How To Control Your Asthma

You know you did everything by the book and here you are having an asthma attack. What I tell people when they tell me that they are doing everything by the book is that their asthma...well, it has never read the book. It doesn't know that it is supposed to behave a certain way. Controlling ones asthma requires following the doctor's orders and some good common sense.

1. What triggers your asthma?
-If every time you go to the store and walk down the perfume aisle, you have an attack, maybe you should avoid going down that aisle.

-If dust is your trigger then make sure that you change your furnace filter every three months and get something that cleans the air.

Other triggers can be a cold or the flu. At the first sign of these coming on, get in contact with your Pulmonologist to see what you should do to keep your asthma under control.
Irritants such as cigarette smoke, stress, and strong smelling cleaning agents are also things that trigger your asthma.

Avoid those triggers as much as is possible. If you for some reason are not able to avoid it, keep a rescue inhaler on your person at all times. Rescue inhalers can include the following: Proventil, Albuterol, Ventolin, Combivent. These are all fast acting inhalers.

2. What are your doctor's orders?

If your doctor has ordered some long lasting bronchiodilators such as Spiriva, Foradil or Serevent, Continue to take those even if you are feeling good. Likewise, if your doctor has ordered maintenance breathing medications like Advair or Asthmanex, keep taking those every day even if your breathing is fantastic.

One of the biggest myths surrounding asthma is that it is not a serious illness to have. People's airways may be more reactive than other people's airways, but whenever we are speaking of an illness that has to do with breathing, it is a serious illness. The American Lung Association says, "When you cannot breathe, nothing else matters...". Anyone who has ever had to fight for their next breath knows that this is very true. Asthma, no matter how "mild", should be taken seriously.

Another myth of Asthma is that any doctor is qualified to manage one's asthma. This is an illness that requires a specialist. A Pulmonolgist is a lung specialist. They should be aware of the treatments that are new and are working better and longer than the old treatments. Your family doctor is wonderful, but when you have Asthma, you should not trust your breathing to just any doctor.

I wish you luck and good breathing.