Living With Asthma: Avoiding Attacks

When you learn that you have asthma, it can seem like the world is ending. How can you carry on a normal life, if you can’t even breathe? But the world doesn’t have to stop for asthma, and neither does your life. Learn how living with asthma, and avoiding attacks, can be perfectly normal and stress-free.

One of the worst parts of living with asthma is living with asthma attacks. The symptoms of asthma include trouble breathing, but full-on asthma attacks are different. An asthma attack can be incredibly frightening, confusing, and lonely. But does living with asthma mean that you have to live through these attacks, or is there some way that this breathing problem can be avoided?

Asthma is a chronic, incurable condition. That may sound dire, but today’s modern medicine makes living with asthma pretty stress-free and easy. Inhalation devices can stop asthma attacks before they get started. Talk to your doctor about medicating your problem, and take medicine exactly as prescribed by your physician. This is one of the best ways to combat asthma attacks, breathe easy, and go on with your life. The world can’t stop for an asthma attack, so neither can you. Talk to your physician about medication that will stop these attacks, before you they get too scary and out-of-control.

Avoiding attacks isn’t always as easy as taking medication. There are other things you can do to make living with asthma much easier, steps you can take that make avoiding attacks an easy enough task. Eliminating breathing irritants in the environment is the best way to combat asthma attacks, and make living with asthma an attack-free experience. These irritants include dust mites, pet dander, pollen, and smoke. Though it’s impossible to free the world of these breathing irritations, you can help free your home of them. This way, avoiding attacks is a piece of cake…and living with asthma means living with fresh, breathable air.

To help eliminate these irritants in the home and work place, don’t allow cigarette smoking. All smoke should be outside, and no asthma sufferer should smoke cigarettes. This will definitely make asthma problems worse, and could cause an asthma attack. Regularly washing fabrics, especially around pet areas, will help reduce dust and dander that causes breathing difficulties. Some asthma sufferers may even avoid the outdoors on high pollen days, and help themselves by avoiding asthma attacks. Living with asthma means living with fresher, cleaner air so that you can breathe easy. Having fresh air isn’t so bad, is it?

For more information on what you can do to make living with asthma and avoiding asthma attacks much easier, check the Internet and various online communities. A simple Internet search will reveal tons of tips and advice that will make living with asthma a breeze. You’ll also be able to communicate with other asthma sufferers, who will offer support and help from a first-hand point of view. Don’t let asthma keep you from living your life – learn how living with asthma, and avoiding attacks can be even easier than breathing.

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Asthma Defined

For those who don't have it, asthma can seem like a disease that should be able to be conquered. After all, it is just breathing. And for those diagnosed with it later in life, you may also not understand the potential severity of asthma. Perhaps you feel a little tightness in the chest when you strain yourself, or you cough a little too much, a little too often. The actual diagnosis of asthma is something much greater than just a little coughing and should be taken very seriously.

There are many types of asthma but the medical definition is "a disease of the windpipe (bronchial tubes) which carry air to and from the lungs." Asthma has no set diagnosis; the journey from first warning sign symptoms to a full blown diagnosis of asthma is long and complicated. Symptoms usually:

1) Vary from person to person.

2) Vary from episode to episode.

3) Flare up and get very severe, then disappear for long periods.

4) Symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe for extended periods of time.

The cause of asthma is not actually known; sometimes it appears genetic, but then identical symptoms pop up in a vacant gene pool of non-asthma sufferers. The sad truth is that, even with all our advanced knowledge of how things work and why, there is still not even any known 'cure' for asthma suffers. However, once diagnosed, there are many smart things you can do to remain symptom free or at least manage the symptoms so your treatment is just a task in your daily life.

Someone with normal lung function, air comes in the nose and mouth. It passes the windpipe before moving to the bronchi that then pass on to smaller and smaller tubes, ending in a small sac called alveoli. That small sac is where oxygen is passed to the blood. The body needs this oxygen. Carbon dioxide, which the body does not need, is then removed.

People with asthma have trouble breathing in the presence of 'triggers.' Symptoms of asthma mean the flow is obstructed as air passes out of the lungs. This happens either because airways become irritated, swollen, or reddened producing mucous. The greater the inflammation, the more sensitive the air passages, the worse and more intense the symptoms. The other cause of symptoms is that the muscles surrounding the airway twitch and tighten, causing the air channel to narrow. The muscle tension is usually caused if inflammation is not treated.

Airways of someone with asthma are inflamed all the time to a degree. The greater the inflammation, the more sensitive the airway is, leading to increased breathing difficulty.

Asthma is chronic condition, meaning it needs to be controlled over time. Anyone is susceptible to asthma, though it's usually diagnosed in early childhood

Most people living with asthma live healthy, fully active lives. You just need to monitor your symptoms, communicate with your doctor, and keep up to date on your current status, so that you too can enjoy a happy, productive life.

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Diagnosing Asthma

Asthma is no laughing matter and shouldn’t be taken lightly. But how is it diagnosed? Are you even sure you have it? In the past, youngsters and even older adults, who were more in tune with their body’s rhythms, could go on for years and never be correctly diagnosed. As the science gets better, we hope so does the diagnosis. But like so many other things it’s important to speak up if you feel you or especially your child is having problems other children aren’t.

If you’re not satisfied, keep asking questions; asthma is a debilitating disease that literally takes your breath away. You want to protect that at all costs.

Doctors define asthma as chronic inflammatory disease of the airway that causes many symptoms including:

- Shortness of breath

- Chronic cough

- Wheezing

- Tightness in the chest

With these symptoms or their early onset a doctor is able to conduct lung-function tests. Your doctor may also prescribe medications to assist in the conclusive determination as to whether the disease is present or not.

