For therapeutic success with asthma, it is not only the medication that is important. It is also crucial that the person affected does something about bronchial asthma himself. The most important thing: to stick to the roadmap of therapy that the doctor has worked out. Affected persons should come to terms with their disease. What else to consider when living with asthma, you can learn here.
Coming to terms with the issue of asthma
Coming to terms with asthma includes attending an asthma education class. There, for example:
- The correct handling of bronchial asthma and the medications taught.
- The self-measurement by means of peak flow meter explained
- The best breathing technique explained (breathing school)
- Important things about living with asthma in general discussed
In particular, the doctor will explain the therapy and what to do in an emergency during an acute asthma attack. The affected person can facilitate the “monitoring” of the therapy if he keeps an asthma diary, in which he also enters his regular measurements. It may also be advisable to exchange information with other sufferers in an asthma support group.
Prevent asthma
To prevent asthma attacks, it is particularly important to avoid triggers. If trigger factors and irritants are known, they should be eliminated wherever possible – whether it’s cigarette smoke, animal hair, or foggy, cold, damp weather. For parents of children with asthma, it is especially important to avoid smoking in the child’s environment – smoking is one of the most important risk factors for bronchial asthma. It is also important in asthma to avoid infections of the respiratory tract and teeth. Drinking enough is important to keep the mucus in the airways as thin as possible. Relaxation methods help many sufferers cope better with bronchial asthma.
Asthma and sports
Often, the measures described can also attenuate and reduce attacks. Asthma is neither a reason nor an excuse for abstinence from sports. On the contrary, sports and regular physical activity such as swimming or cycling exercise the bronchial tubes. If such exertion during sports causes signs of asthma, a muscle-relaxing asthma medication can be taken as a preventive measure – after consultation with the doctor – shortly before the sport. Asthmatics are often recommended to be vaccinated against certain diseases of the airways (pneumococcus, influenza). Again, the opinion of the attending physician should be sought.
Peak flow meter and asthma diary.
To get through the day well as his or her own asthma manager, the patient needs to check his or her lung function several times a day, preferably at set times, using the peak flow meter. This meter measures peak respiratory flow, which is the strongest airflow expelled from the lungs at the beginning of a strong exhalation. The measured values are documented in an asthma diary together with the medication. In this way, the person affected can develop a better sense of whether and to what extent their own condition is changing. The diary supports the treatment by the doctor and should be taken along with every visit to the doctor. The term “traffic light scheme” is used to better classify the readings.
- Green stands for reaching 80 – 100 percent of the personal best value, which was previously determined in several measurements. Thus, the patient is well adjusted.
- Yellow corresponds to 60 – 80 percent of the personal best value. Here, the doctor should adjust the permanent medication and discuss the further procedure with the patient.
- Red means that the 60 percent mark of the personal best value has been fallen below and the patient should immediately visit the doctor or a clinic. The appropriate emergency medication must be available. Panic is not appropriate, but decongestive breathing techniques should be practiced.
How peak flow measurement works.
For the measurement to be successful, the following procedure should be followed:
- Move the scale display mark to zero.
- Inhale as deeply as possible and hold your breath.
- Put the mouthpipe in your mouth. Tightly enclose with the lips! The tube must be held straight in any case and the scale on the side should not be covered with your fingers.
- Exhale as quickly and forcefully as possible. The value can be read on the sliding display.
- In preparation for the next measurement, the display marker is moved back to zero.
- The subsequent cleaning is important. The mouthpiece can be removed and rinsed with warm water. It must then be dried well.
Asthma and obesity
Overall, the following rules have been shown to help in the day-to-day management of asthma:
- Take medications regularly and as prescribed by the doctor.
- A structured, balanced daily routine without rushing and stress
- Allergen avoidance for example by current pollen prognosis
- Immediate visit to the doctor in case of infections
- Strict ban on smoking
- Practice breathing exercises
- Practice endurance sports
- Keep asthma diary
And finally, the same applies to asthmatics as for many other people in Germany: less is more. Because Finnish scientists have shown in a study that overweight asthmatics were worse able to cope with their disease than normal weight. Under a strict diet not only the feeling and own well-being improved, but above all the lung function was strengthened as can be prove. The asthmatics were able to inhale and exhale air with much more force. The slimmer asthmatics also performed better in terms of inhalation and exhalation volume. The patients who had lost weight also subsequently suffered fewer acute asthma attacks, and they needed fewer medications.
