If it is left without watching, asthma can become very severe. Asthma attacks are severe and can sometimes even be fatal. You should always seek advice from medical experts, but when that’s not enough, you need to take active steps yourself. This article contains many simple tips that can help you improve and relieve your asthma symptoms.
You may be unaware that certain medications you might be on could cause asthma symptoms. Some anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, can flare up asthma symptoms. Other medications that may have an effect on the respiratory system include beta blockers used to treat high blood pressure. If you suffer from asthma, be sure that your medical professional is aware of this.
If you have asthma, you should definitely avoid smoking or being exposed to any kind of fumes or vapors. Thus, you need to avoid cigarettes and cigars and be vigilant about steering clear of environmental or workplace exposure to smoke.
If you’re suffering from an asthma attack that’s moderate or mild, then work to force all the air you can from your lungs. Exhale in a hard and fast manner. This will force the air from your lungs. Breathe in by taking three quick breaths, followed by one very deep breath. Doing this will fill your lungs completely, and allow you to expel the air forcefully again. Paying attention this way will help you stabilize your breathing and make it rhythmic. It also allows you to take in more air by completely emptying your lungs. Do not be alarmed if you cough or generate excess mucous; this is perfectly normal. Your only concern is to return your breathing to normal.
Do all you can to learn not just about asthma, but your particular asthma. Understanding the specifics of your asthma will help you to avoid attack triggers in your day-to-day life. One example of this is exercise-induced asthma. This type of asthmatic will need to carry his inhaler with him when he goes for a run. If you know and understand your asthma triggers, you can better avoid and handle attacks.
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. An asthma attack can be easily triggered by the moving dust. Open a window to bring clean, cool air inside instead.
If you have any children who suffer from asthma, avoid smoking around them at all costs. Second-hand cigarette smoke is a leading cause of asthma. You should also make sure your child is never in an environment where other people are smoking.
Make sure you are using your inhaler properly. Find a good place and follow all of the directions that have been provided by the maker of the product. You can inhale all you want, but it’s useless if the medication doesn’t make it to your lungs. Spray the dosage into the mouth while you inhale air. Then hold it and try not to breathe for a minimum of 10 seconds. This will give enough time for the medication to properly fill out your lungs.
Cleaning Products
If your health insurance situation cannot help you with your asthma, talk to a social worker. Social workers are trained to help people find resources for affording health care, particularly on debilitating conditions such as asthma.
It is important that you try to stay clear of cleaning products if you have asthma. Cleaning products are often full of chemicals, and breathing those chemicals in can irritate your lungs. While anyone responsible for cleaning their home can’t avoid cleaning products altogether, it’s best to only use natural products.
Everyone in your family, including you, should get the flu vaccination every year. Do everything you can to avoid a respiratory infection if you have asthma. This means you should also be sure to wash your hands frequently and get vaccinated.
If you are suffering from asthma, stay away from any type of cigarette smoke. Asthma creates breathing problems by constricting airways, and cigarette smoking only exacerbates the problem. Inhaling the chemical-laden fumes and even the vapors from cigarettes can be extremely harmful. This can cause an asthma attack, and you may be unable to bring it under control. When you see people smoking in your area avoid them and move away.
Asthma sufferers should take Vitamins E and C. Both vitamins improve lung function, helping you to better resist asthma attacks and other negative symptoms. Either find a good vitamin supplement to take, or change your diet to include more foods rich in Vitamins E and C. Your immune system gets a boost with these vitamins, and this helps protect your body against illnesses and asthma.
If the room that you’re in is dusty, do not turn on a fan. This can move the dust around and can trigger an attack easily. If you wish to have a breeze, open a window instead of running a fan.
It’s been proven that you should use no more than four cleaning products in the home. If you do it can increase the risk of asthma attacks. Use organic products as often as possible, as these contain fewer harsh chemicals.
You may want to use a leukotriene inhibitor if your asthma is being particularly problematic. These work by preventing the formation of leukotrienes. Leukotriene, a chemical released by the body in response to an allergen, is responsible for inducing many of the symptoms of an asthma attack. The inhibitor will keep the leukotrienes from forming, which can reduce the frequency of asthma attacks that you experience.
