You’ve just gotten the asthma diagnosis and are panicking. Asthma has no cure, which makes it a chronic condition. It doesn’t mean your life has to stop because of being diagnosed with asthma. If you would like to treat asthma with healthy, effective techniques, you may find the advice offered in this article useful.
If you are an asthma sufferer, you need to avoid smoking and exposure to fumes or vapors of any kind. Because of this, you should avoid any kind of tobacco smoke and take any job that you want to apply for into consideration; factories could expose you to a variety of smoke, vapors and dust.
What kind of asthma do you have? If you identify your specific causes, you can be prepared to treat the symptoms when they appear during your daily routines. If you have exercised-induced asthma, for example, you’ll want to bring your inhaler with you to the gym or other locations where you might be involved in physical activity. Treating asthma is less difficult if you and your physician are aware of the triggers that bring on an attack.
Do you know what type of asthma you have? Being fully informed about the specific type of asthma you have is very important. If you have exercised-induced asthma, for example, you’ll want to bring your inhaler with you to the gym or other locations where you might be involved in physical activity. Knowing your asthma symptom patterns will help keep you safe.
You need ongoing treatment for asthma because it’s an ongoing disease. You need to keep taking your medications to control the asthma symptoms every day, and if an attack should occur, you should have quick relief medication at your disposal. Discuss treatment strategies with both your primary care physician and your allergist.
Do not smoke around your children if they have asthma. Secondhand smoke is a leading cause of asthma. Never allow anyone to smoke around your child, and teach them not to smoke as an adult themselves.
If you find yourself having a mild asthma attack, force the air from your lungs until they are empty. Exhale in a hard and fast manner. Force all the air out of the lungs! Take three short breaths, and then take a fourth, deeper breath to fill your lungs comfortably; then, breathe out with force again. Doing this means breathing in a conscious rhythm that makes you mindful of your breathing. This is a good way to empty your lungs and let more air come in. You might start coughing, and some sputum may come up, but this is no problem and your focus is to get back into a relaxed, rythmic breathing pattern again.
Quit smoking or avoid smoke if you suffer from asthma. When smoke enters your lungs it cuts off your oxygen supply, and if you suffer from asthma it can make breathing extremely difficult, and result in an increased number of attacks.
If allergies lead to constant attacks from your asthma, there has been a recent solution that is administered via injection that provides long term care! Omalizumab is one such medication, and can control the allergic symptoms you may be experienced. An allergist will be able to tell you if this is a good option.
If you suffer with asthma, avoid cleaning products. A lot of these products contain harsh chemicals such as ammonia. These chemicals wreak havoc on you and can trigger an attack. If you do the cleaning in your house, use natural solutions that are safer for you to breath in.
If you are having trouble preventing asthma attacks, you may find success with a leukotriene inhibitor. This prescription will prevent the product of leukotrines and help to abate the symptoms of asthma. Leukotrienes has a hand in causing swelling and inflammation in your lungs, and may trigger a asthma attack. The inhibitor can prevent them and decrease your asthma 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. For example, Omalizumab can be used to keep your allergic reactions to a minimum and your asthma under control.
You may want to consider purchasing a dehumidifier for your home if you suffer from asthma. Reducing the amount of humidity in your home reduces the number of dust mites, which in turn reduces the chances of your asthma flaring up. Air is kept dry by dehumidifiers by sucking the humidity out of it.
Leukotriene inhibitors may be helpful to you if you suffer from asthma. As its name suggests, this inhibitor works by preventing the release and build-up of leukotriene. Inhibiting this chemical can lead to a decrease in asthma symptoms. Leukotriene is an oral therapy for the treatment of asthma, but it is not as effective as inhaled corticosteroids.
Flu Shot
You should ensure that every family member in your household gets a flu vaccine yearly. If you have asthma, try to avoid getting respiratory infections if you can. This means taking every precaution possible, do things like getting vaccinated to prevent sickness to hand washing on a regular basis.
An annual flu shot is crucial if you have asthma or have an asthmatic child. Prevent those flu infections before they happen by getting a flu shot each year.