Misdiagnosis: However, just because you’ve got symptoms doesn’t always mean you’re infected with asthma. One example is you may get tightness in your chest or wheezing during or just after exercise. That’s a symptom of asthma that’s not uncommon in someone just beginning an exercise regimen, for instance. It’s also symptomatic of being out of shape and pushing yourself too hard. Not doing correct warm-ups before, cool downs after, or keeping properly hydrated... the list goes on. So, yu see, there is no need to get worked up over nothing if you begin to experience asthmatic symptoms.

Persistent cough is common in asthmatics, especially children. But persistent cough happens to be symptomatic of lung disease, whooping cough, or postnasal drip. For adults or adolescents, there are often other factors at play, but infants who cough to the point of vomiting should get immediate attention from a doctor. That is a very big indicator of asthma and should be checked out post haste.

Other things need be ruled out from anyone who thinks they may have asthma are heart disease, cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Only a doctor can diagnose asthma, you should always see one right away if you feel endangered. Some circumstances you should come equipped with for the doctors’ evaluation are:

- Your medical history

- What your symptoms are

How frequently they occur

How they change with medication

Individual triggers for symptoms

- Your own allergies

- Your family history

On your visit, a doctor will test your lung function, using ‘peak flow monitoring’ and ‘spirometry’ to determine how quickly you expel air.

Asthma doesn’t have to stop you. But it will certainly change your life. You should be aware of any noticeable changes in your breathing patterns and see your doctor right away. Your health is in your own best interest; getting correctly diagnosed at the first indication that anything could be wrong is paramount, so that you may begin an action plan right away.

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Living With Asthma: Breathe Easy

Living with asthma means living with a sort of breathing disability. There are some things, like cigarette smoking, that asthma sufferers can never do. When you can’t breathe easy, living with asthma seems like a real pain. But…does it have to be?

Some studies show that one in four Americans will be affected by asthma or allergies of some kind. No matter how you look at it, that’s an incredibly high number. No one is sure what causes asthma, or what can be done to cure this ailment. Asthma is chronic and, usually, lifelong. But does that mean that every day has to be a struggle to breathe? Or is there some way that you can breathe easy…even with asthma?

Most people who have been diagnosed with asthma find that medication is a good way to combat the symptoms and sufferings associated with this affliction. Your doctor will no doubt prescribe medicine that will help treat your symptoms, and help prevent the onslaught of an asthma attack. If you have any questions or concerns about your medication, talk to your neighborhood pharmacist or look for information online. Use the resources that you have to learn all your can about asthma, your asthma medication, and what you can do to help you breathe easy in spite of asthma.

There are other ways to help you breathe easy, even when living with asthma. Get into a regular cleaning schedule to battle the effects of pet dander and dust mites, both irritants that might hamper breathing and cause undue suffering in asthmatic patients. Regularly washing fabrics helps fight these irritants. It’s important to breathe easy in the home above all, so get into the groove of cleaning and be free of dust mites and other airborne irritants. Sometimes, even outside pollen can affect asthma symptoms. It may be best to stay indoors, with central air conditioning, on high-pollen days. Weather and atmospheric conditions can affect how easy you breathe – so pay attention to forecasts.

Living with asthma is much easier when smoke is eliminated from the home and work place, as well. If at all possible, avoid smoke at work and don’t allow smoking at all within the home. When living with asthma, it’s almost impossible to breathe easy if there’s any kind of smoke around. It’s important to keep this and other irritants away from someone suffering with asthma.

If you want to know more about how you can breathe easy, even when you’re living with asthma, check the Internet. You’ll find a world full of resources, including tips and advice, that’s completely free (and right at your fingertips). The Internet is always a great place to trade information and connect with others. In fact, you’ll find plenty of other asthma sufferers that can share their first-hand opinions and stories. Learn how you can deal with living with asthma, and still breathe easy, with the online community. There’s a lot of other asthma sufferers out there, and they each have something to offer.

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Asthma Treatment

Treatment is often the most available thing to find these days. Everyone seems to have a new way to cure an old disease. But don’t let anyone sell you any glass houses with asthma. Because I’ll have to just barge right in, throw my stone, and tell you the truth: there is no cure. As much as I’d like there to be, you’ve got to remember: this is a TREATABLE disease. That’s good enough for them, right now. And with asthma, it's important to remember that symptoms vary based on the individual who's gotten them.

Even the season may make one person seem as two, the first thing it's important to do? Talk with your doctor about you. Ask him the questions you need to know for your particular case, and keep the channels of communication open. If you have a question, you should always ask. If symptoms feel like they are getting worse, they probably are.

Remember; never take heresy or urban legend as fact. Doctors are the only ones qualified to treat your individual case, no matter what "cure-all" you see on TV.

Your doctor can help you understand:

1) What medication works to minimize your symptoms, and why.

2) Ways to keep your own asthma under control by avoiding individual triggers, keeping out of contact with recurring stressors, and upping the overall quality of your life.

3) Preparation of an action plan with realizable goals for you and hopes of tamping down your symptoms.

4) Schedule visits at regular intervals to monitor your progress. When it comes to asthma symptoms, No news is definitely good news!

In order to minimize side effects, watch for your doctor to give you the lowest doses to control your symptoms. While it may takes some experimentation to find the correct amount, it is better than your body rejecting too much of the medication with possibly bad side effects. Over time it is more than likely your needs will change.

THE TWO MEDICINES:

There are two medications for most people grappling with asthma. Each medication treats only one aspect of the disease.

1) Controllers or Preventers: these reduce inflammation in the air passages. These should be taken each day. The medicine is working if you find, over time, that you're having fewer and fewer symptoms. However, even though your asthma symptoms stop, you should not stop taking your medication. If you do, airway inflammation is prone to recur.

