Asthma, like any respiratory condition, can be extremely scary, since it interferes with your ability to take in oxygen, which is required to live. Its onset can be sudden and potentially lethal, and it can severely limit your enjoyment of life if you allow it to. This article not only explains some of the triggers of asthma attacks, but also details solutions for reducing the frequency and severity of asthma attacks.
If you have received a diagnosis of asthma, you are not to smoke or be near vapors or other types of fumes. You should not smoke and consider which jobs are appropriate for you, especially if you are thinking about working in a factory.
Second hand smoke can cause asthma to develop in children, and can trigger an asthma attack if they already suffer from asthma. Second-hand cigarette smoke is a leading cause of asthma. If your child is in an area where people are smoking, remove him quickly to avoid an asthma attack.
What triggers your asthma? Learning about your type of asthma will help you manage its impact on your life. An example would be to bring in your gym bag an inhaler if you happen to have exercise-induced asthma. Knowing your symptoms’ patterns can help you avoid big problems.
Don’t turn on the fan if the dust in a room is aggravating your asthma. When you turn on the fans they will move the dust in the room around and this can trigger your asthma very easily. If you wish to have a breeze, open a window instead of running a fan.
If you are suffering from asthma, it is essential that you quit smoking cigarettes. 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.
Leukotriene Inhibitor
In order to prevent asthma attacks, keep away from triggers. For some people, it may be related to allergies, such as a reaction to dust or pollen. For others, it may be linked to physical exertion. Try to see what cause your asthma so that you can avoid it.
You may want to use a leukotriene inhibitor if your asthma is being particularly problematic. A leukotriene inhibitor helps to prevent leukotrienes. Leukotrienes are molecules that cause the tracheal muscles to contract; having too many leukotrienes makes asthma attacks more likely. The inhibitor will prevent leukotrienes, which can decrease the amount of asthma attacks that you have.
A lot of medications can trigger an asthma attack without you knowing. Examples of medications that may contribute to asthma are aspirin and other NSAIDs. This can also be caused by beta blockers, like medications that are used in managing high blood pressure or heart problems. If you have any of these conditions along with your asthma, make sure you tell your doctor.
Use your inhaler as directed. Find a comfy spot, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. The inhaler will only reduce symptoms if the medication can get to your lungs. Make sure that you spray the required dosage directly into your mouth, inhaling the medication into your lungs. You should keep your breath held for 10 seconds at a minimum to let the medicated mist fill up your lungs.
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 quickly and forcefully. Try hard to push the air out from your lungs! Then take three small breaths in, followed by a deeper breath to fill your lungs comfortably. Next, exhale forcefully again. Breathing in this rhythmic manner helps you to concentrate on the breaths you’re taking. In addition, it repeatedly empties your lungs of air, so that you can draw in more oxygen-rich air. You might cough hard or create mucus, but its just a sign your breathing is getting back to normal.
If you are an asthma sufferer and are denied health insurance, talk to a social worker. Social workers are often able to locate a hospital or clinic that can offer free or low cost options to make sure you can fill your medication prescriptions.
There are certain types of household cleaning products that can trigger asthma attacks, and using multiple products is particularly dangerous. Use organic products as often as possible, as these contain fewer harsh chemicals.
A dehumidifier is an excellent investment for asthma sufferers. When your home has less humidity, there are less dust mites, and that minimizes the chances of an asthma flare-up. Dehumidifiers reduce attacks in your home by making the air cleaner and drier.
Keep your home dust-free and get rid of any carpet in your house to help prevent asthma attacks, especially in a bedroom. Keep food consumption to the kitchen and the dining room, and never allow anyone to smoke in the house. Once you have cleaned your house, air it out; you should also eliminate utilizing any toxic chemicals inside.
If you use more than four types of chemical cleaning agents in your house the risk of your child having an asthma attack increases. Choose organic products, and stick to as few products as possible.
If you’ve been diagnosed with asthma, be sure to get flu shots every year. This is doubly important for asthmatic children. Get vaccinated every flu season to avoid a high number of infections.
If you have asthma, avoid people who are smoking. You can suffer an asthma attack if you are around cigarette smoke because it makes your lungs function poorly. You are even more exposed to an attack when the smoke is in a closed-in room or area.
You can join an online or offline support group. Asthma is a disease that can affect your everyday life and prove debilitating in so many ways. By joining a support group, you will be able to discuss new scientific breakthroughs or treatment alternatives with those who are interested.
When dealing with hay fever or a cold, you will notice an increase in your asthma symptoms. These kinds of illness can inflame you asthma to a degree that a treatment increase is necessary. Your physician might also add more treatments to your regimen until your asthma is under control again.
