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