If you do not carefully manage your asthma, it can easily spiral out of control. Asthma attacks can be severe and even fatal. It is important that you seek professional medical advice, but it doesn’t mean that you should take your own steps to relief. With these easy to follow pieces of advice, you can live a healthier life with asthma.
If you suffer from asthma, don’t smoke, and avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. You must abstain from using any tobacco products. Also, when job hunting, you need to take into consideration whether or not you will be exposed to anything detrimental to your condition while on the job.
Some asthmas are specific to certain triggers, so identify what kind you have. Learning about your type of asthma will help you to deal with it. For example, if your asthma is brought on by bronchitis, you should keep your rescue inhaler with you during times when you are sick. You can avoid any future crisis by knowing and figuring out patterns of the symptoms you have.
Avoid anything that can trigger your asthma. For some people, this can be pollen or other allergy triggers. While in other people, all it takes is physical activity and an attack can trigger. Determine what your trigger is so you can easily avoid an attack.
Asthma is an ongoing disease and requires ongoing health management. Take the proper medications for controlling your asthma daily, and keep quick relief medication somewhere on you just in case you have a sudden attack. Consult with your physician and allergist to find out what is best for you.
Be sure to avoid cigarette smoke if you have asthma. Asthma creates breathing problems by constricting airways, and cigarette smoking only exacerbates the problem. Air pollution and fumes from harsh chemicals also increase asthma symptoms. Chemical fumes will trigger asthma attacks that you won’t be able to put an end to. If people are smoking around you, remove yourself from that area quickly.
If you are an asthma sufferer and are denied health insurance, talk to a social worker. It’s vital that you stay on medication, so there may be programs available to help you get them at a discount.
During colder months, wear a shawl, scarf or muffler to avoid asthma. This way, the air will be warm before entering your lungs. Inhaling cold air can elicit an asthma attack or create other serious respiratory problems.
Maintenance Medication
It is important to know the proper way to use asthma medication, especially the medication that is used in an emergency. Asthma typically is treated so that the sufferer has a regular maintenance medication, but is also prescribed a rescue medication, like an inhaler. 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.
Asthma is a condition that typically will develop over a long period of time, with symptoms that are not very obvious. There are lots of cases where people die of an asthma attack without knowing they had asthma. So, if you have difficulty breathing or a cough that doesn’t go away, see a doctor to figure out whether you suffer from asthma and to determine whether you will be needing medication to prevent or treat the condition.
Asthma is an uncurable disease, but that doesn’t mean that the symptoms are permanent and can’t go away. However, just like most things in life, overcoming your asthma symptoms takes time and effort. If you follow these easy tips, you’ll find that your symptoms will get better over time and you’ll be able to enjoy a healthier, more active lifestyle.