At the worst asthma can kill, but most of the time it just affects your lifestyle. Things, such as walking outside, can become a hassle. You should take the correct measures to avoid and manage asthma. Apply these simple tips to reduce your symptoms and prevent it from taking over your life.
If you have asthma, you need to avoid any kind of tobacco smoke. Never smoke a cigarette! Avoid breathing chemical fumes and vapors. This can set off an Asthma attack that you might not be able to stop. If others are smoking nearby, leave that area as quickly as you can.
What type of asthma do you suffer from? Gaining as much knowledge as you can about the type of asthma you have can make your day-to-day activities a little easier. People who suffer from exercise-induced asthma should consider carrying an emergency inhaler in their bag. If you know and understand your asthma triggers, you can better avoid and handle attacks.
Try a leukotriene inhibitor if you have asthma. These medications prevent the production of leukotrienes. A leukotriene will cause inflammation in the respiratory system, causing an asthma attack. Taking an inhibitor will reduce the amount of this substance your body produces, which should decrease the number of attacks you experience.
If you are an asthma sufferer, it is crucial that you don’t smoke. Although smoking is bad for all people, it is especially worse for asthma patients because it cuts off the oxygen supply that you need in order for your lungs to function and keep away asthma attacks.
Use the inhaler properly. Find a quiet spot and follow the instructions the manufacturer has given. The medicine in the inhaler only works if it actually makes it to your lungs. Spray the stated dose of medicine into your mouth as you inhale. Be sure to hold the mist in your lungs for about ten seconds.
Asthma Symptoms
If you are an asthma sufferer, be sure to get the recommended daily dose of Vitamins C and E. These vitamins are thought to help improve lung function and control asthma symptoms. These vitamins can be easily obtained, either through your diet or a supplement. 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 may be unaware that certain medications you might be on could cause asthma symptoms. Aspirin is an example of a widely used medicine that can cause asthma problems. Additionally, beta blockers, a type of medication used for heart disease and hypertension, may cause asthma symptoms. If you have asthma and these other conditions, let your physician know.
Consider buying a dehumidifier for the home if you have asthma. Decreasing the humidity in the house decreases dust mites, which decreases asthma flare ups. Use a dehumidifier, and the air you breath will be much less likely to cause your asthma to flare up.
Asthma is a chronic condition, requiring constant health management. You need to always take your medications for your everyday symptoms, and keep your quick relief medication with you in case you do have an attack. Consult with your physician and allergist to find out what is best for you.
Scented products could cause averse reactions to asthma sufferers. It is safest to use unscented products when possible. If you are using scented products like perfume, incense, or air fresheners you should up the level of air pollution in your home. Fresh pain and new carpet also let off odors that are irritable to the airways. Aim to keep the air as fresh as possible indoors.
Social Worker
If you are an asthma patient, you may want to sleep with a pillow that does not contain feathers. The feathers contained in these pillows can aggravate asthma symptoms and reduce lung function. Also, make sure your other bedding is made with hypoallergenic materials.
If you have asthma that is not covered by health insurance, contact someone in a government agency, like a social worker. 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.
It’s important to keep up with your daily preventative inhaler routine, but watch out for mouth infections, especially in both teeth and gums. Always clean your teeth and rinse your mouth after you use your inhaler.
A handful of primary initiators of asthma, and its attack triggers, lie right in your residence. Dander, dust and mold are all commonly found in many homes. 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. Conscientious house-cleaning can help prevent buildup of substances in your home that might trigger an asthma attack.
Stay away from smoke if you have asthma. Smoking can actually trigger an asthma attack. Stay away from chemical fumes, vapors, and cigarette smoke at all times. These can aggravate your asthma symptoms. If there are smokers around you, you may want to ask them if they will smoke in another area.
During colder months, wear a shawl, scarf or muffler to avoid asthma. You can inhale warmer air into your body with these. Breathing cold air triggers your asthma attacks, particularly in young kids with bad asthma.
