Asthma, What you need to know
Health is such an important part of living a vibrant life and until you are paying for it is when you realize how important it is. With so much sickness and diseases, it’s normal for every human being to want a healthy life. Many diseases are not curable however some can be preventable. Asthma is an example of a disease that is not curable but with the right treatment and medicare or decare advantage plans, a person can live a relatively normal life. Asthma is a condition whereby your airways are always producing mucus and are narrow and swell. This causes wheezing, difficulty breathing and triggers shortness of breath and coughing.
Though there are various factors as to what causes asthma, they are majorly a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Exposure to certain things can cause and trigger asthma these include
- Exercise-induced asthma
- Air pollutants and irritants such as smoke
- Stress and strong emotions
- Cold air
- Mold spores, dust mites, pollen or cockroach waste particles
Although there is no known way to prevent asthma, through working with your doctor or whoever is referred to you through a medicare advantage plan2020 such as the Special needs plan, you can come up with a daily action plan to be able to live with the condition and prevent future asthma attacks.
How to prevent asthma attacks
- Get pneumonia and influenza vaccination
Making sure to get up to date vaccinations can help prevent pneumonia and flu form triggering any flare-ups.
- Avoid triggers
Find out what causes the triggers and asthma attacks and quickly avoid them. A number of irritants can trigger asthma attacks such as cold air, air pollution or mold.
- Observe your breathing.
After a while, you may be able to notice warning signs of an attack trying to flare up such as wheezing or slight coughing. Regularly, with a home peak flow meter, measure your peak airflow with a home peak flow meter
- Get an asthma action plan and follow it.
As you work together with your doctor, you will come up with a specific action plan for managing your asthma attacks and taking medications. Then be sure to follow it.
- Pay attention to your inhaler
If you are noticing increase in your inhaler use then the action plan is not working and your asthma is not under control. You will need to consult your doctor on more comprehensive treatment and action plan.
- Identify and treat attacks as early as possible.
If acted on early and asthma attack can be less severe and you will not necessarily need much alot of medication to manage symptoms.
- Make sure to take your medication as indicated
Even if you see your symptoms improving and your asthma coming under control, it doesn’t mean that you should stop taking your medication. Make sure to always consult your doctor before any changes made in taking your medication
For some people, asthma is just but a minor irritant, however, for others it can lead to a life-threatening situation and disrupt daily activities. Depending on your doctor create an action plan and follow it.
