Asthma-Prevention and Medication

Basically, asthma attack triggers a sense of panic and helplessness,as such prevention is the best course of action primarily and secondarily medication.

When an asthma attack occurs, the air passages in the lungs constrict, and there is much less room available for air to move in and out of your body. You end up gasping and wheezing, struggling for that breath of air that will end the attack. People have died from prolonged, unstoppable asthma attacks.

Prevention and Control is Key

You should be ready to prevent asthma before it starts. You do that by avoiding triggers — smoke, cold wind, dust and pollens, animal hair — you’ll soon learn which set you off. Just stay out of their way.

Get a peak flow meter

Peak flow meter device is for measuring the breathing that can be used anywhere — at your job, on a bus, in a shopping mall. It fits in a purse or briefcase. The device will measure your lung capacity. That’s important because lung function decreases before symptoms of an attack — thus the meter is an early warning sign of an attack.

Using a peak flow meter gives the patient information to share with the physician, so both can make decisions about the treatment plan.
You and your doctor should develop a written action plan to guide your overall asthma attack plan. This plan should spell out which medicines to take and when, when a doctor is a must, and so forth.

Stay Calm

Asthma is worsened by your stress. It’s a vicious circle — you feel an attack coming on, you get upset, the asthma gets worse, you get more upset, and you’re soon off to asthma hell. Being prepared will help you be calm because you will know that your defenses are ready when you need them.

Stay Fit

What you do to your body everyday affects your likelihoods to suffer an asthma attack. Get enough rest, eat properly, drink plenty of liquids, and exercise regularly.

Medication

Here are the primary medicines for asthma:

The Anti-inflammatories

1. Corticosteroids: These act directly to reduce the inflammatory response of the airways. They come as pills and in inhalers. They work great, but can have side effects if used too frequently.

2. Anti-allergy drugs: Cromolyn sodium is the most common. It’s used to prevent episodes, but does not work after an episode starts. It’s best as a preventive, but it does not work for everyone.

Bronchodilators

1. Adrenergic bronchodilators are drugs that relax the muscles of the airways and open them up. Usually, you suck them into your lungs with an inhaler. These come in pill form as well, but pills work more slowly.
Doctors say these kind of inhalers are dangerous, however, if relied on too often. 

Also, they do not work on the underlying inflammation that causes asthma, and can produce side-effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and heart rhythm abnormalities.

An alternative to the all of the above:

Immunotherapy

“Immunotherapy is a medical term defined as “treatment of disease by inducing, enhancing, or suppressing an immune response”. Also known as Biological therapy.”

Most allergic people who cannot control their asthma symptoms with environmental changes and medication, immunotherapy, or allergy desensitization shots, may be your bets alternative. 

Some of the allergies to dust mites, pollen, and cats seem to be the allergies most successfully treated with immunotherapy or biological therapy.