Managing your asthma means that you can lead a full life despite your diagnosis. There are a number of ways to make sure that asthma doesn’t interfere with your life. Read on to find some helpful tips and techniques to take back your life despite the diagnosis of asthma!
An important tip to help protect your asthma-afflicted children is to always refrain from smoking around them. Secondhand smoke is almost as dangerous to asthmatics as actually smoking a cigarette. You should also make sure your child is never in an environment where other people are smoking.
If asthma is something you suffer from, do not smoke or spend time around smokers, much less any source of vapors and fumes. This means you need to keep away from tobacco products and only seek out jobs where you aren’t exposed to any harmful chemicals, smoke or vapors.
Smoking is extremely harmful if you suffer from asthma. If you are not already a smoker, don’t start, and if you are, quit as soon as possible. Smoking is unhealthy for anyone, but it is especially dangerous for someone with asthma. This is because your lungs and airway are already compromised by your condition.
What kind of asthma do you have? Particular cases of asthma can respond differently to the same treatment, so you need to know all that you can about your case to treat it most effectively. A perfect example is that if you have asthma caused by exercise you should put a inhaler in your locker or gym bag. Knowing symptom patterns will help you prevent emergencies.
A lot of medications can trigger an asthma attack without you knowing. Various NSAIDs and aspirin have been reported to do this. You can also use beta blockers, which will help you manage blood pressure. Let your doctor know about your asthma and what prescriptions you’re taking.
If you have an asthmatic child, do not allow anyone to smoke around him. There’s a long list of environmental asthma triggers, and secondhand smoke is at the top of it. Any place where smoking is allowed should be avoided if you have a child with asthma.
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. Breath out as hard and fast as you can. Forcefully push the air out from your lungs. Then take three quick breaths, next a deeper breath till your lungs fill with air, then repeat the forceful exhalation again. Breathing in this rhythmic manner helps you to concentrate on the breaths you’re taking. It also keeps air flowing out of the lung,s so that you can refill them. You may cough or generate sputum, this is okay, your main goal is to get your breathing back on track again.
Cleaning Products
Anyone suffering from asthma or asthma-like symptoms needs to stay clear of cigarette smoke, whether you smoke yourself, or even if you’re breathing secondhand smoke. Don’t smoke! Avoid breathing chemical fumes and vapors. This could trigger a serious asthma attack, and you may have trouble preventing it from happening. If others are smoking nearby, leave that area as quickly as you can.
If you suffer from asthma, strong cleaning products should be avoided. The complex list of ingredients on many cleaning products makes it difficult know which ones have the chemical compounds that might aggravate asthma symptoms or even initiate an attack. If you have the job of cleaning your house, you should safer, natural products.
Consider getting injections of medications to treat your asthma if you are prone to attacks induced by allergy symptoms. An antibody medicine known as omalizumab is very effective at countering asthma attacks related to allergies. Ask your allergist about it.
Some medications are known to cause asthma symptoms. A couple of common culprits that do this are aspirin and NSAIDs. There are some beta blockers that are given to those trying to control their heart disease or who have high blood pressure that may be harmful to an asthmatic, as well. If you suffer from asthma, be sure that your medical professional is aware of this.
You may want to consider purchasing a dehumidifier for your home if you suffer from asthma. When your home has less humidity, there are less dust mites, and that minimizes the chances of an asthma flare-up. Dehumidifiers reduce humidity and keep the air in your home dry.
Anyone suffering from asthma or asthma-like symptoms needs to stay clear of cigarette smoke, whether you smoke yourself, or even if you’re breathing secondhand smoke. Smoking is especially dangerous for asthmatics. Avoid breathing in vapors from smoke or other chemical-type fumes. This can aggravate your asthma and it might not stop. If you see people smoking in your vicinity, you should get away from them as soon as possible.
Lower the chances of asthma attacks by keeping a spotless home, particularly in the areas where you sleep. Also, you should keep food confined to the kitchen, and opt to smoke outdoors only. Don’t use strong cleaners or bleach and air out the house immediately following cleaning.
If you suffer from asthma, don’t expose yourself to secondhand smoke. When you inhale smoke, especially in close quarters, lung functioning is decreased, and it can trigger an attack.
If you or someone in your family has asthma, all family members need to get flu shots every year. Stave off as many of these infections as possible by getting vaccinated every year.
Even if you seem to be fine, see your doctor regularly for your asthma checkups. You cannot be certain when you will next have an issue with your asthma, or when there may be a better medication available to utilize for your condition.
