Hello
friends!
Asthma
is a condition where the airways of the lungs become inflamed, get narrowed,
get swollen, and produce excessive mucus, which makes it harder and difficult to
move air in and out of the lungs, resulting in limitations in physical
activities.
Asthma
is caused by pollen, dust mites, airborne allergens, particles of cockroach
waste, mold spores, pet dander, cold air, smoke, some medical conditions like
GERD, some medications, situations of emotions and stress, some food
preservatives, etc.
Asthma
can be of different types, allergic asthma, non-allergic asthma, cough-variant
asthma, exercise-induced asthma, occupational asthma, etc.
The
symptoms of asthma include chest pain, cough, wheezing, respiratory infections,
common cold, etc., and these interfere with daily activities. In some cases,
the symptoms can be life-threatening.
Doctors
usually use spirometry to diagnose lung function, which involves inhaling the
air deeply and exhaling forcefully into a spirometer.
Asthma
cannot be completely cured but can be managed and controlled with professional
support, by bringing the symptoms to a negligible level.
Asthma
is usually managed with rescue inhalers, controller inhalers, longer-acting
inhalers, inhalant steroids, and some medications.
The
following are the 12 easy and smart tips to effectively manage and control the
symptoms of asthma.
1. Know the triggers and avoid them
Several
allergens and irritants ranging from pollen and mold to cold air, smoke, and
air pollution can act as triggers and can worsen the symptoms of asthma by
irritating the airways.
The
common triggers are smoke, either from tobacco or from burning wood or grass,
household pets including cats and dogs, dust mites, mold, strong perfumes,
pollen, air pollution, cockroaches, respiratory infections such as influenza,
emotional stress, cold air, etc.
The
best way is to find out the triggers and avoid them by avoiding smoking and
second-hand smoke, by using properly-washed and dried bedding, regular and
thorough vacuuming, using air-tight food containers, keeping the pests away, by
maintaining the storage and dining areas clean, by having air filters in the
bedroom, etc.
2. Quit smoking and avoid second-hand smoke
Smoking
is a powerful trigger of asthma. Cilia, the hair-like projections in the
airways, get damaged due to tobacco smoke, causing the improper function of
cilia. Tobacco smoke contains carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) such as
tar, carbon monoxide, nicotine, and others, and the deposition of these substances
in the lungs could cause lung diseases such as COPD, lung cancer, and emphysema,
etc. Smoking can cause asthma attacks to happen more frequently. Smoking
reduces the efficacy of asthma medications significantly.
Second-hand
smoke (passive smoke) is more harmful as it is the combination of smoke from the
burning cigarette as well as the smoke exhaled by the smoker. The lungs of
children are at increased risk as their lungs are small and are developing.
Quitting
smoking not only helps with asthma but also helps with second-hand smoke.
Quitting significantly reduces the severity and frequency of symptoms. Smokers
should quit smoking and others should avoid second-hand smoke.
3. Breathing exercises
As
per some studies, regular breathing exercises help in reducing symptoms of
asthma and significantly improve the quality of life of people with asthmatic
conditions. Breathing exercises strengthen the breathing muscles, boost the
immune system, and correct dysfunctional breathing.
Some
of the breathing exercises include diaphragmatic breathing, nasal breathing, the
Papworth method, Buteyko breathing, pursed-lip breathing, and pranayama
breathing exercises as prescribed in Yoga.
4. Eating a balanced diet
Eating
nutritious foods not only improves the symptoms of asthma but also improves overall
health.
Foods
like salmon, milk, fortified orange juice, and eggs, are rich in vitamin D and reduce
the number of asthma attacks in children.
Vitamin
A in carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli,
etc., helps in better functioning of the lungs.
Spinach,
pumpkin seeds, Swiss chard, dark chocolate, and salmon that are rich in
magnesium, help in increased lung flow and volume, especially in children.
Having
apples on daily basis is known to keep asthma away. Bananas are known to
decrease wheezing in children with asthma due to the presence of potassium and
antioxidants in the fruit.
Foods
to be avoided include salicylates, foods that cause gas like beans, cabbage,
onions, garlic, carbonated drinks, fried foods, etc., sulfites like wine,
pickled food, shrimp, dried fruits, lime juice, etc.
5. Reduce stress
According
to research, the body's response to stress triggers the immune system, causing
the release of some hormones. This could lead to inflammation of the airways in
the lungs, resulting in an asthma attack. Stress and some intense emotions such
as anger also can cause an asthma attack. Shallow upper chest breathing can
sometimes be the response to a stressful situation.
Learning
how to manage stress levels will help in managing asthma. It is thus important
to identify the major stressors in life and plan on how to reduce them. Stress
management involves learning to change thought patterns that produce stress.
The key points to better address the stress issues are what you expect, what
you think, how you think, and what you tell yourself. Professional help may
sometimes be necessary when it gets difficult to deal independently.