During cold, winter months, asthma sufferers should wear a shawl, muffler, or scarf that will cover both their nose and mouth. This will warm the air up before you breathe it into your lungs. Cool air has been known to trigger an asthma attack, particularly in very young children who have severe or moderate asthma.
Your home is where most asthma triggers are located. Such irritants include mold spores, dust, smoke and chemical fumes. 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. You can help keep your house safe from these harmful substances by regularly cleaning and dusting your home.
If traveling by plane with your asthma equipment or medications, always carry your written prescription with you to avoid problems. Having evidence from a doctor that the medication is necessary for your health will greatly help with security at the airport.
Humidity is a problem in the home, because it creates conditions that are perfect for mildew and mold growth. Asthma attacks are easily triggered by these substances. Therefore, it is important to make sure your home is dry. During the cold, winter months, a dehumidifier can help. In the summer, an air conditioner naturally takes out a lot of the humidity in the air.
When you clean house, it is recommended that you clean your floor with a wet mop instead of sweeping it. Sweeping stirs up irritants that can trigger an asthma attack. When you dust, try dampening a rag, instead of a feather duster, to avoid spreading things that can trigger your asthma.
Protect yourself against breathing in cold air that aggravates your asthma by wearing a scarf that covers your nose and mouth. This will warm the air up before you breathe it into your lungs. Studies have consistently shown that cold air can cause your throat and lungs to constrict, triggering asthma attacks. Children are especially susceptible to cold-induced asthma.
When preventing asthma, stay away from smoke. Cigarette smoke will often trigger an asthma attack. Stay away from chemical fumes, vapors, and cigarette smoke at all times. All of those things can trigger and aggravate asthma symptoms. If there is someone who always smokes around you, you should politely ask this person to smoke when you aren’t present.
Know the right way to take your asthma medication, and above all any rescue medication. Asthma is usually treated by using a regular medicine supplemented with a rescue medicine, like an inhaler. Asthma is considered a chronic condition. For this reason, you should take the management of it very seriously.
Asthma sufferers should avoid coming into contact with both domestic and farm animals. While allergies to dander or animal hair can possibly complicate your asthma, even those with no such allergies can have asthma attacks by inhaling the pollen and dust animals usually carry about with them.
Being around animals should be avoided. Even if they are not allergic to the animals, the pollen and dust that animals attract can trigger an asthma attack.
Learn as much as you can about asthma. Education is a priceless tool in finding the proper treatment for your asthma. Make sure you are learning the newest information about treatments and get the best doctor to help you with it. The only way you can do this is by arming yourself with condition and treatment knowledge.
Consult with more than one physician. Your primary physician should always be your first stop when dealing with asthma, but you may find it helpful to add a specialist’s knowledge. There are a number of different approaches used to treat asthma. See what a pulmonololist, an allergist or a nutritionist has to say about your asthma problems.
If you are going to paint your home, purchase a mask beforehand so that you will not breath the fumes. The fumes from the pain can irritate your asthma. By using a mask, you will keep yourself from inhaling the majority of these fumes. Avoid all substances and chemicals which trigger problems with your asthma.
When pollen counts begin to rise, then anyone who suffers from asthma should just stay inside as much as they can. Asthma itself may not be an allergy, many of the same things that affect allergy sufferers also affect those with asthma. The air quality information should be used to find out when it is better to stay indoors to avoid irritants present in the air.
Speaking to your peers, who also suffer from asthma, can be an eye-opening and life-changing experience. People who have experience with the same disease as you can often provide a number of suggestions or tricks that work in specific situations – all of which can make your battle with asthma a little earlier. Surround yourself with people who understand asthma and support your fight against it.
Make sure you keep calm if you are having an asthma attack. Use the inhaler, pause for 30 seconds then use it again. If your attack worsens, call for help. Have someone drive you directly to the hospital or call an ambulance for you. Inhaling and exhaling into a paper bag can slow your breathing while en route.
Eat foods high in vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 — also called pyridoxine– can reduce the intensity and frequency of asthma attacks. Pyridoxine improves the flow of blood and oxygen to your bronchial tubes. Bananas are an easily accessible source of vitamin B6.
Not to scare people, but asthma can truly be fatal if sufferers do not control and manage it properly. When you follow the advice from this article, you will manage your asthma through better breathing and improved activity.
Know what your triggers are to safeguard yourself against asthma. Think about maintaining an ashtma journal so you can record possible triggers as they come up, and then discuss them with your doctor. Once you know your triggers, do what you can to eliminate them from where you are, as much as possible.