Asthma Prevention

Preventing an asthma attack

There is no documented way to prevent Asthma, how ever there are several methods for asthma treatment. The same questions discussed in “diagnosing asthma” play equally important role in trying to prevent Asthma attacks along with treating asthma.
Identifying triggers asthma attacks as well as their “asthma history” is only one part of the process used to help prevent Asthma Attacks and while seeking effective "asthma treatments".

When discussing asthma prevention and asthma treatments they go hand in hand are can be used almost interchangebly. In otherwords you want to treat asthma prior to an asthma attack. this in turn leads to a proactive type of asthma prevention even though once you have been diagonosed with asthma you will likley deal with the disease and the ways to treat your asthma for the rest of your life.

The individual and especially children can have Asthma attacks from simple exposures to things such as mold (spores), dust mites, smoke (also second hand), weeds, pollen or strong smells. This is especially important if a child has asthma and is often subject to attacks due to exercise. These are only some of the things to consider when dealing with asthma and trying to find ways to prevent asthma attacks or deciding the best form of asthma treatment.

The initial response to attempt to prevent Asthma is not really prevention in as much, as it is avoiding asthma triggers that help launch the asthma attack. To help the indvidual with asthma the strategic approach should look at trying to prevent an asthmatic episode or asthma attacks from triggers. Initially, the person needs to identify if the asthmatic has allergies. Such ways to help prevent asthma attacks is to ask questions such as, What is the person allergic to and what can be done to prevent the trigger from being launched, this is best method from treating asthma or preventing asthma attacks?

How do you find what are the asthma triggers? This can easily be identified at an adult level by getting the scratch test or allergy test. However, finding ways to identify triggers due to allergies may prove a little more difficult in children with the constant changing of their body. However, quickly identifying triggers is the most effective way to prevent asthma attacks.

In hopes of preventing Asthma attacks an allergist will typically scratch the individuals back with an object like pin that has been dipped into a predetermined type of animal or plant compound. For instance, I had a scratch test. I found I was highly allergic to horses. I was also allergic to cats, dogs and even more surprising was when I found out how allergic I was to mold and dust mites. In esseance the best form of "asthma treatment" or best way to prevent an asthma attack was to stay away from those triggers.

Learning what the asthmatic is allergic to helps prevent irritation which leads to discomfort and coughing which in turn leads into wheezing and most likely an Asthma Attack. So, the key to preventing an asthma attack is learning what the Asthma triggers are for each individual. This why someone should help the asthmatic create an asthma log of what was happening when the asthmatic episode started. This is an excellent way to track a child's asthma history as well as diagnosing asthma.

My research says mold is not really considered a large trigger for asthmatics. I would tend to disagree from my personal experiences. However, if the individual is allergic to mold and the person lives in a damp place then chances are likely the person will suffer an attack from triggers created by mold spores. However with the proper medication and asthma treatment this can be avoided.

One thing to consiser about preventing an asthma attack is to look at where the asthmatic sleeps. If the asthmatic sleeps in a basement they should try to move to an upper level room to sleep. If this is not possible then the person should consider regularly using a dehumidifier. However, the dehumidifier should be emptied and cleaned regularly as to avoid the growth of mold spores.

Dust Mites are often overlooked and are the most abundant trigger to Asthma Attacks. Although most people don’t have the time to do nothing but clean and sweep one area should never be neglected and needs continuous cleaning, the bedroom needs to be vacuumed and dusted weekly. Sheets need to be changed and pillow cases need to be cleaned weekly. Pillows gather large number dust mites and should be replaced annually or as often as possible. This is all related to preventing asthma attacks as well as a prelude to treating people with asthma.

Reducing pet dander is also a key to succeeding in Asthma prevention. People who can not give up their pets after they find they have asthma need to really pay attention to grooming of their pets. To reiterate it not the pet hair that triggers the asthma attack it is usually pet dander or saliva from the animal. This is why it is essential pets are bathed if they live in the home and hands are always washed after touching animals.

I recently experienced an asthma attack as an adult when giving my outside dog a bath because he was going to be staying inside the house for couple of weeks during upcoming freezing temperatures. I started to give him a bath inside, about midway through his bath my eyes started to get red and I started to have hard time breathing. The fact that I had not had an asthma attack such as this since I was a kid is proof how pet dander can affect an asthmatic. With my Asthma history I should have thought it though and asked the wife to give the dog a bath. Although these are some of my experiences the only thing Asthmatics can do is identify what the triggers are and avoid those triggers to prevent Asthma attacks while being proactive in treating your asthma.