What Are Common Asthma Attack Triggers
An asthma attack happens when someone comes in contact with substances that irritate them. Healthcare providers call these substances triggers. Knowing what triggers your asthma makes it easier to avoid asthma attacks.
For some people, a trigger can bring on an attack right away. Sometimes, an attack may start hours or days later.
Triggers can be different for each person. But some common triggers include:
- Air pollution: Many things outside can cause an asthma attack. Air pollution includes factory emissions, car exhaust, wildfire smoke and more.
- Dust mites: You cant see these bugs, but they are in many homes. If you have a dust mite allergy, they can cause an asthma attack.
- Exercise: For some people, exercising can cause an attack.
- Mold: Damp places can spawn mold. It can cause problems for people with asthma. You dont even have to be allergic to mold to have an attack.
- Pests: Cockroaches, mice and other household pests can cause asthma attacks.
- Pets: Your pets can cause asthma attacks. If youre allergic to pet dander , breathing in the dander can irritate your airways.
- Tobacco smoke: If you or someone in your home smokes, you have a higher risk of developing asthma. The best solution is to quit smoking.
- Strong chemicals or smells.
With asthma, you may not have all of these symptoms. You may have different signs at different times. And symptoms can change between asthma attacks.
Help Manage Your Cats Condition
Although there are several home remedies for cat asthma, medication is still the most important part of your cats asthma treatment. These natural remedies should be used to help manage your cats condition but should not be used as standalone treatment.
If you are concerned with side effects of medication, talk to your vet about using inhaled medications in conjunction with the AeroKat* Chamber to keep your cat safe.
Can Medicine Alone Help My Asthma
Not usually. Although medicines help a lot, they may not be able to do the job alone. You have to avoid the things that cause or trigger your asthma symptoms as much as you can. Asthma triggers can be found outside or inside your home, school, or workplace.
Improving the indoor air quality in your home is an important part of asthma control. Your indoor air can be more polluted than outside air. Our interactive Healthy Home can show you ways to improve the indoor air quality of your home. A healthier home can reduce your exposure to allergens and irritants.
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How Do Asthma Treatments Work
Asthma treatments work in these ways:
Bronchodilators
Bronchodilators can be short- or long-acting. If you use short-acting bronchodilators more than two days a week, talk with your doctor about your asthma control. You may need to make changes to your treatment plan to better control your asthma.
Anti-Inflammatories
Anti-inflammatories come in many different forms. They are also called controllers because they help to control or prevent asthma symptoms. They reduce swelling and extra mucus inside the airways. They will not relieve sudden symptoms.
Other Types of Medicines and Treatments
Single Maintenance and Reliever Therapy
The 2020 Focused Updates to the Asthma Management Guidelines recommends single maintenance and reliever therapy, also known as SMART. SMART uses one inhaler that has two medicines as a quick-relief and controller medicine. When on SMART, you can either take your medicine only as needed to relieve sudden symptoms, or you can take it daily as a controller and as needed for quick relief. This is based on your age and the severity of your asthma.
Does Smoking Weed Cause Asthma
If you are allergic to cannabis, exposure to it could cause you to develop asthma. In those who are not allergic, it does not appear that weed causes asthma. However, smoking weed could potentially aggravate symptoms and prompt asthma attacks. There are a few other respiratory conditions that have similar symptoms to asthma that are also worsened by exposure to marijuana smoke.
Q: Can smoking weed cause asthma?A:Unless you are allergic to cannabis, it does not appear that marijuana causes asthma. However, exposure to marijuana smoke does have the potential to exacerbate asthma symptoms, up to and including asthma attack, whether you are allergic to cannabis or not.
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Other Things Play A Role
Lists of good and bad places to live with asthma often include a look at other things like:
- Poverty: More people living in poverty means fewer people with access to medical care.
- Lack of insurance: Again, it means fewer people with asthma will be getting care.
- Number of asthma doctors: Without enough specialists, people who canât travel easily wonât get care.
- Number of ER visits: A high ranking means people arenât seeing a doctor regularly.
How To Take Asthma Medication Effectively
Taking medication regularly can be difficult. It can be easy to forget and many people dislike having to take medication, especially when they feel well and have no symptoms. But it is important to take your medication correctly and follow medical advice.Tips to help you take asthma medication include:
- Ask your health professional for written instructions on the role of each medicine as part of your asthma action plan. Include details on how, when and how much to take, and what to do if symptoms get worse.
- Know the side effects of your medication so that you know what is and isnt normal.