2) Relievers: help in alleviating symptoms immediately. Coughing or wheezing is often treated this way. However, relievers do nothing for your long term inflammation. Hence, the need to take both simultaneously. Monitor your reliever use. If it increases, you can tell your asthma in general is getting worse.

Treating a disease like asthma has no cure-all. No matter what that late nigt infomercial tells you. However with proper monitoring, communication between you and your health care provider, and personal responsibility, you can take part in assuring your health is maintained in a continuous, long-term way.

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Living with Asthma: Learn the Facts

Living with asthma can mean living with confusion, pain, and difficult breathing troubles that make even gasping for air seem impossible. But when you know the facts about living with asthma, it gets a whole lot easier. Learn what you can do to make asthma easier for you, and your family.

Asthma is not a curable condition. It is chronic, and its exact causes are as yet unknown. Even in the face of stunning medical advancements, there are still some conditions that modern medicine cannot eradicate. Though asthma is a chronic and usually lifelong affliction, living with asthma doesn’t have to mean living in pain. The symptoms of asthma, including wheezing, coughing, a choking feeling, and the inability to breathe, can be managed and treated with the proper asthma medication.

Under a doctor’s care, many asthma sufferers find that they can manage their asthma without a lot of trouble or complications. The first step to living with asthma is in finding the appropriate asthma medication, and following the doctor’s orders in regard to taking that medication.

Managing asthma through medication is the most popular choice for those living with asthma. Inhalation devices are by far the most popular means of asthma control. Ask your doctor to find out more about how medication can help you through living with asthma. The fact is, controlling your asthma through medication is one of the best ways to learn how to live with asthma. Having breathing troubles shouldn’t stop you from living – and living with asthma can mean living the life you want to lead, in spite this chronic condition.

Learn the facts of your asthma medication. Know how often you should take it, how much is too much, and how much is too little. Your pharmacist can answer any questions you may have about your asthma medication. Getting into a routine with medication, and learning how to use it properly, will making living with asthma much more manageable.

To find more information about asthma and assorted asthma medications, look for online resources. You’ll find tons of information and even personal stories from asthma sufferers that may contain valuable tips and advice. Learning the facts about asthma makes dealing with, and living with this condition that much easier. The more you know about something, the less scary it suddenly seems. Life doesn’t have to stop for asthma, so that you can catch your breath – you can manage your asthma symptoms, and learn how to cut back on things that may aggravate your condition in the home. There are many things you can do to make breathing at home easier, and making living with asthma just like living without asthma.

The Internet is a great place to look to find information, and to learn what you can do to help yourself breathe a little easier even in the face of asthma. Learn how to cut down on pet dander, reduce dust mites, and eradicate cigarette smoke from the home. All of these things will help you breathe easier, and aggravate breathing conditions less. Learn how living with asthma is easy, by learning the facts of this condition.

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Living with Asthma: What Happens Next?

When you or someone close to you is diagnosed with asthma, it can be a very confusing and scary time. What happens next? Now that asthma has come into your life, do you know how to deal with it? Learn more about living with asthma, and learn that life doesn’t have to change.

Living with asthma absolutely does not mean living with breathing difficulties all the time, every single day. Many asthma sufferers manage their condition through medication very easily. Your doctor can talk to you more about asthma medication, and you’ll find that your local pharmacist is always willing to answer questions you may have about any type of medicine. Living with asthma often means taking medication to help you breathe easier, but your entire life doesn’t have to revolve around medicine.

Once you’ve obtained the proper medication and have been instructed in the proper use of this medicine, you’re already well on your way to living with asthma, and living happily, too. What happens next? You’ve got medicine, you’ve got asthma – is that all?

There are many ways that you can help yourself breathe easier, even when you’re living with asthma. Dust, pet dander, and smoke can all irritate any breathing condition, including asthma. Cleaning your home of these irritants can make living with asthma a whole lot easier. Asthma sufferers should not smoke, nor should they be exposed to smoking. If someone with asthma lives within the home, do not smoke inside of it.

Take the smoke outside, as cigarettes can very directly affect asthma and make breathing a true struggle. Asthma sufferers should do what they can to avoid smoky situations at work, as well, and always step outside for fresh air if trapped in an enclosed space with a cigarette smoker. New laws banning cigarettes in public locations are being passed all the time, and this makes living with asthma a lot easier.

You don’t have to get rid of your pets, even if pet dander posing some breathing problems. Regularly washing fabrics in the home (like bed linens) can help reduce both dust mites and pet dander. Keep your pets clean and well-groomed, and keep the home free of dust and other airborne particles by maintaining a regular cleaning schedule. Living with asthma doesn’t have to be a drag – it just means doing a little extra cleaning, perhaps, and putting out the cigarettes. This is a small price to pay when it means breathing easier (and even living cleaner).

Once the home and work place are relatively free of dust, dander, and smoke, living with asthma is almost exactly like living without asthma. Some sufferers may experience more symptoms on high-pollen days. It’s best to stay indoors if possible, with the air conditioner circulating, if you have asthma and pollen irritates your condition. Once you get your asthma under control, living with asthma is very simple and routine. It doesn’t have to be a problem, and it doesn’t mean that things have to change.

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Living with Asthma in an elderly Relative

Though living with an elderly relative with Asthma is not much different to living with any other age group with asthma, you naturally have to take a little bit more special care. They are one of the at risk groups, and they don’t always associate the symptoms of asthma as an attack but prefer to simply put it down to old age.

Age does not mean that they require any less of the lifestyle that we would expect for ourselves or our children, in fact they need it to be controlled so that their life is improved slightly more as with age we all get slower to fight of infection.

