How to Deal With Asthma

Nowadays, asthma is more common than it used to be. Unfortunately, doctors are still unsure what causes it, but many believe that it might be genetic. A person is more likely to suffer from asthma if one of his parents did too. However, with a proper care, one can live with asthma happily and free from its symptoms. In this article you will find information about what causes asthma and how to deal with it, so you can live a healthy and normal life.

What is Asthma

In simple terms, asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Once triggered, it swells and tightens one's lung airways, thus making breathing very difficult. The main symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath and irritable coughing.

Who is at Risk

As it was mentioned in the beginning, a child is more likely to have asthma if, at least, one of his parents has one too. Other risk factors for kids include, parental smoking while pregnant, eczema during infancy and any major respiratory infection in their first year.

Other Triggers

Potential asthma triggers are substances, activities that are usually harmless to others and even the weather condition - simply anything that could lead to coughing and wheezing. Here, it is important to note that these don't cause asthma, but they can lead to asthma symptoms. Some of the most common asthma triggers include allergies, exercising, respiratory infections and pollutants in the air. Duct cleaning experts from Melbourne also point out that you can trigger your asthma if your home is not cleaned well (the ducts in particular). The dust coming from there could cause breathing problems, so don't underestimate it!

Treatment

First and foremost see your doctor, especially if you are still unsure what triggers your asthma symptoms. Once you know what causes your asthma attacks you can minimize your exposure to it. It is also a good idea to keep a diary where you write down what you have been doing just before you developed your asthma symptoms. In this way you can look for a certain pattern.

Keep a fast-acting inhaler with you at all times! This is absolutely vital, because it will ease your asthma attacks. However, don't forget that you can get such inhaler only with medical prescription. Also, buy an air purifier for your home. As it was stated earlier the dust in your home could be dangerous, so if you have something to purify the air in your home, you will be less likely to have an asthma attack.

Consider getting a dust-mite vaccine. This is new and still developing attempt to control asthma symptoms, but a Swiss company is working on such vaccine, which has currently showed significant benefits. Basically, it helps the immune system to work better and suppress allergic reactions.

Alternatively, you can try natural remedies. For example, herbs, such as lavender, chamomile and eucalyptus oils could ease asthma symptoms. On the other hand, drinking moderately caffeine could stimulate your bronchial tissue, by making it thinner so you can breath more easily.