Healthy lungs are vital to a healthy body. For asthma sufferers, however, it can be very difficult to maintain good lung health. You can, however, live a long and active life when you take steps to keep your symptoms under control. Continue reading to learn from the advice within this article, giving you a chance to live with asthma and don’t let it control you.
If you suffer from asthma, don’t smoke, and avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. This means avoidance of all tobacco products, as well as taking into consideration any smoke or vapors you might be exposed to in a prospective workplace.
What kind of asthma do you have? Before you can develop a self-care plan for your asthma symptoms, you need to know the specific cause of your symptoms. If people who have asthma suffer attacks triggered by exercise, they should bring an inhaler with them when they work out. Knowing the patterns of your symptoms will help you avoid crises.
It is vital that neither you, nor anyone else, smoke around a child with asthma. As far as triggers that cause asthma attacks or causes of the condition in general, secondhand cigarette smoke ranks right up there. Never allow anyone to smoke around your child, and teach them not to smoke as an adult themselves.
If you suffer from asthma, it is vital that you avoid smoking; if you do, you should quit. While smoking is bad for everyone, it’s particularly hard on an asthma sufferer as it restricts oxygen getting to the lungs.
Avoid being around any known asthma triggers. Perhaps you have allergies or are sensitive to dust and pollen. For others, physical activities can cause them. Determine what your trigger is so you can easily avoid an attack.
It is imperative that you do your best to avoid cleaning chemicals if you are asthmatic. Many of the chemicals in cleaning products can trigger asthma symptoms or attacks. It is advisable to consider using products that have an organic base when cleaning.
Asthma is a disease that is ongoing and must be attended to every day. Be certain that you are prescribed or using the appropriate medicine to manage your daily symptoms, and that you have an emergency medicine readily available in the event of an attack. Discuss your best options with your allergist and doctor.
Asthma Symptoms
Consider getting allergy shots if you have asthma that is caused by allergies that aren’t under control. It is called omalizumab, and it is an antibody medicine used to control allergic reaction symptoms. You will need to speak to your allergist to find out if this would be helpful to you.
There are certain medications that cause or exacerbate asthma symptoms. Not everyone knows this. Various NSAIDs and aspirin have been reported to do this. The medication you take for high blood pressure can also cause asthma symptoms. It is important to talk openly with your doctor about your asthma so that you do not take any medications that could be harmful to you.
Be certain to properly use your inhaler. Find a peaceful spot, and make sure to follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Remember that using an inhaler is only going to help you if the medication contained within makes its way to the lungs. Inhale deeply as you dispense the correct amount into your mouth. After inhaling, it’s important that you hold the medication in by holding your breath for 10 seconds at the least.
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. Blow your breath out as hard and fast as you can. It can’t be said too strongly: you must force the air out! Inhale three times with short breaths, and then on the fourth one take a deeper breath so your lungs are full of air but still comfortable. Then breath out as hard as you can again. This will force you to pay careful attention to all of your breaths. It will also help to get the air to come out of the lungs so more can come in. There may be periods of harsh coughing and a substantial generation of sputum, but this is actually what you want in order to get the airways opened and the breathing back on a regular pattern.
Social workers are there for your assistance if you live with asthma, yet can’t get approved for health insurance. It is important that you are able to afford your asthma medications, so a social worker may be able to find you a clinic or hospital that offers your medication at little to no cost.
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. Open a window instead to get the air flowing.
If you have asthma, get a dehumidifier for your home. Cutting down the humidity in the house will lower the amount dust mites in the air, and that will mean fewer asthma flare-ups. A dehumidifier works to dry the air by removing moisture.
Feather pillows can be bad for those with asthma. Feathers can trigger asthma symptoms and reduce lung function. Patients should also buy hypoallergenic bedding.
If you use more than four cleaning products, you are increasing the risks of an asthma attack. Choose natural and organic products which don’t have chemicals that will irritate your disease.
Many of the most common asthma triggers are found in the home. These causes are sources, such as, but not limited to dust, mold and spores. Have an inspector come visit your house to remove any harmful agents that you have so that you can stay healthy and lower your risk for an asthma attack. Clean up your house regularly so these substances do not accumulate.
If you have been diagnosed with asthma, you should avoid smoking or even being in the presence of smokers. When you breathe in smoke, especially in small spaces, it diminishes breathing ability, which greatly increases the probability of an asthma attack.
Asthma Attacks
It is best to use products that are unscented in the home with someone who is asthmatic. Products with fragrance, such as perfumes, colognes, and air fresheners, introduce irritants into the air around you and can cause asthma attacks. New carpeting and even a fresh coat of paint can aggravate the airway and lungs as well. Try to see that the air inside your home remains as fresh as possible.
When it’s colder, wear a shawl, scarf or muffler that will cover your mouth and nose to avoid asthma attacks. This warms the air before you bring it into your lungs. Breathing in cold air tends to start asthma attacks, especially with younger children that have severe or moderate asthma.
Your asthma treatments will likely increase when you suffer from hay fever or a cold. An increase in treatment is necessary sometimes because side effects of other sicknesses can cause your asthma symptoms to flare up. Your doctor may choose to also add an additional treatment until the illness gets better.
Asthma isn’t curable at the present time, but management can be made much easier with the proper advice from this article and a medical professional. New techniques and medicines are always in development, and eventually asthma will be handled with ease.
If you or someone in your family has asthma, all family members need to get flu shots every year. Prevent these infections from occurring by going to get vaccinated each year.