Knowing information about asthma is the first step to taming your breathing problems.
However, after searching the internet and reading every piece of asthma information that I could find, I felt overwhelmed and more confused than I was start.
That's why I decided to put this quick guide to the basics of asthma.
To start with, asthma is a disease that makes it difficult for a person to breathe.
It affections millions of people and the numbers are growing every day.
It can affect everyone from young children to the elderly.
It's quickly becoming an epidemic problem, affecting as many as one in four children in urban areas.
The cause of asthma is a person's genes, environmental factors or both.
An asthma attack is when a person starts to have problems breathing.
They'll start to wheeze, cough and feel a tightness in their chest.
The quickest way to control an asthma attack is with a quick-relief inhaler.
The actual attack is when the airway tube to the lungs is blocked.
It makes it difficult for air to pass through and get into the lungs, making it difficult for a person to breathe.
The blocking of the airway is because the muscles around the airway tighten and are filled with excess amounts mucus.
The attack is the body's over reaction to an irritant or trigger.
If you're a severe asthmatic like me, it seems like everything is a trigger of an attack.
However, there are a few main triggers for people.
For most asthmatics, allergies is a trigger.
This could be an allergy to the dust or pollen in the air.
It could be an allergy to the milk in your cereal.
It could even be your friendly, family cat.
The majority asthmatics also have exercise induced asthma.
It can strike while you're out for a jog or while running up and down the soccer field.
The attack is a result of the airways getting irritated by the intensity of the air rushing in and out of the lungs.
Even what's in the air can trigger an attack.
Air pollution, chalk dust, and even cleaning solutions with strong odor can irritate the sensitive airway and cause the asthma attack.
Going outside in cold weather, can spark an attack.
The cold and dry air can irritate the tube, even if you're just walking to your parked in the driveway.
That's just the start.
The best idea is to work with your doctor to not only get the best medicine for you but to also get help in discovering your asthma triggers, so that you can avoid the causes of your asthma attack.