Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease in which airways in the lungs periodically become narrowed, obstructed, or even blocked. An estimated 15 million Americans suffer from asthma, and the number of new asthma cases increases yearly.
Asthma generally develops in childhood but may develop in adults with no previous history of asthma. Males develop this disorder twice as often as females.
Asthma attacks, periods of breathing difficulty, occur in reaction to certain stimuli, usually something inhaled. Allergens responsible for allergies often trigger strenuous exercise, cold air, upper respiratory infections, and emotional stress.
Asthma is a complicated disease, but the control of this disease rests in your hands and your family?s. Along with medication, self-care is essential. Your overall goal should be to control asthma so that you can live a full, productive life. One important step is the use of a peak flow meter. With this portable device, you can measure the maximum speed at which air leaves your lungs. As you exhale forcefully into the mouthpiece of this tube-shaped device, an indicator scale measures the greatest speed of air exiting the lungs. Doing several measurements over time and recording the results on a chart help you compare your readings with an established normal range. Levels that begin to drop can predict an asthma attack. In that case, you can take preventive medications or notify your doctor.
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Here are the helpful tips:
1. Avoid or control your exposure to allergens, food allergies, and irritants such as cigarette smoking
During pollen and mold season, keep your windows closed, especially in the bedroom. Seal central heating and cooling system ducts to keep allergens from other rooms entering your bedroom.
2. Keep active
A sedentary lifestyle is associated with long periods of shallow breathing. Routine aerobic exercise conditions your body?s muscles and builds lung strength. Moderate activity, and the deep breathing that accompanies it, protects your lungs by acting as a clearing agent so that inhaled allergens spend less time in your body. Check with your health-care practitioner before beginning a new exercise program.
3. Try postural drainage
This technique uses gravity and gentle rapping on the chest to loosen and eliminate thick mucus. Nurses and physical or respiratory therapists trained in this technique can show family members how to perform postural drainage on you.
4. Use stress management
Everyone experiences stress in life, but stress plays an even more complex role in your life if you have asthma. To help deal with tension and reduce the fear you experience during an asthma attack, learn a stress management technique such as relaxation to relieve stress.
Raymond Lee is one of the foremost experts in the health and fitness industry and is the Founder of Bodyfixes Group specializing in body health, muscle development and dieting. He is currently the author of the latest edition of ?Neck Exercises and Workouts.? Visit http://www.bodyfixes.com for more information.
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