Asthma management and asthma prevention go hand in hand, whether you are a patient or the health professional advising the patient about the best way to cope with this debilitating disease. Once the problem has been diagnosed, ways to prevent future attacks are paramount in the patient's mind. Prevention involves getting rid of or avoiding the allergens that trigger symptoms. Dust mites are the most common and prevalent causes of attacks, so measures to keep them at bay are foremost in the steps to be taken. Providing pillows and mattresses with protective dust covers is likely the first step in the process of making a home safer for the asthmatic. Then, replacing any dark, cotton, curtains or drapes with something made of polyester in a light color would be next. Removing stuffed animals or pillows and carpet is necessary, then banish the cat or dog from the patient's sleeping quarters, if not the house. Frequent bathing of a pet is a must, too. Any smokers in the house must be restricted to the outdoors if they are to continue smoking, because secondhand smoke can bring on an asthma episode too.
Keeping cockroaches out of the house is a necessary part of prevention as well, and that can be accomplished by frequent visits from the exterminator. Take care that the asthmatic doesn't come in contact with the chemicals used in pest-proofing the house by making sure he/she is gone when the exterminator arrives. Outdoor air pollution can also undo efforts at asthma management. It is important to keep up with environmental reports from the TV weather station, since pollens and other smog-producing stuff that gets into the air is dangerous, and counters a person's efforts at prevention.
Odd as it seems, for some asthmatics, exercise is a dangerous pastime. Vigorous exercise can bring on an attack, but if the patient starts out slowly, and takes preventive medication beforehand, the results can be quite positive. This is especially important for children. Of course, there are exercises that do not cause a problem. Most people can walk, play golf, or play cricket without any negative effects, so those sports are acceptable in their asthma management program.
It is probably clear by now that asthma prevention only refers to the measures taken to prevent an attack for the person who has been diagnosed with the disease. There is no way to prevent this severe breathing difficulty in the same way you can prevent measles, chicken pox, or the flu. It is the reaction some people have to certain allergens, so it is important in each individual case to determine which of the known substances and circumstances (cold air, or exercise) which bring on an attack are the triggers for that person, avoid those things as best one can, and thereby prevent the onset of an episode. Generally, the rules for asthma prevention are coincident with rules for good health for anyone, such as staying out of the cold when possible, avoiding exposure to colds and other infections that are easily transmitted from one person to another, and frequently washing one's hands.
So just exactly what is asthma? It's a chronic disease of the tubes carrying air to the lungs. In patients with this illness, those airways are swollen, irritated, and inflamed all the time, even when symptoms aren't present. The chest feels tight during an attack, and breathing is difficult. Wheezing with every breath is the most obvious symptom. It's a scary disease. In Biblical times, people often believed illness was caused by sins, either of the sick person or his parents. "Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (John 9:3)
Asthma management also includes medications that bring an attack under control, and some that keep an attack from happening. Quick-relief medications are used to relieve symptoms by opening up the airways so the patient can breath. They can also be used to prevent exercise-induced attacks. These medications are taken only on an as-needed basis. Then there are medicines used in asthma prevention, called controller medications. Taken on a daily basis, these medications reduce the frequency of episodes. Controller medications include the following: (1) inhaled steroids; (2) long-acting bronchodilators; (3) combination products that contain inhaled steroids and long-acting bronchodilators; (4) Leukotriene receptor antagonists (only available in pill form); (5) Inhaled nonsteroids; (6) Methylxantines (such as theophylline).
When parents are engaged in asthma management and asthma prevention for their child, it is important to have a written management plan that they can refer to frequently, and not trust to memory alone. Providing a copy of the plan to the child's school is a good idea, and a meeting with the child's teacher and coach would make sure they are aware of the child's condition. Since emotional stress and vigorous exercise can both create reactions in the delicate breathing apparatus of an asthmatic, anyone who might be around at those times needs to be aware of what to do.
Recent studies suggest that children in large families and living with pets, or spend a considerable amount of time in a daycare facility during the first year of life have less likelihood of developing asthma. This early exposure to common allergens may actually prevent the development of the disease. Also, some infections seem to decrease the risk of developing asthma; however, one infection, respiratory syncytial virus, increases that risk.
Keeping cockroaches out of the house is a necessary part of prevention as well, and that can be accomplished by frequent visits from the exterminator. Take care that the asthmatic doesn't come in contact with the chemicals used in pest-proofing the house by making sure he/she is gone when the exterminator arrives. Outdoor air pollution can also undo efforts at asthma management. It is important to keep up with environmental reports from the TV weather station, since pollens and other smog-producing stuff that gets into the air is dangerous, and counters a person's efforts at prevention.
Odd as it seems, for some asthmatics, exercise is a dangerous pastime. Vigorous exercise can bring on an attack, but if the patient starts out slowly, and takes preventive medication beforehand, the results can be quite positive. This is especially important for children. Of course, there are exercises that do not cause a problem. Most people can walk, play golf, or play cricket without any negative effects, so those sports are acceptable in their asthma management program.
It is probably clear by now that asthma prevention only refers to the measures taken to prevent an attack for the person who has been diagnosed with the disease. There is no way to prevent this severe breathing difficulty in the same way you can prevent measles, chicken pox, or the flu. It is the reaction some people have to certain allergens, so it is important in each individual case to determine which of the known substances and circumstances (cold air, or exercise) which bring on an attack are the triggers for that person, avoid those things as best one can, and thereby prevent the onset of an episode. Generally, the rules for asthma prevention are coincident with rules for good health for anyone, such as staying out of the cold when possible, avoiding exposure to colds and other infections that are easily transmitted from one person to another, and frequently washing one's hands.
So just exactly what is asthma? It's a chronic disease of the tubes carrying air to the lungs. In patients with this illness, those airways are swollen, irritated, and inflamed all the time, even when symptoms aren't present. The chest feels tight during an attack, and breathing is difficult. Wheezing with every breath is the most obvious symptom. It's a scary disease. In Biblical times, people often believed illness was caused by sins, either of the sick person or his parents. "Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (John 9:3)
Asthma management also includes medications that bring an attack under control, and some that keep an attack from happening. Quick-relief medications are used to relieve symptoms by opening up the airways so the patient can breath. They can also be used to prevent exercise-induced attacks. These medications are taken only on an as-needed basis. Then there are medicines used in asthma prevention, called controller medications. Taken on a daily basis, these medications reduce the frequency of episodes. Controller medications include the following: (1) inhaled steroids; (2) long-acting bronchodilators; (3) combination products that contain inhaled steroids and long-acting bronchodilators; (4) Leukotriene receptor antagonists (only available in pill form); (5) Inhaled nonsteroids; (6) Methylxantines (such as theophylline).
When parents are engaged in asthma management and asthma prevention for their child, it is important to have a written management plan that they can refer to frequently, and not trust to memory alone. Providing a copy of the plan to the child's school is a good idea, and a meeting with the child's teacher and coach would make sure they are aware of the child's condition. Since emotional stress and vigorous exercise can both create reactions in the delicate breathing apparatus of an asthmatic, anyone who might be around at those times needs to be aware of what to do.
Recent studies suggest that children in large families and living with pets, or spend a considerable amount of time in a daycare facility during the first year of life have less likelihood of developing asthma. This early exposure to common allergens may actually prevent the development of the disease. Also, some infections seem to decrease the risk of developing asthma; however, one infection, respiratory syncytial virus, increases that risk.
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