Asthma can be a difficult, painful, and frightening
condition to live with. For many people it causes them to miss out on things
that they would normally want to do for fear of complications. While it is
important to follow your doctor’s orders in regards to your activities and
treatment there are other at home methods of controlling your asthma that you
and your doctor may want to explore if you feel that your asthma is getting
worse or if it is interfering with your day-to-day life.
Limiting your exposure to various allergens such as pollens,
air pollution, and pet dander will reduce the likelihood of any asthma attacks
by allowing your airways not to feel like they’re under constant bombardment
from pollutants. Also, avoid smoking at all costs. Obviously, smoking is bad
for you but chronic smoking will cause your asthma to become significantly
worse over time.
Some supplements, including certain Allicinplus c garlic supplements may, in fact, reduce some symptoms of asthma. In
addition to theses odorlessgarlic supplements there may be some benefits to ingesting beta-carotene,
fish oil, and thymus extract in order to control symptoms caused by or
exacerbated by asthma.
If it’s difficult for you to get aerobic exercise because of
your asthma then speak to your doctor about what might be able to help or what
exercises are recommended for you. If you are able to get aerobic exercise or
do certain exercises, it may reduce not only cardiovascular disease, but also
help you avoid problems with your asthma in the future.
Knowing and seeing patterns regarding when and how your
asthma is triggered is extremely important to you and your doctor. Without
keeping a journal, you may believe that one of your biggest asthma triggers is
something that isn’t present during the majority of your asthma attacks and you
may be treated for something unrelated to your actual asthma triggers.
Many people suffer from other health conditions in addition
to asthma, like anxiety or panic. Sometimes, even people without these
conditions may become extremely panicked if they are confronted with an asthma
attack, and understandably so! But panic frequently causes the body to
hyperventilate, which makes it more difficult to breathe, thereby increasing
the power of the asthma attack. Having someone talk you through your attack and
learning proper breathing exercises can frequently help with controlling asthma
attacks and reducing their severity until you can control it with an inhaler,
if necessary.
Another way to manage breathing and control asthma attacks
is to exploit what is known as the mammalian diving reflex. This reflex is
exactly what it sounds like, a reflex caused by diving to help mammals stay
under water longer. The best way to activate this reflex in a panic situation
is to splash extremely cold water on your face. If you’re hyperventilating, it
is advisable not to submerge your face, for obvious reasons. But splashing cold
water on your face, just like when a shower suddenly becomes cold, causes a
sharp, deep inhale that may alleviate difficult breathing.
As always, keep a close eye on your asthma and work closely
with your doctor to adjust your diet, activity, and environmental needs to keep
your asthma well controlled.
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