Asthma sufferers should minimize their contact with animals and pets. While allergies from animals can complicate asthma, those without allergies can get asthma attacks from dust or pollen that the animals carry.
Asthma develops over an extended time period, and its symptoms aren’t always obvious. Sometimes, a person can die from their first asthma attack without actually knowing they had the disease to begin with! If you often have difficulty breathing or a persistent cough, it would be wise to make an appointment with your physician, so he or she can confirm whether you have asthma. If you do, your doctor can then prescribe medications to manage or treat it.
Allergens, dust, pollen and other things that can aggravate your asthma tend to collect inside bed linens. You can get rid of these by washing your sheets and other linens in very hot water each week. Fresh bed linens, laundered on a regular basis, will keep you breathing clearly and easily at night while you slumber.
If you are traveling by plane and must bring inhalers or nebulizers on board, you should bring a written prescription for the equipment. If you’ve got written proof, it’ll save you a lot of hassle when you’re at a security check.
Go to several doctors. Your family doctor or primary care physician can be the person you go to regularly for asthma symptoms, but also talk to a few specialists. You’ll want to visit an asthma center, or consult with a pulmonologist to get additional help improving your lung function. In addition, you should get tested for allergies so that you can avoid allergic reactions that trigger asthma attacks.
Smoke should always be avoided when you suffer from asthma. Inhaling smoke can trigger an asthma attack. You should stay far away from smoke of any kind, chemicals and vapors. All of those things can trigger and aggravate asthma symptoms. If someone starts smoking near you, politely inquire whether they can smoke in your absence.
If you have allergies and asthma, you need to avoid using a humidifier or a vaporizer unless it has been thoroughly cleaned. Bacteria can breed inside the moist machine and you would be releasing them along with the humid air.
Contact with pets and other animals should be minimized for the asthma sufferer. Even sufferers not allergic to a certain animal need to remember that dust and pollen on the animals can still trigger an attack.
If inhaler use happens more than two times in each of your weeks, you must schedule an appointment with your doctor about this and possibly adjust your medication. Using your inhaler this frequently means your prescription is not effectively treating your asthma. Similarly, if you need to purchase refill inhalers more than twice a year, your medication is ineffective.
Bed linens tend to collect asthma triggers like pollen, dust and other allergens. You can get rid of these by washing your sheets and other linens in very hot water each week. The freshly laundered linens will make it easier for you to breath when you are sleeping.
Get a breathing mask before painting in your house, so you can avoid breathing the fumes. The fumes from paint are very irritating to the lungs of asthma sufferers, but a mask goes a long way towards filtering out these irritants. Avoid all substances and chemicals which trigger problems with your asthma.
Go to several doctors. You want to see your primary doctor for asthma help, though you should also see some specialists. Asthma centers, pulmonologists, nutritionists and allergists can all work with you, making sure you are getting all the treatment you need.
Attending a support group of asthma sufferers, or just sharing with people who have this condition, can really benefit you. Other sufferers can help you learn how to manage and live with your asthma, by offering tips and advice. One of the keys to fighting asthma is having the support of the people in your life.
Asthmatics should avoid smoking tobacco products whenever possible. Most people know that smoking is unhealthy, but the consequences are even worse for someone who has asthma. Smoke greatly irritates the sensitive lungs of the person with asthma, so in addition to not smoking, someone with asthma should avoid people that are smoking.
Include more vitamin B6 foods in your diet. Vitamin B6, aka pyridoxine, is found to reduce asthma attack frequency in a lot of studies. Pyridoxine is very important in the production of certain molecules that will help relax bronchial tissues. You can find good reserves of vitamin B6 in bananas.
Many people underestimate asthma, or at least think that they can’t do anything about it since it is an incurable disease. However, you’ll be amazed at how much difference you can make simply by following these simple steps to try and relieve symptoms and reduce the sources of asthma attacks.
An asthma journal can help you quickly ascertain what triggers your asthma. Think about using a journal to write down the things that you think might be triggering an attack, and talk about your notes with your health care professional. Many people have success controlling their asthma by eliminating known asthma triggers.