Also asthma in the elderly can have other associated problems like depression, restricted movement because of lack of breath and sleepiness during the day. Smoke and smoking can bring on an asthma attack and even the elderly can still benefit from giving up smoking. Relatives should try not to smoke any where near an elderly relative.

Medical Help

Many elderly do not like to bother their G.P with what they think is minor problems, telling themselves it’s just a cold or touch of flu etc, They do not tell them that their asthma is getting worse or that the wheezing will not stop. Because of this they suffer severe attacks purely because they did not get the medical help that they did not think they needed.

Medication

Medication and preventive medicine like the flu jab can help the elderly live a relatively normal life. And may even help them to stay attack free.

Contributing Factors

Remove as many contributing factors as possible, such as dust and dust mites, smoke, and pet hair. This will all help the asthma sufferer breath more easily and give them good quality air therefore preventing frequent attacks and trips to either the doctors or hospital. Although treatment for the elderly is the same for everyone it may well need to be increased because of the fact that the elderly are more susceptive to colds and flu.

In the years 1972-1986 Sweden did a poll to see what the trends were with asthma and the elderly and they found that 710,187 hospitalisation days and 62,342 periods of hospital treatment were mainly due to the elderly and asthma.

Typical Symptoms

Typical symptoms of asthma may mimic Chronic Bronchitis, and Emphysema, colds and allergy. So if you were in any doubt that your elderly relative has had a cold for too long, or they appear extra breathless or wheezy then it would probably be best to get them checked out by their G.P even though they may tell you they are fine.

Taking care of the young with asthma will eventually change the trends of the elderly with asthma. Also if you elderly relative has a pet or pets remember that fur loss can bring on a severe attack of asthma so to help if the pets hair is long always give them a good brush to try to alleviate to much hair loss in the home

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Understanding and living with your Asthma

What is Asthma

Asthma is a disease that affects your lungs, by narrowing the airways to your lungs. It causes wheeziness, breathlessness, chest tightness and either morning or nighttime coughing. Asthma is a 24/7 disease although you may have no effect from it for ages and suddenly something will trigger it off. If it is looked after and controlled your asthma will let you live a normal life. Try to avoid things that trigger an attack like dust mites, pollen, smoke. Knowing the warning signs you can avoid an attack and you can carry on with every day life. Going to work, school etc.

Hereditary

If you have a parent that suffers with asthma you are three-six times more likely to develop asthma yourself, more than a person who has no parent with asthma.

What is an asthma attack

It is caused by the tubes letting air down to your lungs, getting smaller, muscles get tighter and make it difficult to get air down, causing breathlessness, coughing, chest tightness, panic, a blue tinge to the lips.

Asthma Triggers

Smoke should be banned from the home of an asthmatic as it can bring on an attack. Dust mites, you can by protective mattress covers and pillow covers that will block the dust mites from you.

Pollution from car and industry emission in built up areas, air pollution when air quality is low asthma attacks go up.

Cockroaches can also be a big trigger and you should clean any areas where food and drink has been prepared to make sure they don’t pay a visit.

Pets can trigger asthma and it is better if you do not have any pets if you are a sufferer, but if you do have pets take as many precautions as you can, keep the pet outside if possible and never let pets in the bedroom.

Any mould in the home can be a potential trigger and if inhaled can cause an attack.

Too much exercise, weather changes, cold, humidity, and storms.

Changes in emotions can also trigger asthma off.

Learn what triggers your asthma off and do all you can to avoid the situations.

How is Asthma treated

You remove as many of the triggers from your home as possible, take any medication that your GP has prescribed as and in the way you’ve been told. Different sufferers have different medication but generally you have a preventive inhaler that works long term, and an emergency inhaler that opens the airways in an attack this is called the quick relief. Long-term inhalers help to prevent attacks and make them milder in the long term.

However if you are having an attack you need the emergency inhaler that will open your airways and let you breath more easily. Although some medication can have a few little side effects they go quickly if they don’t go and are prolonged go see your GP or asthma nurse and they will change your medication. Just remember your asthma can be controlled and you can live a full normal life if you take a little extra care and your medication regularly.

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Asthma Triggers

Asthma doesn’t just happen. For the most part, many people live with asthma, unbeknown to the world until something triggers a reaction. Often times they reach for a rescue inhaler, sometimes an attack comes on so fierce they’re forced into the triage unit of the emergency room of the nearest hospital. Knowing and avoiding your own triggers can be an important step in the journey of living with and dealing with asthma.

A trigger is something that inflames airways, leading to asthma symptoms. But triggers vary from person to person. Many different things lead to inflammation including mold, pollen, air pollutants (smog) even viruses. Mold is often found where it’s damp, in sitting water, or near garbage containers. Pollen is produced by trees, grass, and weeds especially during the warmer weather months. Smog and atmospheric viruses are produced inside the body and is something you should verify and monitor with your doctor depending on where you live.

Other things, less often associated maybe in your own sphere with being inflammatory include dust mites, cockroaches, and animals such as dogs or cats with shedding fur. Dust mites are common problem for people with asthma. Dust mites are tiny, spider-like creatures whose body parts and excretions elicit powerful reaction from asthmatics. Dust mites congregate in soft-surfaced places and feed off shed human skin often found in bedding, pillows, sofas, and carpeting. Cockroaches, not only one of the most reviled pests of all time, also give asthmatics trouble. Their feces and presence incites symptoms.

Something less provocative but no less dangerous for people living with asthma are symptom triggers. These are things that don’t usually cause the inflammation that lead to full blown attacks, but can incite clogged airways, not helping the already inflamed passageways. These include things such as smoke, intense cold, other various air pollutants, or chemical fumes. Also instigating are things like exercise, perfumes or other strong smelling substances, or even intense emotions.

