Asthma can get uncontrollable if it is left unchecked. The attacks can be life threatening in some instances. While you should continually consult your doctor with complications, it’s okay to try treatments yourself, as well. Here are a few easy tips to help you get a handle on your asthma symptoms.
What triggers your asthma? If you identify your specific causes, you can be prepared to treat the symptoms when they appear during your daily routines. For example, if you have exercise-induced asthma, you will want to always make sure you have an inhaler in your gym bag. Knowing the patterns related to your symptoms could aid you in avoiding crises.
Do you know what type of asthma you have? Being aware of your particular asthma condition can help you to effectively treat it on a daily basis. A perfect example is that if you have asthma caused by exercise you should put a inhaler in your locker or gym bag. If you know and understand your asthma triggers, you can better avoid and handle attacks.
If you have asthma, it is crucial that you do not smoke, or quit if you do. 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.
If you have an asthmatic child, do not allow anyone to smoke around him. One of the primary causes of asthma is secondhand smoke. You should take care to also make sure your child does not get exposed to other environments where people might be smoking.
Avoid anything that could trigger your asthma. Allergens such as dust and pollen can bring on an asthma attack at any time. For other people it may physical activities that will set them off. You need to determine what your triggers are so that you can avoid them.
Asthmatics should not smoke. If you smoke – quit immediately. 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.
If you’re in a dustier room, avoid turning on a fan. This will move all the dust around, and can easily trigger an asthma attack. Open some windows if you want fresh air.
Asthma is an ongoing disease and requires ongoing health management. 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. Speak to your allergist and doctor to see what they recommend for you.
Injections are available to people who suffer from asthma related to allergies, to help give them some long term relief. There are antibody medications used to control allergic reactions that come recommended by allergists.
If you’re a sufferer of asthma, stay away from cigarette smoke. Do not smoke yourself, either! Avoid all fumes of chemical products or breathing harmful vapors. These can trigger a severe asthma attack that can be difficult to get under control. If people are smoking around you, remove yourself from that area quickly.
Consider consulting a social worker if your asthma medication is not covered by an insurance policy. Asthma medications are never cheap, but it’s vital that you receive them and that is the social worker’s goal. He or she will deal with the clinics directly in efforts to remedy the situation.
Don’t turn on the fan if the dust in a room is aggravating your asthma. This will cause the dust to move around, which could cause an asthma attack. If you need airflow, simply opening a window would be better.
If you suffer from asthma, make sure that you consume enough Vitamin C and Vitamin E. You can buy these vitamins to help you get better function from your lungs and control your asthma symptoms. You can take a supplement in order to get these vitamins if there is not enough of them in your food. Another great benefit of vitamin C is that it will help to strengthen your immune system overall.
If you suffer from asthma, taking enough Vitamin E and C can help you. They help to increase the function of the lungs and control the overall symptoms of asthma. You can gain vitamins from supplements or the old fashioned way, from food! These vitamins will also help prevent illnesses by boosting your body’s immune system.
Be sure not to smoke as well as stay away from any smokers in general, this can be very harmful for you if you have asthma. Tobacco smoke causes your lung function to decrease, increasing the risk of a very severe attack, especially in enclosed rooms without much air flow or ventilation.
Think about getting a home dehumidifier if you have asthma. Decreasing the humidity in the house decreases dust mites, which decreases asthma flare ups. Dehumidifiers keep the air in your home dry by eliminating humidity.
Avoid using a feather or down pillow if you have asthma. Feathers can decrease lung function and cause asthma symptoms. Also, make sure your other bedding is made with hypoallergenic materials.
Cleaning Products
Mold and mildew will often grow in a humid home. They are a nuisance for people with asthma; the asthma attacks they trigger require you to eliminate them. You will benefit greatly from keeping the moisture out of your home’s air. A dehumidifier can be used in the winter, and in the summer, many air conditioner models also help strip moisture from the air.
Asthma attacks have been found to be more likely in homes where four or more different cleaning products are in use. Use organic cleaning products since they don’t have irritating chemicals.
Asthma generally develops over a period of time, and the symptoms are not always obvious. There are many cases where people have died from their first asthma attack, without even being aware that they were at risk. So, if you are having trouble coughing and breathing, talk to a doctor to see if you need treatment. You might receive a prescription to treat or prevent asthma.
Avoid exposure to secondhand smoke because it is as dangerous to asthmatics as smoking a cigarette. When you breathe in smoke, especially in small spaces, it diminishes breathing ability, which greatly increases the probability of an asthma attack.
