Are Asthma Attacks Preventable?
What is asthma?
Asthma is a chronic disease involving the airway in the lungs. If you have asthma, your airways are always inflamed. This makes it difficult for air to move in and out of the lungs, causing symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightening.
Triggers
Exposure to various irritants and substances that trigger allergies can provoke signs and symptoms of asthma. The triggers vary from person to person, but the main goal for all individuals suffering from asthma is prevention of an asthma attack. The first thing you want to do to prevent an asthma attack is to understand what your triggers might be. Find out if you’re sensitive or allergic to certain things including pollen, chemicals, dust or certain pollutants such as diesel. These are the things you want to avoid in order to prevent further tightening of the lungs.
Have a plan
The next thing you want to do is have a proper plan. So if you are prone to having asthma attacks, you should talk to your doctor about appropriate medications that you can take. The third thing you want to do to prevent an asthma attack is to think about the most efficient ways in which you can avoid the allergens that affect you. Make sure that your environment is healthy and clean, perhaps put an air purifier in your home or your business environment. Wall-to-wall carpets also provide a massive source of allergens, which simply cannot be removed by vacuuming or using a room air cleaner. However, these accumulated allergens remain in the carpet until disturbed. Vacuums use a beater brush, and this causes very large amounts of allergens to be thrown around the room. Even if a HEPA vacuum cleaner, a vacuum with a high-efficiency particulate air filter, is used, your asthma and allergies can still be effected by carpeting. Room air cleaners, or air purifiers, are also unlikely to be adequately effective if the source of the allergens remains in the home, such as a cat, dog, bird, or hamster. Air purifiers only work for the room in which they are placed. Since you spend eight hours in your bedroom every night, this should be the first room to have one in.
A healthy diet can help your condition
Another way to prevent asthma is to change your diet, because there have been many clear links between poor eating habits and asthma. Your food choices could potentially make your asthma worse, and it’s helpful to observe the ways in which you can reduce the risks of having an asthma attack. People with severe asthma benefit from an intake of Vitamin D, plenty of fruits and vegetables and maintaining a healthy weight. People with asthma should always be aware of their food allergies, if any, and should make an effort to avoid sulfites as they trigger negative reactions. Common foods containing sulfite include wine, dried fruits, pickles, shrimp and more. The overall status of your health is a large component in the prevention of asthma. Taking vitamin supplements to keep yourself in better shape and prevent problems like colds or flus is also beneficial, seeing as a lowered immune system can be a severe trigger to an attack.
Keep in touch with your doctor about your condition, so the two of you can properly manage your asthma.
