Asthma is a very scary disorder, and usually is linked to some type of trigger whether it is anxiety related or due to allergens that create an allergic response inside the human body. This will usually lead to vasoconstriction and the inability to breathe properly as well as coughing fits and wheezing. The best way to treat an asthma attack is, well, not to have one at all! That is right – prevention is the key here, so let us look at some methods to prevent this frightening attack from happening to you or your children.
One way to prevent an asthma attack from happening is to monitor patients as they go about their daily activities and lifestyles. The PEF (peak expiratory or air flow) is constantly monitored throughout the day so that medication can be prescribed accordingly and can be administered whenever the patient may be at risk from an asthma attack. The key to treating asthma attacks is treating them on time, and when this is done, the attack does not go on to become a full-blown one but is nipped in the bud. This will also lead to the patient being able to live a life that is more fulfilling and more importantly, away from the hospital. In some cases, there are more tests and monitoring that are necessary in the patients that experience strong and severe asthma attacks or are diagnosed as “severe-persistent.” In other cases, especially those cases that are less severe and less persistent, the patient may be able to get away with just managing the asthma by himself and knowing when to use an inhaler when something is coming up.
Other forms of prevention may involve the choices that one makes in one’s life. Studies have proved that the lifestyle choices that we, the patients and doctors make may affect our life adversely or positively. Firstly, the patient should make it a point to exercise and eat the right foods. Patients who are already at risk for asthma, maybe because of inheriting this disease from their parents or grandparents, stand to gain if they avoid certain foods or certain environments. Patients who smoke and drink are at a higher risk from suffering not only from asthma attacks, but also from the other respiratory diseases that may be just as, if not more scary, such as emphysema.
In certain cases, you may just have to think of moving house if your child or you suffer from asthma. There has been marked improvement for some when they have moved from the seaside to the mountains or the plains or vice versa. In certain cases, just stepping outside the home can make the person suffer from an asthma attack – in this case, anti-allergy medication or injections could be the need of the hour.
Inhalers are the most common treatment/prevention options that are available and that you think of when you think about asthma. Many patients that are diagnosed will use the Breath-Actuated Inhalers as these are gadgets that will administer the drug through the mouth and into the trachea. These are easy to use and again, most effective right before an asthma attack comes on. Usually the medication is some type of steroid or corticosteroid as well as magnesium to help the flow of breathing. Do remember that environmental factors, such as getting the inhaler wet and exposing oneself to humid and smoggy atmospheres will increase the likelihood of asthma.
When it comes to asthma, the thing to remember is that there is no cure. Once the person or his family has accepted that, it makes it easier to set about managing the condition. While there is always hope that a child will outgrow the condition, controlling the worst aspects of the condition is a must if you want to lead a normal life. Once an asthma attack is full blown, the agony the person goes through is terrible – and it is worse when it is a child. This is why you will need to follow a regimen set out by the patient’s doctor in order to avoid an asthma attack.
Asthma attacks can be triggered by other factors too, like stress, lack of sleep, sleep apnea and colds or hay fever. So it is imperative that these conditions be treated as soon possible so they do not lead to an attack. Knowledge of the disease, of the patient and of what can be done to avoid an attack can go a long way in minimizing the ill effects and the trauma of an asthma attack. Keeping the patient in the know helps as well – especially when it is a child. As soon as he can communicate, he should be told how important it is to tell you when he feels the beginnings of an attack coming on. He should not be frightened, just secure in the knowledge that medication will help him if he communicates the symptoms to you at once.