November 17, 2011 in Asthma
Asthma is a chronic lung condition in which airways in the lungs become narrowed or even blocked because of inflammation. This prevents you from being able to breath normally. Asthma is often referred to as an “attack” in which a patient has a sudden shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, and/or coughing. An attack may ...
November 5, 2011 in Asthma
An asthma trigger is simply something that causes symptoms when you come into contact with it. Although most people are not bothered by the trigger, it makes asthmatics wheeze and experience other symptoms. Some of the more common triggers for asthma include allergens, exercise, the environment and the weather. It is important to remember that ...
October 23, 2011 in Asthma
Almost 70% of asthmatics whose asthma is out of control actually believe their asthma is completely or well controlled. Not realizing your asthma is out of control may increase your risk for severe attacks. Is your asthma controlled? If you are using your short-acting or “rescue” inhaler more than twice a week, your asthma may ...
October 2, 2011 in Asthma
Asthma is a controllable disease. Nearly every asthmatic can have their symptoms well controlled by using medications regularly. Unfortunately, most asthmatics have uncontrolled asthma. A national survey found that 55% of Americans with moderate to severe asthma do not have control of their disease. Even among controlled asthmatics, 38% report experiencing an asthma attack in ...
September 28, 2011 in Asthma
What is a written asthma action plan? A written asthma action plan helps you take control of your asthma. It is a plan developed by you and your doctor that has you take your asthma medications based on your daily control of asthma. Your control is determined by your symptoms or how you respond to ...
September 15, 2011 in Asthma
A peak flow meter is a small hand-held device that measures how fast you can blow air out of your lungs. Who needs a peak flow meter? A meter is useful for asthmatic over 5 years of age. If you have asthma and are not using a peak flow meter, ask your doctor or pharmacist ...
September 3, 2011 in Asthma
How can I treat my asthma without drugs? Many asthma attacks can be prevented by simply following some simple steps to minimize exposure to allergens or other triggers. The first step in avoiding triggers is to determine what triggers affect you. Keeping an asthma diary or log can be helpful. Simply record when you have ...
August 25, 2011 in Asthma
How can I treat my asthma with medications? Asthma is typically treated with inhalers; however, not all inhalers are the same. Knowing the differences and what to expect from your inhaler is the key to managing asthma. Inhalers fall into 2 general categories, inhalers for managing asthma attacks and inhalers for preventing asthma attacks. What ...
August 14, 2011 in Asthma
Are all inhalers the same? In fact, most inhalers are very different. The two general types of inhalers are metered dose inhalers and dry powder inhalers. Metered dose inhalers (MDI) force the medication out of the inhaler. Examples of MDIs include the rescue inhalers like albuterol and Xopenex HFA®. The dry powder inhalers (DPI) do ...