- Ask your doctor if your medication can be simplified. Such as using one device for all your medications.
- Ask for a device that you feel comfortable with. There are special aids for people who have trouble coordinating inhalers .
- Make sure you know how to use your devices correctly. Ask your doctor or health professional to check your technique.
- Create memory aids to remind yourself to take your asthma medication, such as before brushing your teeth in the morning and evening.
If you have any concerns, talk to your doctor, asthma educator or pharmacist.
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Having Compromised Airways Is Scary And Can Take A Psychological Toll
JoJo ONeal, 55, of Orlando, Florida, was diagnosed with severe asthma in 2004. She now runs a Lets Kick Asthma support group, where she has an activity called the Straw Challenge: Anyone who doesnt have asthma is asked to take a cocktail straw, hold their nose, and only breathe through the straw for 15 seconds. Most people dont make it through those 15 seconds they begin to panic, she says. And thats when I tell them, Imagine. At times it may not be that severe, but it can be. The psychological aspects of going through an asthma attack can really mess with your mind.
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Why Might Someone With Asthma Be Without An Inhaler
However, this doesnt mean that everyone with asthma has an inhaler with them at all times. Often when someone has been living without symptoms for a long time, they may assume that their asthma has gone, and so get out of the habit of carrying one. Some people might develop symptoms suddenly for the first time as an adult, with no preparation. Others might just sometimes forget. Unfortunately, not having an inhaler wont stop an attack.
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Tips To Keep Your Asthma Under Control
May 4th, 2015
Almost three million Canadians and more than 300 million people worldwide have asthma, including many top athletes. Asthma is a common chronic lung disease that can make it difficult to breathe. Although there is no cure for asthma, those with the condition can live healthy, active lives if their asthma is under control.
For World Asthma Day , the Canadian Lung Association has some helpful tips for people with asthma.
1. Know your triggers and avoid themTriggers like allergens and irritants can make your asthma symptoms worse by irritating your airways. The best way to control your asthma is to know what your asthma triggers are and how to avoid them.
2. Take your asthma medication as prescribed by your doctorMany people think they can skip their asthma preventer medications when they don’t feel any symptoms that’s not true. Asthma is a chronic disease. If you have asthma, you have it all the time, even when you don’t feel symptoms. You have to manage your asthma every day, not just on days when you feel symptoms. Read more about asthma medications and how to use them.
3. Learn how to use your inhaler properlyYour health-care provider can show you how to use your inhaler properly so that your medicine reaches the airways. Ask him or her to watch you useyour inhaler. Your health-care provider may offer suggestions on how to improve your technique so that the medication gets to your airways. Watch our videos on how to properly use your inhalers.
Potential Risks Of Marijuana For Asthma
Despite any possible benefits, marijuana also poses enormous risks if you have asthma. This is particularly the case if you smoke it. Smoking any substance can increase inflammation in your lungs. This makes asthma symptoms worse.
Smoking marijuana may even increase your risk for an asthma attack. In severe cases, you may need to be hospitalized for an asthma attack. This helps to prevent life-threatening complications.
When you smoke marijuana, large air sacs called bullae may start to develop in your lungs. These can eventually disrupt your breathing. According to the American Thoracic Society, youre at an increased risk of developing bullae from smoking marijuana if youre under the age of 45.
Over time, can grow and cause shortness of breath. Whats even more dangerous is the development of . This is a life-threatening condition that occurs when bullae rupture in the lungs.
In the short term, smoking marijuana can cause:
- frequent coughing
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How To Help Someone With An Asthma Attack Without An Inhaler
Asthma is a very common condition with around one in 13 of us affected. Its been increasing since the 1980s and affects people of all ages and backgrounds. Theres currently no cure for asthma, but typically with the right treatment plan and lifestyle changes, most people diagnosed with asthma are able to live normally without severe symptoms.
However, very occasionally, a person with asthma may be caught off guard. They might find themselves facing an attack without an inhaler to help them. Fortunately, this doesnt need to be as bad as it might sound. With the right assistance, they could get through an attack using some simple coping techniques.
If you know someone with asthma, learning more about their condition, as well as what you can do to help them, can be valuable.
Whats An Asthma Attack
When you breathe normally, muscles around your airways are relaxed, letting air move easily. During an asthma attack, three things can happen:
- Bronchospasm: The muscles around the airways constrict . When they tighten, it makes the airways narrow. Air cannot flow freely through constricted airways.
- Inflammation: The airway linings become swollen. Swollen airways dont let as much air in or out of the lungs.
