Guidelines For Living With Asthma

What is asthma?
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that causes the airways in your lungs to be inflamed or swollen. As your airways react to things like dust, animal dander, pollen and smoke, they become more inflamed and can produce symptoms. Common symptoms include:

Coughing
Wheezing
Chest Tightness
Shortness of breath

The severity of your asthma can change over time. Remember that anyone with asthma may have a severe flare-up.

Asthma-focused office visits:
You should visit your primary asthma practitioner at least once every 6 months, even if you are feeling well. Items you should bring to each visit:

Peak flow meter and peak flow results
All of your current medications, including your inhalers. Your practitioner may want to assess your inhaler technique.
A list of questions you may have regarding your asthma
Your written action plan for asthma management
Records on how often you have:
- daytime and nighttime attacks
- exercise induced attacks
- used "quick-relief" medications
- missed school, work or other activities due to asthma symptoms

Together, you and your physician should assess at every visit:

Your treatment goals and how well they are being met
Your written action plan
Your inhaler and peak flow technique

Call your physician if:

You don't know which medication is your "quick-relief" and which is your long-term or "controller" medication
You use your quick-relief medication more than 3-4 times a week

Call your physician immediately if:

Your peak flow reading is 50% of your personal best and doesn't return to the "yellow or green zone" after rescue drug use
Peak flow readings are staying consistently in your "yellow zone" (50-79% of your personal best)
You are so short of breath you can't say 4 or 5 words

Asthma medications:
There are two main kinds of asthma medications:

Controllers, or long-term control medications that are taken every day, even when you are feeling well. They help reduce the number of asthma flare-ups.
Rescue medications, or quick-relief medications that are used to relax and open airways to relieve asthma symptoms during an asthma event. Rescue medications are also used before exercise to help reduce exercise-induced asthma attacks.

Asthma self-care:

Follow your written action plan
Monitor peak flow and/or symptoms
Take asthma medications exactly as you are instructed, even when you feel well
Quit smoking and encourage others around you to quit or not smoke around you
Be aware of asthma triggers, such as pollen, animal dander, dust and smoke and take action to reduce contact
Maintain normal activity levels, including exercise and other physical activity
Drink 2 to 4 quarts of water daily (if you have a heart condition, kidney disease, or prostate disease check with your health care practitioner before increasing your water intake)
Eat a healthy diet of nutritious foods
Receive an annual influenza vaccine
Maximize air intake by
- Standing up straight
- Breathing from your diaphragm