How to live when so much of what causes your suffering is all around in the world that you live?

Carefully: Don’t ever stray too far from medical attention or from a person who could get you there and knows what symptoms to look for. Always remember to carry ventelin or albuterol or whatever steroid it is you use, and always keep a spare on hand in the event you run out.

Judiciously: Judge all tasks not based on how much you want to do them, but how difficult it will be to complete. Overnight solo mountain climbing, for instance, might be negated in lieu of morning group nature hikes. Decathlon is something you’ll probably never compete in; why not participate in a charity walk?

Conservatively: It’s important to think of yourself first and never let your ambitions get out of step with your abilities.

Unfortunately for people with asthma they’re born with something most of us can’t even begin to understand as something like breathing is so often taken for granted. But as long as you communicate with those close to you and take steps to live your life as far away from inhibitors as possible, you should be on track for an otherwise long, healthy life.

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The On Going Process Of Living with Asthma

Asthma sufferers know that living with asthma is an ongoing process. It isn’t easy, but it is manageable. Once you master living with asthma, you can get back to living your life.

Use your asthma medication regularly, as directed by your physician. Many asthma sufferers manage their symptoms beautifully with prescription medication. Follow the directions set forth by doctors and pharmacists, and you’ll be well on your way to living with asthma, instead of living with asthma problems.

Smoking, pollen, and animal dander may aggravate asthma. If you’re living with asthma, don’t allow smoking in your home – and don’t smoke yourself. Avoiding things that might irritate your condition help make living with asthma a breeze, instead of a tight squeeze. On high-pollen days, make use of the air conditioner. Regularly washing linens and fabrics will help control dust mites, which might also irritate asthmatic conditions.

Living with asthma doesn’t have to be a burden. When you know how to manage and control asthma and related symptoms, living with asthma is just like living without asthma – with a few extras. Controlling asthma through medication is the preferred method of living with asthma for most people, and can be a fairly hassle-free experience. One you get into the regular routine of taking your medication, living with asthma is no problem at all. Taking a few extra steps, like eliminating smoke from the home or controlling the dust mite population, makes living with asthma worry-free.

Asthma is not curable, and scientists are still unsure as to what, exactly, causes this condition. Living with asthma means living with a chronic disease, but it is something that can be controlled. Asthma sufferers don’t necessarily have to suffer – living with asthma doesn’t mean living in pain.

Sometimes, it helps people who are living with asthma to talk to other asthma sufferers. This kind of support is often invaluable, and means really being able to connect with others who share the same illness. There is a huge world of support out there for those living with asthma, and much of it can be found through the online community. Look for online message boards, forums, and chat groups where people who have asthma can share thoughts, ideas, and advice. The Internet is a great way to connect with others.

There are also lots of resources online, and at public libraries, where it’s possible to find more information about living with asthma. Sometimes, living with asthma feels much easier when you know more about asthma itself. Even reading the stories and thoughts of others can make asthma seem much easier. There are many, many people with asthma out there – it’s a very large club. Just knowing you are not alone makes living with asthma seem a whole lot easier, so seek out information and read up on asthma. Understanding asthma is an important step to living with asthma.

Learn all you can, talk to other asthma sufferers, and do what you can to make your own home more breathable. Doing all these things will make living with asthma simple – so you can live life to the fullest.

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Living With Asthma: Keeping It Clean

Asthma is a chronic breathing condition, often controlled by medication, that is sadly incurable. Modern-day science still isn’t sure why asthma occurs in the first place. Even with all this uncertainly, living with asthma is a manageable affair. Learn how keeping it clean (the air) can help make living with asthma almost completely painless.

When you’re talking about living with asthma and talking about keeping it clean all in the same breath, you’re talking about the air. Keeping the air clean inside the home is one of the most important steps in making living with asthma much easier, and much more painless. Asthma sufferers don’t have to suffer – there are ways you can lessen their symptoms and help to make the air more breathable for sensitive airways.

Sometimes, it’s easiest to get into a cleaning routine. Learning the routine and getting it down helps make it much easier, and helps you learn how to make your routine much more efficient and speedy. For those living with asthma, this routine must be used to keep the air clean, breathable, and easy on the lungs.

So what’s the trick to keeping it clean? First things first, you want to regularly wash and air out linens and other fabrics in the home. Regularly vacuum furniture and wash bed clothes and cushions to reduce dust mites. Dust mites get into the air in anyone’s home, but regularly cleaning fabrics can help control the population. Often, dust mites are enemies to those with breathing troubles like asthma. Fighting them in their natural habitat, your home, is one way to help asthma sufferers breathe easier.

Pet dander can be another enemy to the asthmatic. Fight pet dander by keeping all animals in the home well-groomed and regularly washed and combed. You’ll also want to regularly wash and clean pet sleeping areas and other fabrics that often used by the pets. The best way to cut down on pet dander is to wash these items in very hot water. Reducing any pet dander in the home will help any asthma sufferer. This is another way that keeping it clean makes living with asthma much more hassle-free. When asthma sufferers breathe easier, asthma doesn’t seem like so much of a problem. And really, what’s so wrong with having a nice, clean home environment?

Keeping it clean also means eliminating smoke in the home. Cigarettes and other tobacco products should absolutely not be smoked, but taken outside so as not to aggravate asthma symptoms. Asthma sufferers absolutely should not smoke themselves, nor should they be exposed to smoke whenever it’s possible.

By taking a few extra steps, you can make living with asthma much more manageable. Keeping it clean doesn’t just help the asthma sufferer breathe easier, but everyone in the home. Your space will be cleaner, your air purer, and your lungs happier. When you’re keeping it clean, living with asthma isn’t so bad, after all. Get into a routine, and soon it won’t seem like you’re doing anything extra at all.

