Millions of people, no matter what their age, suffer with asthma everyday. Are you somebody who is dealing with this issue? The following article will teach you several ways to manage asthma and control symptoms.
Asthma is a continuous disease that needs ongoing 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. See your doctor or allergist to find out which treatment plan is best for your situation.
You need to make sure that you do not smoke and that you stay away from a lot of fumes and vapors if you suffer from asthma. Thus, you need to avoid cigarettes and cigars and be vigilant about steering clear of environmental or workplace exposure to smoke.
Be sure to avoid cigarette smoke if you have asthma. Do not smoke! Avoid breathing in vapors from smoke or other chemical-type fumes. Chemical fumes will trigger asthma attacks that you won’t be able to put an end to. If you are around people who smoke, leave the area very fast.
Never use a fan in a dirty, dust-filled room. Turning on a fan is going to cause the dust to leave its surface and begin filling the air of your environment. On smog-free, low pollen days, open your windows to improve airflow in the house.
If you’re in a room that has a lot of dust in it, don’t turn on a fan. This can move the dust around and can trigger an attack easily. If you feel you need airflow, open a window instead.
Leukotriene Inhibitor
When you are having a difficult time with asthma, you might want to use a leukotriene inhibitor. This prescription will prevent the product of leukotrines and help to abate the symptoms of asthma. Leukotrienes are inflammation-causing chemicals that can bring on asthma attacks. Get the inhibitor to prevent the leukotrienes, and your asthma attacks may drop in number.
Having a fast acting inhaler is vital to save asthmatics from experiencing severe symptoms. Talk to your physician and find out if a leukotriene inhibitor would be right for you. A leukotriene inhibitor stops the release of a chemical that causes the inflammation that is responsible for some asthma attacks. Inhibiting this chemical can lead to a decrease in asthma symptoms. If you use an inhibitor, you may find that the your asthma attacks significantly decrease.
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. It’s important to take the standard precautions against these illnesses, such as hand washing and vaccinations.
Know how to use your inhaler correctly. Find a quiet spot and follow the instructions the manufacturer has given. The inhaler is only useful if the medication within it actually gets to your lungs. Inhale deeply and spray the correct dose into your mouth. Hold your breath at least ten seconds, so that the medicated mist can fill your lungs.
Vitamins E and C are beneficial to anyone with asthma. These particular vitamins are believed to better your lung function and help manage your symptoms of asthma. You can gain vitamins from supplements or the old fashioned way, from food! The vitamins can help to boost the immune system, which will help you to stay healthy and less ill, which means you will have less asthma attacks.
You might want to purchase a dehumidifier to use at home if you have asthma. When you use a dehumidifier, it will reduce the amount of dust mites. This will reduce asthma attacks. Dehumidifiers keep the humidity out of your home by keeping the air dry.
A dehumidifier can significantly reduce the asthma attacks experienced by you or other afflicted members of your household. With less humidity, there will be fewer dust mites, and that means that there is less of a chance that your asthma will flare up. Dehumidifiers keep your home dry by keeping the humidity out.
Asthma Attacks
People suffering from asthma should stick to unscented products. Fragrances are present in hundreds of common consumer products, including cleaning supplies, perfumes, detergents and room sprays. Any of these items could easily increase the of triggering an attack. An asthma sufferer’s airways can feel irritated by odors such as fresh paint or new carpeting. Aim to make the air inside your home allergen free, and as fresh and clean as possible.
Know what causes your asthma attacks, as this will enable you to work around them or prepare to treat the asthma attacks that result. The majority of people suffering from asthma have several common triggers, like pet dander, smoke or pollen. Whenever you can, avoid the things that trigger your asthma.
Be prepared for your asthma treatment to be increased if you have a cold or hay fever. The effects of some illnesses can exacerbate the effects of your asthma, causing the need for more treatments. It is possible that your doctor will decide to modify your treatment, or even add additional treatments, until you are back on your feet.
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. Traveling can make asthma symptoms worse, and it is difficult, nearly impossible to control environmental triggers during travel.
Receiving a flu shot annually is very important if you or a loved one are asthmatic. Get yearly vaccinations to keep these potential infections at bay.
