Learn About Asthma Treatments

As any asthma sufferer can tell you (and if you have asthma you already know), asthma can be a real drag. Whether set off by exercise, allergens, or another factor, an asthma attack with its’ chest-tightening, breath-stealing, panic-inducing symptoms can make participating in the activities of daily life seem impossible. However, most asthmatics do participate in all their favorite activities. How do they do this? Through proper treatment and management of their condition.

An Asthma Cure vs. An Asthma Treatment

There is no such thing as an asthma cure. Luckily, there are a variety of highly effective asthma treatments. You can’t cure asthma, but with proper care you can completely manage its symptoms and prevent asthma from hindering your daily life.
 
Treatment for asthma is often a multi-pronged approach. The two main goals of treatment are long-term control of symptoms and a plan for the immediate relief of asthma attacks. To this end, you’ll need to identify your triggers, modify your environment, and development a medication schedule with your doctor.

Write it Down

Through all this, be sure to keep a record of your symptoms and asthma attacks. By carefully tracking your asthma, you will be able to tell what behaviors and medicines are having a positive effect on your condition.
 
The first step in treating your asthma is to identify your triggers and, if possible, avoid them. Each time you experience a symptom—wheezing, chest constriction, difficulty breathing—note the severity, where you are, and what you are doing. Compiling this information and sharing it with your doctor will help you to identify your triggers.

Lifestyle Changes

Once you know what sets off your asthma, you can make changes to your lifestyle and environment. For example, if pets and their dander are triggering your symptoms, you might choose to keep the family cat out of your bedroom. Taking control of your environment will help you take control of your asthma. It may be obvious, but the best way to lessen your asthma symptoms is to avoid your asthma triggers.

Long-term Control

Control medications are taken on a regular schedule. As you might guess, the goal of control medications is to reduce the frequency of your asthma attacks. Control medicines are usually either corticosteroids or long-acting bronchodilators. Both medicines can be delivered either orally or by an inhaler. Steroids reduce inflammation while bronchodilators open the air passages in the lungs.
 
Control medicines are effective because they keep the lungs open and prevent an asthma attack before it can occur. For this reason, it is important to keep taking them even when it seems that you have found an asthma cure.

Short-term Relief

Relief medications (also caused quick-relief or rescue medications) are taken to stop an asthma attack that is already in progress. Rescue inhalers are composed of corticosteroids, short-acting bronchodilators, or a combination of both. Keep your relief inhaler with you at all times. Your doctor will detail instructions for its use. If you find that you are still using your rescue inhaler despite your control therapy, speak with your doctor. Your condition is not being properly managed if you are using quick-relief medication more than a few times per week.
 
For a severe asthma attack requiring emergency medical attention, a doctor or EMT may administer intravenous corticosteroids. Unlike their inhaled counterparts, intravenous corticosteroids can have long-term side effects and are therefore only used to treat acute asthma attacks.

Other Treatments

While there may not be natural cures for asthma, you can help to teach your body to respond to allergens without falling into a full-blown asthma attack.
 
If your asthma is caused by environmental allergies, your doctor may refer you to an allergist for additional treatment. Traditional allergy treatment is known as immunotherapy. Consisting of periodic allergy shots, immunotherapy reduces your body’s reaction to certain allergens.
 
Studies have also shown than maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help to reduce asthma symptoms. A healthy diet, moderate exercise plan, and quitting smoking will all improve both your overall health and your asthma symptoms.

Looking Ahead

As you and your doctor work to control your asthma, remember that treatment for the condition is usually trial and error. Keep detailed records of your symptoms and discuss any changes with your doctor. It may take trying a few different combinations of medications before you settle on the correct treatment plan.
 
Resources
 
Health Scout Staff. (2009). Health encyclopedia—asthma treatment. Retrieved March 18, 2009, from the Health Scout Network Web site: http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/54/main.html.
 
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2008). Asthma. Retrieved March 15, 2009, from the Mayo Clinic Web site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/asthma/DS00021.
 
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. (no date). How is asthma treated and controlled? Retrieved March 18, 2009, from National Institutes of Health Web site: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Asthma/Asthma_Treatments.html.