When housecleaning, it is better to clean your floors with a damp mop than sweeping them with a broom. Those particles that can trigger asthma attacks are stirred up when you sweep. When you need to dust, do so with a damp rag instead of a feather duster so that you reduce spreading around anything that will trigger your asthma.
To cut the risk of an asthma attack, keep your house as clean as you can, particularly the bedroom of the person with asthma. Avoid smoking inside, and only let people eat in the kitchen. After using chemical to clean, air out the house.
People that experience asthma must stay indoors as often as they can when pollen is abundant. Asthma is in no way an allergy, but a lot of the same burdens that bother allergy suffers also affect people who suffer from asthma. Asthma suffers can now minimize exposure to outdoor pollutants and irritants by checking online for current air quality in their areas.
Avoid using a feather or down pillow if you have asthma. The feathers contained in the pillow could trigger the symptoms related to asthma and it could prevent your lungs from functioning efficiently. Your other bedding, such as sheets, blankets and comforters, should be hypoallergenic, too.
Schedule regular visits with your doctor to check up on your asthma. Ideally these should occur every few months. Your physician needs to have the opportunity to see what is happening with you, and alter your treatment plan if necessary. You should always keep your appointments so that your doctor can follow up on your treatment plans, and work with you to maintain your health.
Attend your regular asthma checkups, even if things seem to be going well. You can never tell when an attack will strike, or when your physician may have some better or safer advice for you to follow.
When planning on painting an interior area of your home, make sure that you purchase a mask to protect your respiratory tract from the paint’s fumes. The fumes from the pain can irritate your asthma. By using a mask, you will keep yourself from inhaling the majority of these fumes. Substances and chemicals which have the power to trigger asthma should be widely avoided.
If your home is damp, it can encourage the growth of mildew and mold. Both of these substances are known to trigger asthma attacks. Therefore, it is important to make sure your home is dry. When you use the heater in the winter, be sure to have a dehumidifier control the humidity in your home. During the summer time, be sure to use the air conditioner to maintain a dry home.
You will get a lot of support for your asthma if you join a group or just by talking with other people who have asthma. They can offer you tips about handling different situations and help you manage your asthma. You need a strong support system!
When you need to take your asthma supplies on an airplane, it is a good idea to bring your doctor’s prescription with you. Carrying written prescription information will help you to avoid security hassles, and you won’t have to worry about your medication being confiscated.
Knowing your catalysts for asthma attacks is the first step to preventing them. You may even want to keep an asthma trigger journal so you can discuss this with your doctor. Once they are known, do whatever it takes to prevent triggers from going off, and if possible, just wipe them out of your life and environment completely.
When housecleaning, it is better to clean your floors with a damp mop than sweeping them with a broom. When you are sweeping with a broom, you stir up triggers like dirt and dust mites that can cause you to go into an asthma attack. When you need to dust, do so with a damp rag instead of a feather duster so that you reduce spreading around anything that will trigger your asthma.
It is important to know the warning signs of an impending asthma attack so you can get medical help for your child if one strikes. Signs that an asthma attack is underway can include blue or gray tints to the lips and fingernails. It is also possible your child will not respond to heightened doses of medication during an attack. During these severe attacks, it may be difficult for your child to speak.
If you have allergies and asthma, you need to avoid using a humidifier or a vaporizer unless it has been thoroughly cleaned. 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.
Keep your home clean and dry to reduce the possibility of attacks. Reduce the moisture level in your home with a dehumidifier. By keeping humidity levels where they should be, you will not suffer from as many seasonal attacks.
You shouldn’t have to take inhaled medication on a frequent basis. Talk to your doctor about changing medicines if you have asthma attacks two or more times per week. Having to use your inhaler multiple times means the medicine you’re receiving isn’t working well enough and needs to be changed. In addition, if you must change the cartridge in the inhaler more than two times in a year, you may need to see your doctor regarding a medication switch.
If your toddler has asthma, be sure to be vigilant of symptoms that may necessitate professional emergency care. Some symptoms to watch for include: an inability to inhale adequate air, difficulty making sounds and speaking, extreme concavity of the abdomen while inhaling and gasping for breath. 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 an asthmatic, it is doubly important to practice proper warm-up and cool down protocol when doing strenuous exercise. Doing both will help you avoid experiencing asthma symptoms while exercising or after exercising.