Asthma Management - Staying Alive And Healthy!

I had an interesting discussion recently on asthma management in fact, the discussion became quite heated. Why? Because the point was made to me that perhaps we are going over the top with awareness programs relating to the effects and dangers of asthma.

My question was "how can you be over the top when it comes to making people continually aware about such a prevalent disease?"

Asthma management can be a chore for many sufferers but the simple fact is by ignoring good management practices a sufferer only increases the risk of having a life threatening attack. Let's examine some basic asthma management tips and techniques.

Monitor Your Breathing

Be aware of your breathing. Simple I know but devices such as peak flow meters are a terrific aid in checking breathing abnormalities. This is a device that is used to measure your best airflow for that day. Simply blow as hard as you can into the tube, and the tick mark will land on the maximum pressure. If it is below 50 percent, that is usually a sign that your breathing is abnormal and you need to better control it.

Don't Ignore Your Medication

Asthma medication was developed for a good reason; to keep attacks at bay. It's folly to ignore taking it. The medicine you take for your asthma depends on how mild or severe your asthma is.

Some doctors prescribe a simple bronchodilator to use before or during physical activity, to open your lungs. If your asthma teeters towards severe, you will have to take both a bronchodilator as well as a steroid inhaler, to help keep your lungs open once they are. Pill forms of asthma medicine are sometimes recommended to supplement the usage of inhalers.

Stay Healthy

Asthma management means living a healthy lifestyle. It's a broad statement I know but just doing some simple things may be all that's required to keep asthma attack at bay. It is important to not smoke or be around someone who does smoke, as this could be a trigger for an asthma attack. Alcohol and other drugs could also be very unhealthy for someone living with asthma. Diet, exercise and refraining as much as you can from cigarettes and alcohol can help you better manage your asthma.

So asthma mamagement basically consists of monitoring your breathing, taking your medication and living a healthy lifestyle. Once you get into the habit of performing these management techniques it becomes instinctive.

Asthma Inhaler - Protecting You