Living with Asthma

There are more than 17 million people in the United States with asthma. The EPA defines asthma as "a chronic inflammatory disorder of the lungs. Symptoms include wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightening, and cough." Asthma sufferers tend to be constrained by their condition from certain activities including intense sports, vigorous outdoor hobbies, and certain occupations that involve constant exposure to harsh chemicals, such as paint. Additionally, asthma sufferers must constantly treat the condition and must deal with the possibility of attacks, which can result in hospitalization and even death.

I myself am a lifetime asthma sufferer. When you have never known what it's like not to have the condition, you don't realize all of the effort you make to treat it. But after some consideration I have thought of several things I have learned to better cope with the disease. Living a normal life is possible, but you must take care to protect yourself.

First, your medication is key. There is a wide assortment of choices for treatment, all falling under one of two categories: rescue inhalers (Albuterol) and preventative medication. I myself use Advair Diskus, which is inhaled powder, once a day. When I was younger I used Intal, along with several other treatments throughout the years, including breathing treatments for a while. Excessive medication is not necessary, and can even be dangerous without proper guidance from a doctor.

The important thing is that you consistently use your preventative medication, rather than only when the symptoms occur, and that you do it right. When taking inhalers, you must take one or two deep breaths before inhaling the medicine, and once you do, you must breathe deeply and hold to allow it to spread through your bronchial tubes. And as you've probably seen in the commercials for different asthma medicines, preventative inhalers should not be used as rescue inhalers, and vice versa. You should have a separate rescue inhaler that you keep at all times.

Proper medication is not the only reason to see the doctor, however. You must schedule regular check-ups with your allergist to perform various breathing performance measurements, as well as for allergy testing. You should use a peak flow meter every day, and record the results to present to your doctor. And of course, you must stick to your treatment plan if you wish for your doctor to be able to give the most reliable advice.

Most lifestyles can be maintained with asthma, as long as proper care and cautions are taken. I played every sport growing up, and I found that, for the most part, asthma did not get in the way (except playing outdoor sports when there were high pollen and ragweed levels). Lungs, like any muscle, can be strengthened through conditioning, and by maintaining constant exercise, you can help your lungs build up some immunity to external problems. Swimming and jogging are great for asthma sufferers.

Of course, there are some more severe cases where sports and other such activities may be out of the question. And there are other cases where the victim has only the seasonal form of it. You need to understand exactly what form and at what intensity you have it in order to best care for it.

Most importantly, you must understand that asthma is a type of handicap (no one with a history of asthma may join the military), and that, although it can be treated, it can never be cured (although some children with it eventually outgrow it). And it certainly cannot be ignored. But with proper treatment and knowledge, you can live a normal life.