Managing Your Asthma

Treatment for Asthma
Two types of medication are used to treat asthma: long-term control medication and short-term, quick-relief medication.

Inhalers and Nebulizers
Inhalers deliver medication directly to the lungs with less side effects than medication taken by mouth or injection.

Asthma: HFA Inhalers
Your new inhaler is better for the environment and just as good for your asthma as your old inhaler.

Questions About Asthma Medication
It's good to learn as much as you can about your asthma medications.

Is My Asthma Medicine Working?
To make sure that you are getting the most benefit from your asthma medicines, here are questions to ask yourself.

Asthma Medications and Emotional Side Effects
Although medications can successfully treat asthma symptoms, they may also have side effects that leave you feeling jittery.

Asthma Controller Medicines - Leukotriene Modifiers
The newest drugs to join the asthma controller lineup are called leukotriene modifiers.

Common Questions About Corticosteroids in Asthma
Here's where to find out more about these important asthma medications.

Treatment for Allergy
The three most effective ways to treat allergies are avoidance, immunotherapy, and medication.

What Is Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy is a treatment to reduce a person’s allergic reaction to allergens such as pet dander, bee stings or pollen.

Asthma: A Worsening of Symptoms
By recognizing the early warning signs and talking with your health care provider, you can help keep little flare-ups from turning into big ones.

Understanding Status Asthmaticus
Asthma can be unpredictable, but it is important to recognize the difference between a minor flare-up and an attack that could be life-threatening.

Peak Flow Meter
A peak flow meter for asthma is like a thermometer for a fever—it helps you monitor what's going on inside your lungs by measuring airflow out of the lungs.

Emergency Care: When Is It the Right Choice?
You may think of the ER as a source of the most immediate medical attention, but if your situation is not a real emergency, this isn't true.

Management of Asthma
One part of asthma management is to identify and avoid the things that trigger your asthma. You also need to understand how to take your asthma medications.

Managing a Chronic Condition
Part of the treatment for chronic conditions involves adopting the same healthy lifestyle habits that are important for everyone.

Asthma Action Plan Worksheet
Your health care team will help you fill out your Action Plan. Provide the information requested to see how well you are managing your asthma.

Know Your Peak Flow
You and your health care provider can use information from a peak-flow meter to help stop a flare-up in its tracks.

People with Asthma Need Yearly Flu Shot
Getting the flu can be serious business for people with asthma. That’s why it’s important to take steps to prevent it.

Asthma: Out of Breath at a Meal
Try to breathe evenly while chewing. If you begin feeling short of breath, take a break between bites.

Fight Asthma with the Right Nutrition
Some experts believe that you may reduce your asthma symptoms by eating certain foods.

Traveling with Asthma
Whether you pack a suitcase every week or once a year, you probably know that traveling takes a little extra preparation when you have asthma.

Asthma and Exercise
Exercise-induced asthma is different from the typical asthma that is triggered by allergens and/or irritants.

Asthma: Exercising Indoors
When the weather turns cold, it's a good idea to move your workout indoors.

What Is Exercise-Induced Bronchospasm?
Exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) used to be called exercise-induced asthma. The term bronchospasm means tightening and narrowing of the tubes that bring air in and out of your lungs.

Even With Asthma, You Can Kick the Habit
If you want to quit smoking but feel discouraged, don’t lose hope. Try taking a new perspective.

Smoking and Asthma Don't Mix
One of the major triggers for asthma attacks is cigarette smoke. Cigarette, pipe or cigar smoke is especially harmful to people with asthma because it damages the cells in the lungs that make the protective coating lining the bronchial tubes.

Smoking and Asthma
Did you know that smoking cigarettes can make your asthma worse?

Conditions Investigated by Environmental Medicine Programs
Allergies, asthma, heart disease, and cancer are among the long list of health conditions with ties to environmental factors.

Accomplishments of Environmental Medicine
One highlight: Exposure to fine particles, sulfur dioxide, and acid aerosols has been linked to an increase in respiratory symptoms and reduced lung capacity.

Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of the occurrence of disease in people, and applying that information from the study to the control of health problems.

Occupational Asthma
Occupational asthma is often a reversible condition, which means the symptoms may disappear when the irritants that caused the asthma are avoided.

All About Work-Related Asthma
Occupational asthma is a lung disease in which the airways overreact to dust, vapors, gases, smoke or fumes that exist in the workplace.

Indoor Air Can Cause Health Problems
Don't assume you're safe just because you're inside. The air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities.

Molds in the Environment
Molds are found everywhere in the environment, both indoors and outdoors, and throughout the year.

What Are the Health Effects of Air Pollution?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tracks five major air pollutants that cause significant health effects: ground-level ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide and microscopic particles called particulate matter.