Mold and mildew grow in a home due to the humidity that creates a friendly environment for them. Mold and mildew can easily cause severe asthma attacks. Therefore, you should always strive to maintain a dry home. In the winter, use a dehumidifier along with your heater, and in the summer months, you can use your air conditioner to help control the amount of water in the air within your home.
Your home can be full of the major triggers leading to an asthma attack. Such irritants include mold spores, dust, smoke and chemical fumes. Having your house inspected yearly is a good way to reduce the presence of these asthma triggers. Cleaning the house on a regular basis will also help prevent the buildup of these hazardous substances.
Understand how to properly use your own asthma medication, particularly the rescue medication. Asthma is generally managed through regular medicine which is supplemented with rescue medications like inhalers. Because you will have asthma for the rest of your life, it is important that you take your maintenance medication properly, and that you use your emergency medication correctly.
Mold and mildew thrive in homes with high humidity levels. These substances can easily trigger asthma attacks. Therefore, try and keep the home 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.
If you need to travel with your asthma medication, particularly if you plan on bringing a nebulizer or other large equipment, it can be helpful to obtain a letter from your doctor explaining their use. If you have the proof that this is a medical necessity, it can cause less hassles during the security check.
Asthma generally develops over a period of time, and the symptoms are not always obvious. There have been a few cases where a person dies from their first attack, because they didn’t know they suffered from the condition. So, if you have a lingering cough or instances of troubled breathing, you should see a doctor to see if you might have asthma and determine whether you may need medication to either prevent or treat asthma.
Asthma sufferers need to know which types of animals and breeds won’t trigger their asthma attacks. Even sufferers not allergic to a certain animal need to remember that dust and pollen on the animals can still trigger an attack.
If you are going to be flying and are bringing your asthma medicine with you, take written prescriptions from your physician with you, especially if you will be taking large equipment like a nebulizer. Having evidence from a doctor that the medication is necessary for your health will greatly help with security at the airport.
Bed linens often collect asthma aggravators, such as pollen, dust and allergens. Use fresh linens to make up your bed on a regular basis. Fresh bed linens, laundered on a regular basis, will keep you breathing clearly and easily at night while you slumber.
Preventative Inhaler
Try to avoid the seasonal pollen that may trigger an asthma attack. Even though asthma is not technically an allergy, those who suffer from allergies often find their condition is exacerbated by the same irritants and triggers that those afflicted with asthma are affected by as well. You can get the information about air quality in the area you are in; people who suffer from asthma should stay indoors if their air quality is low.
Use your maintenance or preventative inhaler every day. However, you should know that the drug may cause mouth infections near your gums and teeth. To prevent complications from using a preventative inhaler, brush your teeth immediately after using it and use mouthwash as well.
Consume more foods which contain vitamin B6. B6, another name for pyridoxine, has been proven to lessen the frequency and severity of attacks related to asthma. How does this work? Pyridoxine is a chemical that reduces constriction in the bronchial tubes. This constriction is what brings on asthma attacks. Bananas are a wonderful source of Vitamin B6.
Avoid smoke to prevent asthma and asthma attacks. Smoke can induce an asthma attack. Avoid triggers like vapors, chemical fumes, and cigarette smoke as much as you can. Any inhalant, which is irritating, can trigger an asthma attack! If a person is smoking around you, politely ask him to smoke at times when you are somewhere else.
Asthma is sometimes caused by genetics, and sometimes by environmental causes. If asthma has occurred in your family, be aware of any symptoms of asthma you or your children may exhibit. Air pollutants like smoke and mold spores can trigger an asthma attack, so keep your home clean to avoid irritation.
Allergens, pollen and other irritants can collect in your linens and aggravate your asthma. You can reduce or eliminate these potential asthma attack inducers by laundering your sheets and pillowcases in hot water every week. Clean bed linens will help you breathe better while you sleep.
It is important to keep the space you are living in clean and well kept. You need to also wash your pillows, blankets, and sheets on a regular basis. Washing your bedding regularly keeps dust mites away; dust mites are a trigger of attacks for many asthmatics. Dust build up can increase your chances of getting an asthma attack as causes irritation to your breathing.
As you see, you can use several methods in controlling or preventing asthma from overtaking your life. A diagnosis of asthma doesn’t mean you’re sentenced to a life of inactivity. An effective treatment plan for your asthma will help you lead an active and rewarding life.
Try to strengthen yourself, and increase your lung capacity gradually. Never induce an asthma attack by attempting a workout when you aren’t sure if you will be able to complete it because of your asthma.