What Is An Asthma Action Plan
Your healthcare provider will work with you to develop an asthma action plan. This plan tells you how and when to use your medicines. It also tells you what to do if your asthma gets worse and when to seek emergency care. Understand the plan and ask your healthcare provider about anything you dont understand.
Creating Your Asthma Action Plan
People with asthma have highly individual triggers and responses. Some doctors believe there are actually many asthmas, each with its own causes, risks, and treatments.
If you have asthma, your doctor will work with you to create an asthma action plan that focuses on your own symptoms and the things that seem to trigger them. Asthma. .
Move Away From Triggers
The presence of asthma triggers wont only cause an attack, they can also make your symptoms worse. Be sure to try to get away from things that may be triggering your asthma attack.
For example, if youre in an area where people are smoking cigarettes, you should move away promptly.
Its also important to know your triggers. Common triggers include:
- , such as pet dander, pollen, or certain foods
You should always be sure to seek immediate emergency medical treatment if you experience any of the following symptoms during an asthma attack:
- your symptoms continue to get worse even after treatment
- you cant speak except in short words or phrases
- youre straining your chest muscles in an effort to breathe
- your shortness of breath or wheezing is severe, particularly in the early morning or late-night hours
- you begin to feel drowsy or tired
- your lips or face appear blue when youre not coughing
Symptoms that indicate that you could be experiencing an asthma attack include:
- severe shortness of breath
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How Is Asthma Treated
If you or a loved one has asthma, we can put together a comprehensive plan to treat it. This plan can address the particular allergens that affect you. Also, the frequency and severity of your symptoms will be factored into your plan.
Its common for an inhaler to be used in an asthma treatment plan. Its a portable device that can deliver a premeasured dose of asthma medicine into a patients lungs. Some inhalers have corticosteroids that can control swelling and irritation in the airway, while other inhalers have fast-acting drugs like bronchodilators which can help open up the airway quickly when necessary. A combination of medicines is possible. Inhalers are very effective for many patients, not just for seasonal use, but for daily use.
For some patients, a nebulizer can help, while for others, an oral medicine will help. Different medicines have different purposes, like reducing inflammation or helping to open up the airway, and its also possible to get an oral corticosteroid. Sometimes with more severe cases of asthma, a patient will benefit greatly from injections of a biologic medication that can reduce the patients sensitivity to allergens.
Some or many of the aforementioned treatments will be factored into your treatment plan with us at Allergy & Asthma Center. Together in your plan, the treatments can reduce or even relieve your symptoms so you can live the kind of life youve been missing.
This Section Was Originally Titled Steps I Took To Cure Asthma
But as I learn more from interactions with readers and doctors, it became obvious this section needed to reflect more current information. We are all different biologically. Sometimes what worked for me does not work for somebody else. Without a doubt more research is still needed to standardize the best protocol.
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What Exercises Control Asthma
Just because you have asthma, it does not mean that you cannot lead an active life. Exercising daily, doing yoga, or going for walks and swims will help you to keep asthma attacks at bay. Cardio workouts like walking, cycling, or light running will keep your body fluids flowing and prevent excess mucus build-up in the airways.
Try to do these breathing exercises to keep your asthma under control:
Simple breathing Also known as diaphragmatic breathing. Lie down or sit with your back straight. Breathe in and out slowly. Your stomach should go out during inhalation, not your chest. While exhaling, your stomach should go in. Buteyko breathing Sit in an upright position with the chest and belly muscles relaxed. Take a long shallow breath and exhale slowly. Hold your breath for as long as possible. Then, continue breathing gently. Pursed lip breathing While in the simple breathing position, exhale through pursed lips like you are blowing a whistle. Exhaling should ideally be twice as long as inhaling.
These exercises can also be called chest exercises as they involve your chest muscles. Remember to not overexert yourself and your lungs while doing any type of exercise.
Knowing Your Asthma Action Plan Is Step One
For most people with asthma, managing the chronic condition involves a multi-pronged approach tailored to your symptoms and lifestyle.
Step one for everyone, however, is having a firm grasp of your asthma action plan.
Work with your doctor to create an asthma action plan that covers how to:
- Take your medication properly
- Quit smoking, if you do
In addition, monitor your symptoms carefully. Keep track of what they are, when they occur, and their severity.