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Pets and Asthma

Pet lovers of the world are often the biggest sufferers for diseases and don’t get treatment. It is an unfortunate fact that pets make asthma symptoms worse. It’s even more sad that cat and dog ‘dander’ is one of the biggest causes for reactionary symptoms in asthmatics. But here is the news, no matter how unhappy to read, to separate urban legend from fact.

A common misconception is that only “fur” or “feathers” is what cause a reaction in those susceptible to asthma. In fact, pet hair is sometimes tolerable for people with asthma. Triggers in your pet may include:

-Dander (skin)

-Saliva

-Urine/Feces

-Other secretions

And it’s not just cats or dogs that are prime candidates for the asthmatic. Other animals that pose a risk are:

-Gerbils

-Hamsters

-Birds

-Mice/Rats

-Rabbits

-Guinea pigs

-Horses

Surprisingly, even an animal you don’t keep in the house, like horses can produce devastating attacks. So if you give your son or daughter riding lessons and notice they get sick or particularly ‘tight’ afterwards, that’s a pretty clear indicator that you’ve got a problem. To reduce your risk of having an asthma attack around animals, there are steps you can take.

Common sense, again, trumps all else. Bottom line is if your doctor determines an animal in your home as a potential trigger to your symptoms, it is of paramount importance to remove the animal, or at least quarantine them from your home. That’s it; the single best way to assure control over your asthma symptoms due to pet residue.

Deciding to keep the pet despite your allergies will surely increase the severity of your symptoms over time. All animals with fur also release dander; there’s no such thing as an allergy-free cat or dog. Your best bet is to reduce the exposure to pet allergens to aid your asthma:

-For cats or dogs: have another household member wash it twice a week.

-Remove carpet in the home; dander is more likely to be trapped, even from regular vacuuming within carpet fibers. Of particular interest for the allergy sufferer is no carpet in the bedroom.

-Shield your mattress and pillows in ‘allergen-proof’ covers.

-Clean all areas the pet travels often using a vacuum with HEPA (high-efficiency particular air) filter.

-Use a HEPA air purifier in the bedroom.

-Don’t allow your pet in the bedroom. Also, keep it off upholstered furniture, carpet, or other soft surfaces where allergens accumulate.

Finally, always think of yourself first. Even though that doggy-in-the-window looks irresistible, its waggly-tail and other emissions can elicit harmful emissions that can lead to a very uncomfortable existence for the asthma sufferer. That goes the same for rabbits and gerbils as well! You don’t want to get stuck with a character who has got your heartstrings, but also is tied to your air-sack!

And if you know your breathing and know yourself, you should be able to make smart choices in pet selection or quarantining that can lead to a blissful co-mingling.

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Living with teenagers with Asthma

Teenagers with asthma are treated much the same as anyone else suffering from asthma, but because they are teenagers they are much more less likely to remember their medication. They should be reminded to take their medication even if they feel perfectly well all the time. The medication is there to make sure they do not suffer asthma attacks.

It should not interfere with their daily lives, such as sport, dancing and exercise. Smoking of course is bad for everyone’s health and can make asthma even worse. Always make sure that your teenagers teachers and school mates know they suffer with asthma so that they will no what to do in case of an attack and make sure they keep their inhalers with them wherever they go.

Teenagers

Teenagers may have the view that asthma interferes with their life, making them different from their friends. They have to accept that their asthma is only a little portion of their life not the whole of it. They can fit their medication into a daily plan that still lets them carry on their life. Sport and exercise is excellent for them as it helps build stronger lungs and overall health. Discourage the use of drugs and smoking that can aggravate and in some cases bring on a severe attack. It would be nice if your teen could meet other young people suffering with asthma, so they can swap stories, develop friendships and support each other.

A lot of teenagers do not understand exactly what asthma is so explain to them in detail. Many do not understand that asthma is not just a sudden wheeze or coughing bout, but is active 24/7. Asthma is caused by the tubes that help you breath becoming swollen and inflamed, therefore causing them to tighten up and leave less room for air to get to the lungs. Which in turn causes breathlessness, wheezing, and coughing.

Asthma can also appear as various other illnesses, namely pneumonia, bronchitis, allergies, and of course the common cold. Any of these can bring on an attack and if your teen is still coughing a lot after the illness has gone then it will probably be asthma.

Sports

Many professional athletes have asthma, for an excellent sport for people suffering with asthma try swimming the moist warm air makes it easier to for your teenager to breath. Many teenagers take less than half of their prescribed medication for fear of looking the odd one out of their friends and indeed deliberately leave their medication at home. If left to his or her own devices the asthma can get worse and in turn lead to permanent lung damage or even worse a life threatening attack.

Asthma Treatment

The main treatment is two inhalers one that reduces inflammation that is called a controller; the other gives emergency relief by opening the airways in a sudden attack and is called the reliever. Drugs used in the treatment can be pills, inhalers, or even injected and consist of Corticosteroids all of which help your teenager to avoid asthma attacks and keep it in control, therefore leaving them free to live a full, active and productive life.

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Daily Life Living with Asthma

Daily life living with Asthma can be very difficult if you do not follow the plan that you’re medical practice and nurse give you. This can be by your breathing being very laboured; it makes even simple tasks very difficult. And causes the feelings of fighting for breathe. Your heart feels like it is going to burst through your chest and panic sets in. All of this can be remedied or at the very least controlled.