If you have asthma, avoid people who smoke. 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.
Keep your home free of dust and other triggers, especially where the person who suffers from asthma sleeps. Food must only be allowed in the kitchen area, and there should be no smoking in the house at all. Try to avoid using any harsh chemicals or bleach in the home while cleaning; and, once the home is cleaned, air it out.
Some of the most notorious causes of asthma attacks exist in normal households. Three triggers comprise the asthma triad of doom: spores, dust and mold. Have an inspector who focuses on allergens and irritants come into your home once a year to help you detect what you have and learn how to remove it. In addition, cleaning the house regularly can greatly contribute to keeping these substances from building up.
When you are suffering from asthma and you have hay fever or a cold, you will most likely need an increase in your treatment. The effects of an illness can cause the severity of your asthma to temporarily increase, which necessitates a change in treatment. Your family doctor may recommend adding another treatment or medication to your current regimen until you recover from your illness.
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 can prevent this by brushing your teeth and gargling immediately following the use of your inhaler.
A yearly flu shot is necessary if you suffer from asthma. Therefore, it is very important to avoid as many infections to the lungs as possible by getting a vaccine each year.
When preventing asthma, stay away from smoke. Smoke can seriously affect the lungs and is a common asthma trigger. Do what you can to avoid chemical fumes, cigarette smoke and other vapors. All of these will increase your asthma symptoms. If there is someone who always smokes around you, you should politely ask this person to smoke when you aren’t present.
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. Therefore, try and keep the home dry. Use a dehumidifier during the winter time so that you can keep humidity in control when you use a heater. You can use the air conditioning in your household during summer time to get the same affect.
For those struggling with their asthma, avoiding regular contact with pets is important to control symptoms. A lot of times the hair or dander will cause an asthma attack, but even if you do not have an allergy to the pet itself they often carry pollen and dust with them.
Avoid cold-induced asthma attacks by protecting your mouth and nose with a scarf. That way the air is warmed before it enters your lungs. Cool air has been known to trigger an asthma attack, particularly in very young children who have severe or moderate asthma.
If you suffer from asthma attacks, familiarize yourself with how to properly use your inhaler. Simply spraying it and then inhaling in a shallow manner will negate the inhaler’s benefits. Every time you spray the inhaler, be sure to breathe the mist in deeply and hold it for a a few moments. Failing to do so will mean that the medicine will not be able to help open up your breathing.
The development of asthma symptoms can occur over time and they can be difficult to pinpoint and diagnose. In some serious cases, people have dropped dead due to an asthma attack without ever knowing they had asthma in the first place. If you find yourself with a constant cough or have trouble breathing, consult your doctor, so he can tell you if you have asthma and if you need medication. He might even have suggestions on how to prevent it from worsening.
Finding out as much as you can about asthma is a good way to help you manage your asthma. By being educated, you can treat your symptoms much more effectively. Keep up with the latest asthma news and see to it that you’re getting the best possible care. You need to learn about asthma and the treatment options available.
Including Cigarette Smoke
Eat foods high in vitamin B6. Vitamin B6, known as pyridoxine, reduces the risks of getting an asthma attack. Through this research, it has been proven that pyridoxine helps produce molecules that aid in relaxing the bronchial tissue. Bananas are also a wonderful source of vitamin B6.
Avoid all types of smoke, including cigarette smoke, if you have asthma. The inhalation of smoke can easily trigger an asthma attack. Avoid smoke of any kind, including cigarette smoke, if you’ve got asthma. All of those things can trigger and aggravate asthma symptoms. If you know someone who smokes, politely ask that they do not smoke in your presence.
If you are prone to asthma attacks, you need to find out what triggers them. A daily journal can be a powerful tool to help you pinpoint frequent triggers and it can also help your doctor to prescribe the treatment that is right for you. Once they are identified, you should make every attempt to avoid the triggers and remove them from the environment that you live in when at all possible.
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.
Keep track of allergy attacks; if you have more than two a week, see a doctor about changing your medicine. Medical professionals generally agree that when asthma is under control, there should be no more that two attacks in one week.