Journal of Asthma and Allergy,
- In cold, dry air
- In environments with airborne irritants, such as cigarette smoke
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Severe Asthma Ruins Health Education And Family Lives
If you have severe asthma, youll know what it feels like to start your day breathless and tight-chested, with an irritating cough that wont go away. On top of this youll probably recognise what its like to feel exhausted because of broken sleep, and in constant fear of having an asthma attack at any time an attack so serious that you could easily end up in hospital.
Through all this, you may feel you have to remain bright and positive so your children, spouse, friends or colleagues who may well have seen you rushed to hospital many times dont worry that its going to happen again.
This is the reality of living with severe asthma a condition that affects 200,000 people in the UK, both adults and children. Every day these people are struggling with persistent symptoms and live in fear of having an asthma attack because current treatments dont work. Their medicines are only just about keeping their symptoms under control.
The First And Most Important Thing You Need To Do Is To Find A Good Open Minded Doctor
This is always the hardest part for most people. To cure asthma you need to put in a significant amount of effort on a few fronts. First, YOU need to read and learn as much as you can about Dr. Hahns research in this area. Nowadays too many people do a quick scan of everything and dont have an attention span long enough to grasp what theyre reading. I know its tough but you need to have the mindset of someone studying for a test. The more you know and understand before talking with your doctor, the better your chances of him or her being receptive to your request. You dont have to be an expert on the subject but at least understand as much as you can. Of course, even going in with a thorough understanding you can fail to convince your doctor. Many doctors wont venture outside standard medical guidelines regardless of the studies that are out there showing asthma is curable or made much more manageable.
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What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Asthma Types
Symptoms may occur during the day or at night. If they happen at night, they may disturb your sleep.
Wheezing is the most common symptom of an asthma attack.
Current guidelines for the care of people with asthma include classifying the severity of asthma symptoms, as follows:
The exact cause of asthma is not known.
Two Causes For Concern
Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis
ABPA is an incompletely understood phenotype of asthma. Overlapping forms of this disease exist both from the mildest and the most severe sides. It can occur alone or in other contexts such as CF. Depending on the chosen definition, it may appear quite frequent or very rare. Two axes of development can be expected. With regard to antimycotic therapy, nebulised formulations of liposomal amphotericin B can be tried in order to reduce the risks of side-effects including medication interactions . This is quite promising in the field if the risk does not outweigh the benefits. Conversely, targeting IgE and/or eosinophilia is potentially achievable through IgE neutralisation by mAbs or dialysis, or IL-5 pathway blockade. The best time for intervention and a better understanding of how the very particular mucus plugging of the proximal airways leads to irreversible bronchiectasis are unmet needs in ABPA.
Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis
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Michael Roth Research Group Leader At The University Hospital Basel Explains What Asthma Is Its Health Impact Globally And Charts The Research Landscape In The Field As Well As Pondering Why Asthma Still Cannot Be Cured
Asthma is defined as a chronic inflammatory disease of the upper airways, which limits breathing and, therefore, impacting the quality of life of millions of people worldwide. The economic burden of asthma to the health systems and our society is largely underestimated. Asthma is frequently overlooked or wrongly diagnosed, as it was reported in the 2016 EU Symposium on Allergic Diseases. However, it would be wrong to define asthma as an allergic disease, approximately 45% of all asthma patients cannot be linked to allergies. This raises the question What is asthma?
Asthma can start during early childhood or develop later in life the cause is most often unknown or identified as an allergic response of the upper airways to any environmental triggers. An asthma attack cannot only be induced by allergens, but also by sudden changes of air humidity or temperature, as well as inhalation of fumes generated by evaporation of chemicals, or from cooking or heating. Besides inhaled triggers, asthma attacks can result from psychological stress, sports or food allergens. The question which mechanism links all these diverse triggers to develop asthma remains open.
Video: Why We Need New Medicines For Severe Asthma
Transcript for Why do we need new medicines for severe asthma?
0:04 The existing treatments that we have really only target one form of severe asthma.
0:10 We recognise that severe asthma is not all one bundle of patients.
0:14 Patients are very unique and individual.
0:17 One of the major problems in severe asthma is that patients are often
0:21 escalated on a steroid ladder and end up on very high levels of corticosteroids which
0:27 then have to be stepped down and they get lots of side effects from that.
0:31 And if we take other models of disease like cancer, we know that cancer therapies
0:38 are really targeted to specific abnormalities at the molecular and genetic level
0:43 in tissue and severe asthma is really just starting to expand into that field.
