Managing your asthma means that you can lead a full life despite your diagnosis. There are many ways to control or prevent asthma from interfering with your life. Read this article to find out how you can manage your condition more easily.
An important part of symptom management is knowing what type of asthma you have. When you’re informed about your asthma, you’ll be able to do more to cope with the illness and prevent it from having a negative effect on your life. Asthma caused by exercise can be treated easily if you carry an inhaler when you go to the gym. Knowing symptom patterns will help you prevent emergencies.
Actually Trigger
If your child or another loved one suffers from asthma, you should be sure to never smoke cigarettes when you’re near them. Secondhand smoke is a huge health risk and directly plays a role in why people develop asthma. While making sure to never light up around your children, it is also vital that you make sure your kids are not around others who do not show the same courtesy.
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. Beta blockers that are used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease can develop asthma like symptoms. Tell your doctor if you are an asthmatic and you are using these medications.
Avoid anything that is known to trigger your asthma. For many people, allergens such as dust and pollen can induce an attack. It could also be some type of strenuous exercise. Try to determine your asthma triggers, so you can avoid them and prevent attacks.
You need ongoing treatment for asthma because it’s an ongoing disease. Make sure you are taking the right medications to control your everyday asthma symptoms, and have a quick relief medication on hand if you have an attack. Talk to your doctor and allergist to see what is the best idea for you.
When you suffer a medium-intensity attack, try and forcefully exhale all air from your lungs. Blow your breath out as hard and fast as you can. Truly pump all air from your lungs! Inhale a series of three quick breaths, followed by a deeper one, before exhaling with force again. Pay attention to what you are doing and follow a regular rhythm. It also helps to push air out from your lungs so new air can come back in. You may cough or generate sputum, this is okay, your main goal is to get your breathing back on track again.
If you have asthma, you should keep away from any smoke from cigarettes. Asthma creates breathing problems by constricting airways, and cigarette smoking only exacerbates the problem. Avoid all fumes of chemical products or breathing harmful vapors. Any of these things can trigger an asthma attack. If people smoke around you, you should get away form that area.
If you have asthma, you should keep away from any smoke from cigarettes. Do not smoke! Stay away from vapors and chemical fumes, too. This can trigger an unstoppable asthma attack. If people smoke around you, you should get away form that area.
Dust will make you have an attack, so keep the air calm in dirty rooms. An asthma attack can be easily triggered by the moving dust. If you wish to have a breeze, open a window instead of running a fan.
Though it should go without saying, do not turn on any fans or circulation systems when in a room containing visible dust that has yet to be cleaned. Otherwise, the dust will fly into the air and could give you an attack. It’s better to open the window if you’re in need of fresh air.
If you suffer from asthma, and have many attacks that are related to your allergy symptoms, there is a medication that is injected and provides long term effects. One antibody medication available is called Omalizumab and can be prescribed by your doctor or allergist.
Always use your inhaler in the proper manner. A lot of people use inhalers improperly, so be sure that you’re adhering to the manufacturer’s suggested instructions. The inhaler is only useful if the medication within it actually gets to your lungs. Inhale the air and spray the right amount down your throat. Hold in your breath for 10 seconds so the medicine works properly.
Properly use the inhaler every time you must use it. Find a peaceful spot, and make sure to follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. The only way the inhaler will work is if your lungs get the proper amount of medication. Spray the required dosage into your mouth while inhaling air. Holding your breath for a minimum of 10 seconds gives the medicinal mist from the inhaler time to spread itself throughout your lungs.
Asthmatics should have a flu shot every year to prevent contracting a serious respiratory infection. Do everything you can to avoid a respiratory infection if you have asthma. The easiest way to start is by performing routine hand-washing, limiting your touching of surfaces while in public places, and getting vaccinations recommended by your doctor.
If you are an asthma sufferer and are denied health insurance, talk to a social worker. 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.
It is best to use products that are unscented in the home with someone who is asthmatic. 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 give off odors that can irritate sensitive airways. Try to maintain the air in your house as free from possible asthma triggers as possible.
If you are an asthma sufferer, be sure to get the recommended daily dose of Vitamins C and E. Since both of these have been attributed to better function of the lungs, they also help to control the symptoms of asthma. 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.
Keep your home meticulously clean to reduce attack potential if there is an asthma sufferer living there, especially the bedroom. Only allow food in the kitchen, and never smoke indoors. 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.
If you have asthma, get a dehumidifier for your home. Lowering the level of humidity present in your home can reduce the numbers of dust mites, a prime trigger of asthma. Air is kept dry by dehumidifiers by sucking the humidity out of it.
If you have hay fever or a cold, you will probably need increased treatment of your asthma. Illnesses like this can often worsen your asthma symptoms, which may require that you up your dosage of certain medications. Your physician might also work an additional treatment into your therapy until such time as you are healthier.
If you’re suffering from a cold or allergies, you should talk to your doctor about taking additional asthma medication. The effects of some illnesses can exacerbate the effects of your asthma, causing the need for more treatments. Your doctor may also add another treatment to your regimen until your illness gets better.
If you suffer from asthma, consider using a feather-free pillow to sleep. The feathers can make asthma worse and take away from your ability to breathe. The same can be said for bedding, try to get hypoallergenic comforters and sheets.
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. Also, make sure your other bedding is made with hypoallergenic materials.
Wear a covering over your mouth and nose when you go outdoors in the colder weather. A shawl, scarf or muffler would work well. This warms the air before you bring it into your lungs. Breathing in the cold air has been shown to trigger asthma attacks, especially in younger children with moderate to severe asthma.
When you travel, your rescue medication should be with you all the time. You may find that the stress of traveling makes an asthma attack more likely. While on the road, it is also hard to control the environment you are in, which also makes an attack more likely.
If you are cleaning, you should use a mop that is damp instead of a dry broom. If you are sweeping, you can trigger an asthma attack by stirring up a lot of allergens into the air. When you dust, try dampening a rag, instead of a feather duster, to avoid spreading things that can trigger your asthma.
Support Group
Allergens, pollen, dust and some other asthma aggravators can collect in your bed linens. You can get rid of these by washing your sheets and other linens in very hot water each week. Clean bed linens that are washed frequently will help you breathe easier every time your head hits the pillow.
Look into becoming a part of a support group. There are many to choose from both online and offline. Asthma, especially severe asthma, can be a debilitating condition and prevent you from participating fully in daily life. By getting involved in a support group you will also be speaking with other sufferers who may know of new scientific discoveries and treatment plans you may not be aware of.
When you suffer from an asthma attack, be sure to remain calm. Immediately use your asthma inhaler, rest for 30 seconds, then use it once more. If this procedure does not stop your attack, seek immediate treatment from a healthcare professional. Ask someone to drive you to the closest hospital or call an ambulance. Breathe into a paper bag for assistance in slowing your breathing during the trip to the hospital.
You can rely on different methods to reduce your asthma attacks and live a normal life. Asthma does not have to be a death sentence, so if you can make a plan on how to live with asthma, you will have a much more fulfilling life.
Finding out as much as you can about asthma is a good way to help you manage your asthma. Having the right information can enable you to choose the treatments that are right for you, and help reduce symptoms. Look into cutting-edge treatments, and seek the best medical care you can find. You can do this by educating yourself on your condition and the treatment options that are available to you.