If you suffer from asthma, ensure you consume lots of Vitamins E and C. These vitamins have been known to improve the function of the lungs and reduce some asthma symptoms. These vitamins can be easily obtained, either through your diet or a supplement. The vitamins will help improve the immune system, which will help you fight off illnesses that cause asthma.
When it’s colder, wear a shawl, scarf or muffler that will cover your mouth and nose to avoid asthma attacks. You can help warm the air with these things before they bring any harm to your lungs. In multiple studies, breathing cold air is linked to increased asthma attacks. This link is especially pronounced in younger children.
Think about getting a home dehumidifier if you have asthma. Lowering humidity will reduce the amount of dust mites in your home, and help your asthma improve. Dehumidifiers reduce attacks in your home by making the air cleaner and drier.
If you are going on a plane trip with asthma medications, make sure to bring your written prescription along with you. If you have written proof about the item you have,and that it is medically necessary, there will be less hassles going through security.
If you have asthma, use a pillow that doesn’t have feathers in it. The feathers can make asthma worse and take away from your ability to breathe. This applies to bedding, as well. Purchase sheets and comforters that are made of hypoallergenic materials.
See multiple doctors to keep asthma under control. Even though your primary care doctor can assist you in the basic care for your asthma, consider visiting a specialist also. Allergists, asthma centers, pulmonologists, and even nutritionists can work with you to make sure you are taking advantage of all avenues of treatment.
You may want to consider having numerous doctors treat your asthma. Although your primary doctor can treat your asthma, a specialist may be able to provide further help. Pulmonologists, allergists, asthma centers and nutritionists can help you take advantage of the many treatments available to those with asthma.
If you have asthma, don’t smoke. Most people are educated about how dangerous smoking is, but it is much more harmful for people who have asthma. Your lungs could become very irritated if you smoke, and you should avoid being around others that are smoking.
It is important to remain calm during an asthma attack. Calmly use the inhaler. Use it again after 30 seconds has elapsed. If you feel your ashtma attack worsening, get immediate help. Ask someone to drive you to the closest hospital or call an ambulance. On your way to the hospital, breath in and out in a paper bag in order to help calm yourself and get your breathing down to a normal pace.
If the pollen count is rising, stay indoors when possible. While asthma and allergies are separate illnesses, you’ll find that the triggers for one tend to be mirrored in the other. These days, information about the quality of local air is readily available, so people with asthma can avoid spending time outside when the air is full of things that irritate their lungs.
If you are dealing with asthma it is critical you understand how to properly use an inhaler. In order for the inhaler to work, you must carefully follow the directions. With each spray, you have to take a deep breath so that the medication gets into your lungs. Failing to do so will mean that the medicine will not be able to help open up your breathing.
Don’t panic when you have an asthma attack. Use your rescue inhaler, rest for a half to one minute, then use the inhaler again. Don’t suffer in silence or wait it out if your breathing gets worse instead of better after using your inhaler. You need immediate medical attention if this happens. Get somebody to phone for EMS or even transport you themselves to the nearest emergency medical facility. Try breathing in a paper bag to slow your breathing on the way there.
If you frequently use your inhaler (more than two to three times per week), you should talk to your doctor about alternative methods of treatment or a different prescription. If you need to use your inhaler that often, the medicine in it isn’t working as well as it should. Additionally, if you must have your inhaler refilled more than two times in a year, you should consult your doctor.
If inhaler use happens more than two times in each of your weeks, you must schedule an appointment with your doctor about this and possibly adjust your medication. This means your inhaler isn’t working right. This also goes for refills. If you find yourself refilling your inhaler in excess of twice a year, then you need to change medications.
Take in every piece of asthma information available to you. The more you educate yourself about your asthma condition, the more you are able to be proactive about your treatment. Do your research, and keep current on available treatment information so you can be sure you’re doing all you can to feel well. The best thing to do is learn and research as much as you can about this condition and the treatment options that would be best for you.
As you can read, the trick of managing asthma is preparing well. With the knowledge of your asthma type and asthma management techniques, you can avoid crises in your day to day life. This article is a building block in your knowledge to combat asthma effectively!
Identify your asthma triggers to help yourself prevent asthma attacks. Keeping a journal will help you and your doctor develop a plan to combat some of the triggers. After you figure out what your triggers are, do everything in your power to avoid exposure to them.