The Daily Plan

You take your inhaler three or four times a day and that will help you to keep it under control, then of course you have your emergency alleviator that gives instant relief from a severe attack of breathlessness. Some people have to take their inhaler through a thing called a spacer, this is especially good for children as well as it gives the child chance to breath a couple of times instead of trying to take their inhaler in one go.

Medication

Medication used in the treatment of Asthma is usually in the form of Corticosteroids and Beta2 Agonists. In the form of steroid inhalers.

Aim and Asthma Plans

The aim of asthma plans is to give to the sufferer the best possible way of life. This includes the ability to carry out daily living as usual such as work or school, exercise, and also to help with the wheeziness and interrupted sleep due to excessive coughing.

Also to try to prevent acute attacks therefore removing the need to go to casualty to get the asthma back in order.

Causes of Asthma

The main causes of Asthma can be attributed to certain things that can cause a reaction with Asthma, These include hereditary, which will make you more likely to develop a chronic Asthma, Allergies, dust mites and some animal fur and cigarette smoke. But there is no know main cause.

Helpful Hints

You can buy both mattress and pillow protectors that will take away the threat of dust mites in the bed, thus giving you a better chance of a good nights sleep. Keeping your medication going, visit your asthma clinic regularly to make sure your asthma is being kept in control. Exercise as much as you can, and some breathing exercises might help to give relief from the effects of asthma.

Asthma Attack Symptoms.

Although with asthma you can suffer sometimes more than others, when an asthma attack happens there are certain symptoms to look for these include.

A worsening wheeziness, difficulty breathing in and out, pain in your chest or back, Incessant coughing fit, difficulty talking because of lack of breath, blue lips or fingernails, looking pale and sweaty, and you have taken your emergency medication and it does not alleviate the symptoms.

Then you know it is time to get emergency help, you may only have some of the symptoms listed but you should still get medical help.

Controlled Asthma

If your Asthma is well in control there is no reason why you should not be able to carry on life, as you knew it before suffering with Asthma.

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Can you Exercise When You have Asthma

Some might say that if you are stricken with a debilitating breathing disease like asthma that you should not exercise. You are not able to exercise! How can anyone who can’t breathe be expected to put forth the least physical exertion. If you said this, then you would be wrong. You see, exercise should be the part of every healthy human’s regimen. If you just bear in mind a few quick things in order to maximize your effort, you won’t tire too quickly, and you’ll avoid endangering something greater like life or limb.

Asthma should not at all inhibit your ability to exercise. In fact, if you have limitations in your ability to exercise and that is blamed by you on asthma then you may have a much larger problem. It may be that your asthma is not being controlled in a correct manner. If this is the case you should immediately stop your program until you are able to meet with a doctor or, if you need, never be afraid to seek out the hospital in an emergency. Inability to exercise with unrelenting symptoms is a sign your asthma is out of control. If this is the case, you really need to put this problem to rest before beginning your program again.

If, ordinarily, your asthma is in under control, yet symptoms pop up after five or ten minutes from beginning your program, you’re experiencing what is known as “Exercise-induced” asthma.

Exercise-induced asthma is a result of the airways reacting sensitively to temperature or humidity changes. This is of particular consequence while breathing in and out, cold, dry air through the mouth. Air inhaled through the mouth has skipped the nose which normally acts as a humidifying agent prior to the air reaching the lungs. If you are exercising correctly, ‘in through your nose, out through your mouth’ then you are probably bypassing the humidifying agent of the nose.

An easy way to identify exercise-induced asthma is using a breathing test while you are at rest and then comparing that, following exercise. If there is a measurably different result after exercise, you most likely are suffering from exercise-induced asthma.

A number of factors play in to the exercise-induced asthma:

- Length of time exercising

- Allergens, air pollution, or other triggers present

- Humidity

- Temperature

However, a decision to NOT exercise is not a wise idea. Benefits of exercise include:

- Heart/Lung efficiency

- Strength/endurance

- Flexibility/posture

- Ability to relax while at rest

You should always talk to your doctor if you are unsure whether the asthma symptoms are exercise-induced or not. Some things to remember:

- Take medication before beginning exercise, if advisable

- Always warm up before exercising and cool down after

- Build up, in a deliberate manner, an exercise program you’re comfortable with

- Stop and rest at the first sign of symptoms

- Know the environment you are most sensitive to and avoid those areas

Exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle. Keeping your asthma in check is also. Your ability to integrate both is the key to a long and healthy life.

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Living with Asthma in children

Children’s Statistics

Did you know that 5.9 per cent of children aged 0-4 years have asthma to some degree. Though it is noticeably worse in built up towns due to pollution in the cities and large towns.

Symptoms in a young child

Symptoms of a cold causing wheezing where there is no other explanation. A dry nighttime cough, shortness of breath after exertion such as crawling, walking or playing.

Minimizing the triggers

By removing the triggers as much as possible, it will help make attacks less likely things that can help trigger an attack are dust mites, pollen, fur, and smoke. If you child suffers more than two attacks a week he will probably be prescribed inhalers, they can also be given a breathing mask which may make the drugs easier to administer, although it might be a little scary at first it will help him or her breath easier.

Children

Pre- school children obviously need help with managing their medication, and an adult must give it to them till they learn how themselves. Even so mum or dad should routinely check to make sure they are keeping the medication in check. Never treat a child with asthma different to their siblings for fear you will cause an attack as this could cause problems in the family with sibling resentment. Don’t be afraid to discipline them all the same. As long as long as your Childs school is aware of the problem and the medication that is needed your child should on the whole enjoy a normal full time education. Without to many problems.

