Asthma is a very common illness that can be treated and controlled very well. However, asthma can never be cured. There is always a possibility that you can develop asthma symptoms if you are exposed to the right trigger. Obviously, there is more than one kind of asthma. There are types of asthma that are not life threatening, and there is the type of asthma that causes respiratory failure, which can lead to death.
There are many asthma triggers, such as cigarette smoke, pollen, pet dander, mold, and respiratory viruses. Other triggers can be the temperature and humidity in the air, such as hot moist air, or cold dry air. Another trigger might be related to exercise. You could be exercising more than your lungs are able to keep up with and an asthma attack could be triggered. There can also be internal triggers within your body, which are biochemical in nature. Other triggers may be an ingredient in foods. You might have an allergic reaction that induces asthma.
The symptoms of asthma are shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and production of mucus in the mucous membranes of the airways. Asthma triggers can start an inflammatory process within the airways, which cause swelling, and narrowing of the small branches of the bronchial tree. The inflammatory process may also cause a production of mucus to occlude the upper airways, making it difficult for you to get air deep into your respiratory tract.
Asthma can be a very frightening condition for the individual and for his or her family members. It is important not to panic when you begin to have an asthma attack, because panicking will make your symptoms much worse. If you have asthma attacks, your doctor probably put you on a daily medication that helps to keep your asthma under control, so that no symptoms are apparent. If you should go into an attack, you should have a rescue inhaler. Many rescue inhalers work to counteract or stabilize the chemicals produced by the immune system that causes the inflammatory process.
No, you cannot cure asthma, but you can possibly live your life without ever having another asthma attack. Medications do a great job of keeping your airways open. There are some really good asthma inhalers that contain small doses of steroids. The inhalers administer the medication directly to the surface of the respiratory tract. The steroids stay in the lungs and do not cause the side effects that are prevalent with steroids taken by mouth or injected. When you combine your asthma treatment with a healthy home and office atmosphere, you should have fewer asthma symptoms.
Besides taking medications to keep you free from asthma symptoms, you can do some preventive measures yourself. If you smoke, your doctor would likely ask you to stop. If anyone in your home smokes, you would need to forbid any smoking in your home. Other measures you can take to help reduce asthma symptoms are to keep your home environment free of dust mites, roaches, and pet dander. Dust mites and roaches produce fecal material. Antigens from roaches, dust mites and pet dander can get into the air you breathe to cause inflammation in your airways. One good plan of action would be to rid your home of roaches, and to clean the air inside your home. The way to clean the air in your home is with air purifiers. The air purifiers should have HEPA filters, because they catch very small particles out of the air. Asthma symptoms are almost non-existent for many people, due to the advancement in medicine, and in recognizing what one’s individual triggers are, and avoiding them.
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