0:49 Only five per cent of people with severe asthma are actually in a clinical trial,
0:53 whereas actually in cancer and other disease areas, this number is more like 30 to 40 per cent.
0:58 If you want to realise this ambition so that more patients with asthma have
1:01 something for them rather than nothing, we need to
1:04 become more cohesive as a community, and
1:07 foster partnerships both with European partners and transatlantic partners.
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How Asthma Is Treated
While there is no cure for asthma, there are a number of treatments that can help control the condition.
Treatment is based on two important goals, which are:
- relieving symptoms
- preventing future symptoms and attacks
For most people, this will involve the occasional or, more commonly, daily use of medications, usually taken using an inhaler. However, identifying and avoiding possible triggers is also important.
You should have a personal asthma action plan agreed with your doctor or nurse that includes information about the medicines you need to take, how to recognise when your symptoms are getting worse, and what steps to take when they do so.
These symptoms are often worse at night and early in the morning, particularly if the condition is not well controlled. They may also develop or become worse in response to a certain trigger, such as exercise or exposure to an allergen.
Read our page on the causes of asthma for more information about potential triggers.
Speak to your GP if you think you or your child may have asthma. You should also talk to your doctor or asthma nurse if you have been diagnosed with asthma and you are finding it difficult to control the symptoms.
What About Asthma In Fiji
Asthma is a common condition around the world. According WHO, lung disease, including asthma, is the third biggest killer of the NCDs.
Fiji has the second highest mortality rate from Asthma in the world. In Fiji, the rates of asthma are rising, especially in the younger population , which is a big concern.
In the past four years Fijis main hospitals have seen over 2285 cases and 6.6% of these cases have resulted in death. This would not be the case if these patients knew how to properly manage their Asthma.
Why is it so bad in Fiji?
In Fiji there are several challenges that prevent people from managing their asthma properly
- Lack of knowledge on how to use their medication
- Interrupted access to medication
- Lack of ongoing treatment
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Side Effects Of Steroid Tablets
Oral steroids carry a risk if they are taken for more than three months or if they are taken frequently . Side effects can include:
- easy bruising
- muscle weakness
With the exception of increased appetite, which is very commonly experienced by people taking oral steroids, most of these unwanted effects are uncommon.
However, it is a good idea to keep an eye out for them regularly, especially side effects that are not immediately obvious, such as high blood pressure, thinning of the bones, diabetes and glaucoma.
You will need regular appointments to check for these.
Want to know more?
Side Effects Of Relievers And Preventers
Relievers are a safe and effective medicine, and have few side effects as long as they are not used too much. The main side effects include a mild shaking of the hands , headaches and muscle cramps. These usually only happen with high doses of reliever inhaler and usually only last for a few minutes.
Preventers are very safe at usual doses, although they can cause a range of side effects at high doses, especially with long-term use.
The main side effect of preventer inhalers is a fungal infection of the mouth or throat . You may also develop a hoarse voice and sore throat.
Using a spacer can help prevent these side effects, as can rinsing your mouth or cleaning your teeth after using your preventer inhaler.
Your doctor or nurse will discuss with you the need to balance control of your asthma with the risk of side effects, and how to keep side effects to a minimum.
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Homeopathic Remedies For Asthma Attack
1. Arsenicum album : A person who feels really worn-out and restless needs this medication, even more so if he/she feels difficulty in breathing, especially while lying down. The problem might be accompanied by frothy white fluid during coughing.
2. Carbo vegetabilis : When a person feels extremely weak or has a feeling of getting faint, this medication is used. Other symptoms may include burping, frequent passing of gas, and an upset stomach.
3. Chamomilla : When a person becomes overexcited or very angry, experiences dry cough with irritation, this medication is helpful. The person also becomes hypersensitive along with the above symptoms.
4. Ipecacuanha : When coughing eventually leads to vomiting, this homeopathic medication is suggested. Other symptoms include accumulation of mucus in the air passages and difficulty in coughing out.
5. Natrum sulphuricum : When a person feels so weak that he/she holds his/her chest while coughing, this medication is recommended. Conditions become worse in the early morning, and the person finds it difficult to breathe while getting up from bed.
Other useful homeopathic medications include Nux vomica, Pulsatilla, and Spogia tosta.
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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