- Mucus production: During the attack, your body creates more mucus. This thick mucus clogs airways.
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Meet The Patient: Mark
In order to give a concrete reference to our readers, here are a few details about how Mark handles his condition, and the severity of his symptoms.
- Pharmaceutical treatment: , 1 puff per day, , 1 to 2 puffs per day.
- Cannabis treatment: Daily of dried cannabis flowers .
- Physical activity: Mostly sedentary, with daily, average pace walking.
- Background: From very severe to manageable .
Due to all these years of self-medicating, Mark hasaccumulated a large amount of empirical knowledge in terms of what works bestwhen it comes to cannabis and asthma. Read his dos and donts below.
So Why Do People With Respiratory Issues Use Weed
It may seem far-fetched to imagine a doctor telling their asthmatic patients to use weed, but thats exactly what Janice Knox does. Shes spent 32 years working as a board-certified anesthesiologist before she began studying the impact of cannabis on illness, and now, she incorporates cannabis into her consultations with patients at her familys American Cannabinoid Clinics in Oregon, where her husband and two daughters all physicians also practice.
Knox says endocannabinoid receptors called CB1 and CB2 work in the lungs to modulate immune responses to inflammation. People have been treating the symptoms of asthma for years, but in the case of cannabis in the lungs, its a CB1, CB2 receptor on those bronchioles, Knox tells Allure. And if we know its chronic inflammation, we know which part of the cannabis is going to work best on those receptors its going to be the THC and the CBD as an anti-inflammatory.
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How Can An Anaphylaxis Action Plan Help Me Get Prompt Treatment
When you have allergies, you need to know the signs of anaphylaxis and what to do if you have a reaction. Anaphylaxis needs to be treated as soon as possible after symptoms appear to give you the best chance to recover and reduce the chance of complications.
Your doctor can give you an anaphylaxis action plan to help you know when to use epinephrine to treat an allergic reaction. It is a document that tells you symptoms to watch for and what to do if you have a serious reaction.
Always be familiar with your anaphylaxis action plan. Keep a copy with your epinephrine. If your child carries epinephrine, give copies to their other caregivers as well.
What Are The Different Types Of Asthma Medicines And Treatments
There are four types of asthma medicines and treatments:
The difference between these asthma treatments can be confusing. It is important to understand what each treatment does and how they help your asthma. Learning how to use each correctly can you help keep your asthma well-controlled. Always take your medicines as directed by your doctor and follow your Asthma Action Plan.
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Take Your Asthma Medications As Prescribed
To keep your asthma well-controlled and to prevent asthma attacks, it’s very important to take your asthma medications exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Taking your medication regularly means you can avoid asthma emergencies.Many people think they can skip their asthma preventer medications when they don’t feel any symptoms that’s not true. Asthma is a chronic disease. If you have asthma, you have it all the time, even when you don’t feel symptoms. You have to manage your asthma every day, not just on days when you feel symptoms. Follow your doctor’s advice and take your asthma medication as prescribed.
How Does Medical Cannabis Affect Asthma
In this article, well explain the correlation between medical marijuana and asthma. Can it serve as a form of relief? Or will it worsen the condition?
Asthmatics, of course, are very familiar with the plight of constricted lungs. Dizziness, shortness of breath, wheezing, and similar sensations are common experiences, and asthma attacks can be dangerous if youre not careful.
Along with all that, if youre an asthmatic who enjoys smoking marijuana, life can be a bit more complicated. Youre torn between enjoying your beloved herb and avoiding the aggravation you may put your lungs through. Its nice to not have to deal with smoke or in your lungs, but the relief that can come with sparking up makes it quite a tempting prospect.
That then begs the question: can you use medical marijuana as an asthmatic? Will it help your condition or will it only make it worse? This article should answer these questions.
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Consider Immunotherapy Allergy Shots
If your doctor finds that you have allergies, allergy shots may help prevent allergy symptoms and keep your asthma from getting worse. With allergy shots, the doctor injects small doses of allergens under your skin on a regular schedule. Over time, your body may get used to the allergen and respond less when youâre exposed. This can help keep your asthma under control.
What Are The Signs That The Person Has Died
- The person is no longer breathing and doesnt have a pulse.
- Their eyes dont move or blink, and the pupils are dilated . The eyelids may be slightly open.
- The jaw is relaxed and the mouth is slightly open.
- The body releases the bowel and bladder contents.
- The person doesnt respond to being touched or spoken to.
- The persons skin is very pale and cool to the touch.
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