10 Tips For Managing Even The Toughest Asthma

So, you (or your asthmatic child) are on all the right asthma medicines, see all the best doctors, are compliant with your medicine regime, and yet you still seem to have trouble managing your asthma.  You are, by my definition, a hardluck asthmatic.  Now you're wondering:  what else can I do to get my asthma under control?

Understanding that there is no cure for asthma, I do however have some basic tips based on my own experience I think might help you out.  While many of these are straighforward, they sometimes go overlooked even by the most gallant asthmatic (or the most gallant asthmatic parents).

Here are some tips that might help you better control your asthma:

1.  Do not smoke.  What more needs to be said.  Not only does this damage your lungs and lead to worse asthma, it can trigger an attack.  Cigarette smoke is one of the main causes of severe persistent asthma.

2.  Avoid exposure to second hand smoke:  Every study I've ever seen on this topic shows that second hand smoke can do as much damage to your lungs as first hand smoke. It's not just kids, second hand smoke is harmful to everyone exposed to it.

3.  Avoid third hand smoke:  You may be thinking I just made that up, but it's real. According to our own Dr. James Thompson, 3rd hand smoke  is considered breathing in "the small particulate residue of the burnt tobacco left behind from smoking that occurred minutes, hours or days ago."  Like 1st and 2nd hand smoke, this too can trigger asthma.  This is one of the main reasons the hospital I work for has gone completely smoke free, and anyone who even shows up smelling like smoke is politely asked to leave.  Likewise, you should do whatever possible to create a smoke-free environment, which includes never allowing anyone to smoke in your home or car even when you are not present. 

4.  Learn your asthma triggers:  This may be a good time to review the list of possible asthma triggers I wrote about in this post. 

5.  Avoid obvious asthma triggers:  Some triggers are obvious, like when I was a hardluck asthmatic I'd have an asthma attack every time I visited certain homes, like my friend Todd's parent's house, or my brother Bob's, or my dad's cabin.  Sure avoiding these places may not be fun, but it might be the best way to control your asthma.

6.  Avoid hidden asthma triggers:  You've lived in your current residence for how long?  Don't think your house, or something outside it, is innocent of causing your asthma.  There may be mold or dustmites lingering in places you never expected.  I had a friend once who had terrible asthma.  Upon inspection, he found that there was mold on one wall in the basement.  After he took care of that, his asthma symptoms disappeared.