To stay out in front of your asthma, make sure that you see the doctor to receive regular checkups. You don’t know when another flare-up will happen, or when your physician can offer you safer or superior medicine for your symptoms.
Avoid pillows with feathers if you have asthma. Feather can decrease lung function and trigger asthma symptoms. The same rule holds true for bedding. Choose sheets and a comforter that are constructed from materials known for being hypoallergenic.
If you are going on a trip on a plane and need to take your asthma medicine, take your prescription with you! If you’ve got written proof, it’ll save you a lot of hassle when you’re at a security check.
Whenever you travel, always keep your rescue inhaler or other fast-acting medication by your side at all times. Traveling causes extra strain on your already stressed body, which makes your body more susceptible to bothersome asthma triggers. Controlling your environment is harder when traveling, so this makes it much more probable that you experience worsening symptoms or an attack.
Stay Indoors
Even if your asthma is not acting up, attend all of your doctor’s appointments. Asthma can flare-up at any time, and you never know, perhaps your doctor has safer or better medications which can help your symptoms.
During times that pollen counts are high, asthma sufferers should try to stay indoors. While asthma and allergies are separate illnesses, you’ll find that the triggers for one tend to be mirrored in the other. Check the local air quality report online to determine whether to stay indoors and keep irritant exposure to a minimum.
Mold and mildew thrive in homes with high humidity levels. They are a nuisance for people with asthma; the asthma attacks they trigger require you to eliminate them. Therefore, it can benefit you to ensure your home stays as dry as possible. 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.
If you have asthma and allergies, don’t use a vaporizer or humidifier if it has not been completely cleaned. Bacteria could breed in this moist environment and get into the air once you turn the humidifier on.
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. Carrying your prescriptions along with written proof that they are medically necessary, will cut down on potential problems at the airport checkpoints.
Keep yourself as calm as possible when having an asthma attack. Use your inhaler, wait 30 seconds and use it again. If your attack worsens, call for help. Have some one call for an ambulance or take you to the hospital. Breathe into a paper bag, which will reduce your breathing rate during the trip.
Use a mop that’s wet to clean your floors instead of 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. Dusting with a damp cloth rather than a feather duster can be a considerable help in reducing the amount of dust and other things that might start an attack.
Schedule regular visits with your doctor to check up on your asthma. Ideally these should occur every few months. This will allow your doctor to stay updated on your condition as it improves or weakens, and make the necessary changes to your treatments. Your doctor is busy, so it’s on you to set and keep your appointments.
When pollen counts are high, people who have asthma should stay inside. Even though asthma isn’t an allergy, they share many things in common. Now there’s information on local air quality available so you can monitor whether you’re going to be exposed to hard to breath air.
Vitamin B6
Don’t use humidifiers or vaporizers in your home until they have been rigorously cleaned, if you suffer from either asthma, allergies or both. Bacteria could breed in this moist environment and get into the air once you turn the humidifier on.
Vitamin B6 intake should be increased in order to help control asthma. This vitamin, with the chemical name pyridoxine, can be helpful in controlling asthma attacks. Studies have shown attacks are less intense and less frequent when pyridoxine is added to the diet. Vitamin B6 helps your body to produce molecules that work to relax your bronchial tissues. A banana is a great food that is rich in vitamin B6.
Learn as much as possible about asthma. The more you know, the more proactive you’ll be in your own treatment. Make sure you are learning the newest information about treatments and get the best doctor to help you with it. You can only achieve this by researching your condition, as well as, the treatment options available to you.
This article laid out many ways to control asthma symptoms. However, none of these tips will be effective if you do not apply them properly. If you fail to heed warning signs and other factors, your asthma symptoms quickly take back over your life. Protect yourself from continued problems with asthma by consistently using the tips in this article.
Keep your home dusted and mopped. Also, make sure to wash your pillows, blankets and sheets often. By doing this, it prevents dust mites and dust from building up. Both dust and dust mites can trigger asthma attacks. As dust builds in the air, it becomes more irritating to those that suffer from asthma, and increases the chances of an attack.