If you’ve just been given an asthma diagnosis, you may not know what to do. There is no known cure for asthma. That doesn’t mean you need to curl up into a ball doing nothing, for fear that doing anything else would bring on an asthma attack. Here you will see some simple methods to manage your asthma to keep you safe and healthy.
If you have asthma, you should definitely avoid smoking or being exposed to any kind of fumes or vapors. This means avoiding tobacco products, and making sure that you do not choose any kind of job that could expose you to harmful vapors or smoke, such as factory work.
Second hand smoke can cause asthma to develop in children, and can trigger an asthma attack if they already suffer from asthma. There’s a long list of environmental asthma triggers, and secondhand smoke is at the top of it. Any place where smoking is allowed should be avoided if you have a child with asthma.
Asthma can cause increased sensitivity to the ingredients contained in many cleaning products. Many chemicals contained in common cleaning products can aggravate your asthma, triggering an attack. If you’re the one who regularly cleans the house, look for natural cleaning products which are much safer to use.
When suffering a mild or even moderate asthma attack, attempt to push all air from your lungs. Breathe out aggressively, as hard as you can. Try hard to push the air out from your lungs! Inhale in a series of three, or three shallow breaths and one deep breath. After your lungs are filled with air, forcefully exhale again. This gives your breathing a rhythm, which makes you aware of how many breaths you take. In addition, it repeatedly empties your lungs of air, so that you can draw in more oxygen-rich air. You may generate sputum or cough but that is alright, since your main objective is getting you to breathe normally again.
If you have moderate asthma attacks, exhale forcefully, so that you force air from your lungs. Make your exhalations quick and forceful. Truly pump all air from your lungs! Inhale in three short breaths and one fourth deeper breath so that your lungs are comfortably full of air, then exhale forcefully again. Pay attention to what you are doing and follow a regular rhythm. Expelling the air from your lungs in this fashion also allows you to breathe in deeper. Do not be alarmed if you cough or generate excess mucous; this is perfectly normal. Your only concern is to return your breathing to normal.
If you have asthma, you may wish to consider installing a dehumidifier in your home. Not only will a dehumidifier decrease humidity, but it will also be helpful in controlling the dust mite population. Both are causative factors in asthma attacks. Dehumidifiers keep your home dry by keeping the humidity out.
Keep rooms free of dust, and do not turn on a fan if you do have dusty rooms. The fan will cause the dust to circulate through the air, which can cause you to suffer an asthma attack. Encourage air to flow throughout the room by just opening a nearby window or door.
Hay fever and colds can worsen asthma symptoms so prepare to need increased treatments. These kinds of illness can inflame you asthma to a degree that a treatment increase is necessary. Your regular medication may also need to be combined with other treatments your doctor may recommend.
Consider supplementing your diet with Vitamins E and C when you suffer from asthma. These vitamins help reduce asthma flare-ups by improving lung function. You can gain vitamins from supplements or the old fashioned way, from food! The vitamins will help improve the immune system, which will help you fight off illnesses that cause asthma.
Preparation is the key to living with your condition. When you know everything you can about your specific asthma triggers, you can use that knowledge to avoid potential triggers. Gain as much knowledge as possible about asthma to help manage your symptoms.
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 in a kitchen or on the dining room table, and avoid cigarette smoking inside. Try to avoid using any harsh chemicals or bleach in the home while cleaning; and, once the home is cleaned, air it out.