At home they should have as normal a life as possible like playing, exercise, and normal activities. Be able to get good nights sleep without fear of an attack. With normal lung function and no need to be rushed to casualty. Have little if any side effects from the medication, and most of all they should feel happy and content that their asthma is being controlled leaving them to concentrate on living a full, healthy normal life. Free from asthma controlling their life. Every day is a new day and your child should thrive and grow and have fun and asthma should not get in the way. If you follow the asthma plan your doctor or asthma nurse gives you, there should be few problems because of asthma.

Remember

Remember if your child is at pre-school, playgroup, with a child minder baby sitter or anyone else make sure they are aware of the fact that your child has asthma and that they no how to administer your Childs medication and what they should do in the case of a sudden severe asthma attack. Keep in mind that a normal cold can sometimes trigger a more severe asthma attack. So if your child has a cold remember it can set his or her asthma off.

Medication

Medication is usually two inhalers one for every day use the other for emergency relief. Your doctor make get you to do a peak flow reading for a while to try and determine what causes the attacks and when attacks are likely. The peak flow meter is like a plastic tube that you blow into and they give a reading of breath output so that the doctor can see from the chart at what points the breathing becomes more laboured and therefore try to work out what the child was doing and where he or she was.

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Living With Asthma: Learning How to Breathe

When you find out that you have asthma, you suddenly feel like everything has changed. But does living with asthma mean learning how to breathe, all over again? There are many people out there with asthma, and many ways that you can make living with asthma one of the easiest parts of your lifestyle.

Learning how to breathe easy when you’re living with asthma can often seem very challenging, especially when you first learn that you’ve got this condition. You may hear that asthma is incurable, that no one knows what causes asthma to occur. You may hear this and feel a little hopeless, a little lost. After all, how are you supposed to live with something that won’t ever go away? You have to learn how to live with it – because it won’t ever go away. Living with asthma means learning how to breathe in a whole new way – but it’s not quite as daunting as it sounds.

When you and your doctor learn that you’re living with asthma, you’ll be prescribed medication that helps open air passageways to promote air flow and clean breathing. This medication may be taken every day, or as needed when breathing becomes a hassle. However this medication is prescribe, follow your doctor’s order and follow your dosing schedule exactly. To learn specific information about the medication you’ve been prescribed, look to the Internet for information and tips on how to store, use, and take your medication properly.

Living with asthma means learning how to breathe in an environment that may not always be asthma-friendly. You’ll have to do what you can to avoid smoke, even eliminating smoke in the home so that asthma isn’t aggravated or breathing troubles made worse. Avoid smoke as much as possible, and don’t allow others to smoke near you when you’re living with asthma.

Learning how to breathe with asthma isn’t as hard as it may seem at first. You may learn that you have to try to eliminate pet dander and dust mites in your home – and that sounds like a whole lot of work. Living with asthma is much easier when you do this, however, and it’s as easy as regularly washing and cleaning fabrics inside the home. By keeping it clean, you keep the air you breathe free of asthma attack-inducing irritants that will do nothing but make living with asthma a real pain the lungs.

To make living with asthma a breath of fresh air, you’ll want to talk with other asthma suffers, and learn all you can about your condition. Communicating with others is a good way to learn what you can do to make living with asthma pain-free and stress-free for everyone, including those people who live in the home that don’t suffer from asthma. The Internet is a wonderful way to learn more about asthma and to connect with other asthma sufferers. Make use of these valuable resources. The online world makes learning how to breathe (again) and living with asthma a lot less scary, and a lot less work.

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Living With Asthma: Living Smoke-Free

Living with asthma doesn’t mean having to suffer through pain. There are many different ways that people who have been diagnosed with asthma can lessen the pain, and the symptoms of asthma. When you’re living with asthma, living smoke-free is one of the best ways to ensure that you have fewer attacks and fewer breathing problems.

There are many different ways that people living with asthma can make their condition less painful, and make breathing easier a breeze. Even with medication, some people who have been diagnosed with asthma learn that medication does not combat all asthma symptoms. But there are things that you can do, along with taking your regular medication, to lessen even these lingering symptoms.

If you’re living with asthma, then you should be living smoke-free. Asthma symptoms are often irritated, and sometimes even made much worse, by even second-hand cigarette smoke. Anyone who has been diagnosed with asthma absolutely should not smoke, as any kind of smoking will only make any breathing problem worse. No amount of medication will help fix the damage that smoking can do, especially to those who already have existing breathing problems.

Living smoke-free isn't as difficult as it may sound. There are many products available today that control the craving for cigarettes, and your doctor can even prescribe aids that will help you kick any existing smoking habit. The problem for many people who have asthma is often not first-person smoking, but the second-hand smoke to which they are exposed. For someone who has asthma, being around a smoker is the worst.

It's very important to know that living with asthma means living smoke-free - completely. No one who has asthma should be exposed to smoke, at least not on a regular basis. Smoking should not be done within the home, for example, but taken outside where it will not irritate any asthma-related symptoms. For people who have trouble breathing, smoke can be detrimental. Living with asthma is much easier when the home is a smoke-free environment. If at all possible, try to avoid smoke while working, as well. Living smoke-free means avoiding smoke whenever possible. This only benefits you, as a person with asthma.

Eliminate residual smoke odors in the home by washing and airing out fabrics, wiping down furniture and even the walls, and removing dust from vents and fans. If someone in the home has asthma, make the environment as clean and breathing-friendly as possible. Eliminating smoke is one very important step in making living with asthma no big deal at all. Being smoke-free actually helps everyone breathe a little easier in the home, not just people who live with asthma. When it's best for your breathing, it's the best thing to do for everybody.

To learn more about living with asthma, and living a smoke-free life, look for resources and tools on the Internet. You'll find lots of information, advice, and tips on how to make living with asthma an effortless experience for everyone. There is also a lot of support in the online community for anyone who would like to connect with others who have had experience with asthma.

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