This post is part of a paid sponsorship by Teva Pharmaceuticals. All opinions are my own.

 

Living with asthma is a struggle, but if you educate yourself and take control, then you can take power.  Don’t let asthma control your life; take steps to manage your asthma symptoms!

Are You Ready To Be The Boss?

First thing is learning more and working with your doctor to get the right diagnosis and treatment that is best suited to your asthma. Remember, there are many different types of asthma. Make the appointment with your doctor to discuss your symptoms. If after seeing your doctor, you are still struggling with asthma symptoms, the following are ways I helped get my asthma more controlled. I wasn’t going to let my asthma kick my butt every day!

1. Learn and Avoid Your Triggers

I had a notebook, and for a good two weeks, I kept track of what I ate, places I went, and odors that were around me when I had an attack.  This way I knew what my triggers were and could discuss them with my doctor. Someone in my office wore perfume that triggered me every time I went near her. I didn’t want to ask her to change, but I let her know why I wasn’t coming around that much. Where I live – at certain times of the day, my asthma would flare up, so I decided that during those times not to garden or to take the dog for a walk.  Do you get what I’m saying? Keep track of what triggers asthma and then avoid those triggers in any way you can.

2. Exercise

Don’t laugh, I know that when you have asthma we all try to avoid exercise. You can still get a workout in; you just need to be in control. Daily physical activity is critical to your overall health, including your lungs. Even if it is for 30 minutes, try activities like hiking, biking and yoga. Yoga has changed my life, so I personally recommend that for sure. Swimming is also an excellent activity to do since the warm moist air helps my lungs. Always check with your doctor to see what types of exercise are okay for you and your specific type of asthma.

3. Avoid Stress

Stress was one of my main triggers and made my asthma worse. The past couple years my life just hasn’t been as stable as I want it to be – so when I discussed with my doctor about how bad my flare-ups were becoming, she recommended yoga. I started doing that plus meditation in the morning and let me tell you – I see a significant change.

4. Keep Home Clean

This is one of my biggest pet peeves with my family. They know I have asthma, but getting them to help me around the house is like pulling teeth. I know dust is another trigger of mine, so I vacuum and dust every day.  When I do the cleaning, I wear a mask. This helps me to not breathe in all the small particles that can irritate my lungs. Or you can have someone else clean for you, but in my house I’m the cleaner. I also wash dog blankets, bedding, and my cuddle blankets weekly.

 

Types of Asthma

Also, remember that not all asthma is alike. If you are having a hard time controlling your flare-ups, then you could have one of the kinds that are harder to control. It’s incredible that, according to the CDC, nearly nine million adults in the United States have inadequately controlled asthma despite standard of care treatment.  

Some people don’t even know they are suffering from a severe form of the disease called severe eosinophilic asthma or S.E.A. Despite taking their medications as prescribed and avoiding known asthma triggers, patients with S.E.A. may still struggle to manage their symptoms.

Learn more about hard-to-control asthma and S.E.A. at www.bethebossofyourasthma.com and take control of your asthma.

Be the Boss of Your Asthma is sponsored by Teva Pharmaceuticals and was shaped by several leading respiratory patient advocacy organizations in addition to AAN and AAFA, including the Association of Asthma Educators, the Severe Asthma Foundation and the Global Allergy and Asthma Patient Platform.