6. Sleep well
Sleep
deprivation can make asthma worse. Lack
of adequate sleep in asthma patients causes inflammation in the body and this
affects the proper lung function, increasing the risk of an asthma attack.
According to a study, reduced sleep and sometimes excessive sleep can
negatively affect adults with asthma conditions. Asthma is often associated with decreased
quality of sleep, increased daytime sleepiness, sleep fragmentation, difficulty
falling asleep, and early morning awakenings. Asthma sometimes gets worse at
night while sleeping. The symptoms at night like chest tightness, coughing that
makes it hard to rest, shortness of breath, and wheezing could indicate
nocturnal asthma.
Good
sleep habits include going to bed and getting up at the same time every day,
not watching TV before going to bed, not eating in bed, avoiding exercise or
any strenuous activity immediately before bedtime, avoiding caffeine before bed,
and avoiding daytime napping, etc.
7. Follow an asthma action plan
The
symptoms of asthma are variable, so they may get worse or better depending on
various factors, and one needs to know how to adjust the medicines depending on
the symptoms, and when to seek professional help.
Working
with a healthcare provider is important in creating a personalized asthma
action plan. The action plan usually contains different steps to be taken for various
conditions of asthma. The healthcare provider monitors the status of the
disease as necessary and ensures good control of the condition. Being prepared
for an emergency is a good practice and should be followed by keeping the
emergency inhaler handy within reach, getting the peak flow reading if
possible, and getting in touch with the healthcare provider as needed.
8. Moderate body weight
Extra
weight around the chest and abdomen can constrict the lungs and this could make
it more difficult for the lungs to work optimally. Moreover, fat tissue
produces some inflammatory substances that could affect the lungs adversely.
Excessive weight can increase the risk of having asthma and could result in
having more severe and difficult-to-control asthma.
Losing
weight with exercises could be challenging in asthma patients as asthma makes
it difficult to exercise. Having a healthy diet and avoiding fat in the diet
should help. Moderate physical activity like walking usually helps, depending
on the status of the condition.
9. Take medications as prescribed
The
medicines work by relaxing the muscles that tighten around the airways of the
lungs. They relax the contracted airways.
They also reduce the swelling and the mucus accumulation inside the
airways. These anti-inflammatory medicines could be both steroidal and
non-steroidal. The medicines could be short-acting or long-acting.
The
duration of medication treatment depends on how severe the condition is and how
frequent the symptoms are. It is very
important to follow the healthcare provider's advice about the treatment and
take the medicines as directed.
Skipping
the medications should be avoided and all medications should be taken even when
there are no symptoms, as skipping could result in more flare-ups and worsening
of asthma in the future. Thus it is important to take the medications as
prescribed and directed.
10. Viral infections
Viruses
like the cold and flu can infect the airways and lungs and viral infections are
the common causes of asthma symptoms. If the catching of viruses can be
avoided, the fewer are the asthma symptoms. The viruses can be avoided by
washing the hands properly at regular intervals, by getting a flu shot, getting
a pneumonia shot (if recommended), avoiding public gatherings with the scope of
getting infected, etc.
If
a viral infection is detected, attention should be paid to the symptoms and if
the symptoms worsen, professional help could be needed.
11. Learn how to use your inhaler properly
The
healthcare provider would help in educating on how to use the inhaler properly
for enabling the medication to reach the airways properly. The professional may
also ask the patient to use the inhaler in his presence to ensure that the
inhaler is being properly used. The healthcare provider may even provide the
educational material needed to enable a better understanding of the techniques
to be followed while using the inhaler. Proper inhaler use is important to
ensure optimum utilization of the medication.
12. Identify and treat attacks early
A
severe asthma attack can be prevented by acting quickly. A decrease in the peak
flow measurements could indicate an oncoming attack. Taking the medications as
instructed in the asthma action plan would become important in such situations.
Early
warning signs of an asthma attack could be frequent cough, especially at night,
reduced peak flow measurements, shortness of breath, chest tightness, feeling weak
or very tired while exercising, wheezing or coughing during or after exercise
(exercise-induced asthma), symptoms that fail to respond to the use of
quick-acting inhaler (rescue inhaler), etc.
One
should identify and immediately stop any activity that could have triggered the
symptoms. If the symptoms fail to
improve, medical help may be warranted.
Conclusion
Though
asthma cannot be cured, the symptoms can very well be controlled and managed
with all sorts of support available at our disposal.
The
above-mentioned simple tips on lifestyle modifications can help a lot in
effectively controlling and managing the symptoms of asthma. However, you can start
with some methods at a time and slowly keep increasing more methods as you
continue to progress.
Some
methods may seem easy to some people and some methods may seem not so easy to
some people. But these are the time-tested and scientifically proven techniques
that are bound to help in providing the desired results.
I
wish you all the very best in effectively controlling and managing asthma.
Thanks for reading.
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