoid being around others that are smoking.
The development of asthma symptoms can occur over time and they can be difficult to pinpoint and diagnose. Many individuals died from their very first asthma attack because they weren’t aware they had the risk factors for an attack. Always consult with a doctor to see if a persistent cough or difficulty breathing is a sign that you require treatment for asthma. There may even be things you can do to prevent it from getting worse.
Don’t use a humidifier unless it’s been cleaned thoroughly if you suffer from asthma or allergies. If you allow bacteria to breed in the moist environment of the machine, you will just be pumping allergens into the air that you are trying to humidify.
If you are traveling by plane and must bring inhalers or nebulizers on board, you should bring a written prescription for the equipment. Having evidence from a doctor that the medication is necessary for your health will greatly help with security at the airport.
Check in with your doctor regularly to ensure that you are maintaining your asthma condition correctly and successfully. This person needs to have the ability to look at your current situation so that they can make any changes as necessary. It is up to you to be proactive about your health and set up regular appointments with your asthma doctor to allow him or her to work with you to keep you healthy and feeling well.
You should definitely use your preventative inhaler on a daily basis. However, you should be warned that the drug can also cause infections in your mouth, particularly near your teeth and gums. You may be able to avoid this problem by brushing your teeth or rinsing your mouth thoroughly after each use of the inhaler.
Make sure your space is clean. You should also frequently launder your bedding, including your pillows. This will eradicate dust mites, which can cause asthma attacks. The more dust there is in an environment, the more likely it becomes that the air will aggravate an asthmatic’s symptoms, prompting an attack.
People who suffer from asthma should stay inside as much as they can when the pollen count is up. While asthma is different than allergies, often the same types of things that bother those with allergies trigger irritation in asthmatics as well. The same air quality reports available in the local news for allergy problems can also help those with asthma issues stay indoors on particularly hazardous days.
Become stronger and increase the amount of air your lungs can hold over time. Don’t start strenuous exercise if you know that your asthma wont let you finish!
Make sure you keep calm if you are having an asthma attack. Immediately use your asthma inhaler, rest for 30 seconds, then use it once more. Should your asthma get even worse, seek medical attention immediately. Have someone phone an ambulance or drive you to a hospital. Breathe into a paper bag for assistance in slowing your breathing during the trip to the hospital.
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. People who are heavy smokers don’t even have to smoke; the heavy scent of smoke in their clothing can trigger asthma attacks.
Schedule regular visits with your doctor to check up on your asthma. Ideally these should occur every few months. This will give your doctor a chance to assess your current asthma condition, and make any needed adjustments to your medication. You are in charge of scheduling your visits with your physician in order for him or her to properly take care of you.
Make sure you are aware of food allergies that your children might have. Breathing problems or hives after eating a particular food can be be a sign and should be looked into. These allergies may be a sign of asthma down the road.
Support groups or talking with others who have asthma, can help you learn to live with your asthma. These people can supply you with advice on how to control your asthma and its symptoms. Support from people who understand your situation is key.
Keep your home clean and dry to reduce the possibility of attacks. Regular use of a dehumidifier can control the level of moisture in your home. If you work to keep the humidity levels in your home steady, you will decrease the number of seasonal attacks.
As previously stated, asthma is serious and can even threaten your life if it is ignored. Take standard precautions, including using an inhaler when necessary, and checking the allergy and pollution indices on a weather website. Use what you’ve learned here to ward off asthma symptoms, and never let them prevent you from living a normal life.
Avoid exercising outside if it’s cold and dry and you have asthma. What could happen is your bronchial airways become cool and dry, causing you to have an asthma attack. So, it is always best to be in conditions that are humid and warm while doing strenuous exercises.