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What is Asthma? | Triggers: Know Your Troublemakers WE HAVE LOOKED AT how your asthma affects your lungs and your breathing. And we've discussed ways you can work with your doctor to bring it under control. Still, your asthma can have other effects on your life - on the way you feel about yourself, on the decisions you make about your activities, and on your relationship with others. Since asthma cannot be cured, it becomes an uninvited part of your life. When you manage it well, you reduce the problems it causes. But for many people, feelings of fear, anger, or concern about having asthma can get in the way of living a full, normal life.
Many people with a chronic disease like asthma think about future disability or death. Those thoughts can be very troubling, but the outlook for people with asthma today is excellent. Deaths from asthma are rare, and usually preventable. Asthma deaths often are related to a lack of medical care or improper use of drugs. Asthma is a difficult disease, but understanding of family and friends can go a long way to solve problems. Despite asthma, life can be full and promising. Asthma ordinarily causes no permanent lung damage. When it is controlled, the condition of the lungs returns to normal. If it is not complicated by other diseases, you need not fear that your asthma will gradually destroy your lungs.
This is not likely. Emphysema is a different disease. It occurs in a different place in the lungs, in the tiny air sacs deep in the lungs called alveoli. Some people have asthma and emphysema at the same time. Emphysema can develop whether or not you have asthma, especially if your lungs are exposed daily to cigarette smoke. If you have been told you have emphysema or chronic bronchitis as well as asthma, this booklet will help you control the asthma portion of your lung problem. Your local American Lung Association® can send you another booklet, "Help Yourself to Better Breathing," which has more information for people with emphysema or chronic bronchitis.
No. Nothing you did or failed to do caused your asthma. You simply have over-sensitive lungs. Feeling guilty is a common problem for many, many people with chronic illness. It has become a special problem for people with asthma because of the widespread, mistaken belief that asthma is somehow caused by the victim, or in the case of children, by his or her mother. While you have no power over the fact that you have asthma, you have a great ability to control the disease by understanding it and managing it well.
Yes. Good food, like good medicine, works to heal and repair your body. A nourishing diet, including a variety of foods, will give you energy, help you resist infections, deliver more oxygen to your body cells, and reduce fatigue. And drinking plenty of fluids helps to keep mucus thin and keep your airways open. Those are just a few of the many ways a healthy, sensible diet can directly affect the way you feel from day to day. If an allergy stops you from eating foods in one food group, ask your doctor what to do.
Taking more vitamins than your normal daily requirements will not help your asthma. If you take a multivitamin tablet, one a day is enough. Vitamins labeled "extra strength," "therapeutic," "geriatric," or "natural" cost more but give you no extra help. If you need any special vitamins, your doctor will prescribe them. Make sure that vitamins do not contain agents, such as artificial colors, to which you are sensitive.
Some people search for a diet treatment for asthma as an alternative to taking medicines. But no such diet exists and, sadly, much time, money and suffering are wasted in the search. If you have food allergies that trigger your asthma, you will naturally avoid those foods. Some individuals are sensitive to sulfites, which are used as preservatives in many foods. Check labels. But there is no other dietary control for asthma.
Many people resist taking medicines, especially when they are feeling well. Some look at it as a sign of weakness. Some fear side effects, or feel it's too expensive. For others, taking medicine means "There's something wrong with me," a thought they want to reject. You need to discuss your feelings about your treatment with your doctor. Make sure you understand your choices. What are the possible side effects of using your medicines as pre- scribed? What will be the effects of not using them? Is it possible to reduce the amount you use, or to switch to another type? The doctor can give you information and advice, but in the end the decision will be yours. However, since asthma medicines have become safer and more effective in recent years, you'll want to be sure you have up-to-date facts before you check.
The fear of uncontrolled asthma can be terrible. And the stress it causes can hurt the closest relationships. When you and your family members have shared the information in this booklet, you will be ready to work out your own plan for gaining control of your asthma. That control will let you live fully and healthfully without fear. If you feel your asthma causes or is triggered by family problems too deep or too difficult to handle by yourself, talk to your doctor. Ask your doctor or your local American Lung Association® to refer you to a family counselor, or ask about American Lung Association® programs such as a Better Breathing Club or an Adult Asthma Program.
Are You Ready to Begin? WHAT HAVE YOU DISCOVERED about living with asthma that will help you put yourself in control? Use this checklist to see if you are following all the steps to controlling asthma. If not, are you ready to begin?
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