SHARES
“When I was younger, my asthma was very bad. We took too little steps to prevent asthma! Even though my cats can sometimes trigger an attack, I still love to keep them in my room. At one point in my life, I keep missing school because my condition was getting worse. After listening to the doctor, my mum gave our home a complete makeover. I really saw a great improvement not only in my asthma but also in our home!” May, 17, has asthma since childhood, just like her mum.
Asthma is a chronic illness in which our airway overreacts to irritants and allergens in the air. The underpinning cause is the long term inflammation in our lungs. There are many factors causing lung inflammation such as repeated infections, genetic causes, hormonal level, exposure to pollutants, irritants and allergens in our living environment etc. Chances are your asthma is caused by a combination of these factors, making it so hard to treat and prevent. Even so, the best way to improve your asthma is to know your triggers and avoid them. You can prevent asthma starting with the home by following the 6 tips here.
Photo by John Mikes from Flickr
Tips to Prevent Asthma At Home
1. Use Air Humidifier in Air Conditioned Room
The truth is – air conditioning indoors not only removes heat but also water from the air. Such design makes it possible to cool down your room rapidly because water holds more heat than air. When the air becomes too dry, the mucus layer covering and protecting our airway also dries up. Hence it makes us more prone to infection, irritants, and allergens in the air.
Having said so, if your room is too humid from a leaking roof to poor rain shelter or a wetland foundation, fungi and moulds grow more readily. You can easily recognise this as a musty old house smell. These moulds and fungi produce little spores that can trigger asthma attack.
Ideally, keep the room humidity around 35% – 50% to prevent moulds from growing. Keep an air humidifier near your place of activity for higher moisture and drink enough water to keep yourself hydrated.
2. Avoid Setting Your Air Conditioner Temperature Too Low
Sudden exposure to cold air can trigger asthma especially in those with high airway reactivity. People with chronic asthma will have a certain degree of increased airway reactivity due to long term inflammation. That is why drinking cold water can also cause our airway to narrow too.
3. Use Air Filter At Home
If we are living in big cities, industrial area and farmland, the environmental air can contain many pollutants and allergens that can set off asthma attack. These includes dust, cigarette smoke, sulphur dioxide, chlorine gas, industrial chemicals and metals plus plants and animal substances (eg. pollen, fur). Keeping the windows closed or using an air purifier can help.
However, make sure there is enough sunlight to prevent moulds from growing indoor. Likewise, pollutants and dust can be created from indoor activities too. Therefore, clean your house often and let open your windows once in a while to clear indoor allergens. You may want to install extractor fans in your kitchen and bathrooms.
4. Keep Your Pets Out of Your Room
Pets can be lovely household members. However, animal substances such as dander, scales, saliva and wastes can cause asthma attack. Keep your pet outdoors or in your backyard. Make sure to wash your hand and change your clothes after playing with your pets before entering your bedroom.
5. Clean and Change Your Soft Furnishings Often
Wash and change your curtain, carpet, tablecloth, ornamental artificial flowers, bed sheet, pillow case, blankets, sofa cover etc. at least every 1-2 weeks. These soft furnishings can hold a lot of dust and even grow moulds when wet. The best cleaning method is to simply get rid of those things that you no longer like or use.
If there’s anything that you hesitate to tell whether you like it or not, throw it. For those of value to you that you want keep, make sure you brush up their function nicely. Then place them in a place to maximise their function, and schedule in maintenance plan to keep it functioning at tip-top condition.
6. Asthma Diary, Action Plan and Medication
Keep an asthma diary to record every single asthma attack, time and the possible trigger. This helps you know the pattern of your asthma and work towards preventing it. Also, learn and discuss with your doctor about asthma symptoms, severity and what to do accordingly.
Create a clear action plan and display it in an easily accessible place in your home. In this sense, when you are experiencing symptoms, you can always refer to your action plan, take your medication if needed, or call your doctor, keep track of your medication supply and record down your disease progress & trigger. In this context, you would want to create a space for them instead of having them lost somewhere in your house corner.
Photo by The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s photostream from Flickr
Conclusion
In short to date, there is no cure for asthma. Modern medicine at its best is trying to relieve your symptoms and prevent worsening of illness. The best way to treat is to prevent asthma. Learn more about your asthma triggers and keep a diary on that. Talk to your doctor and work on plans to prevent asthma as well as action plan during asthma attack.
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References:
1. Villines Z, Biggers A. Ten home remedies for wheezing [Internet]. Healthline Media UK, Ltd. Brighton, UK. 2020. (Available from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321736; last updated on 2020 Jan 9; last accessed on 2020 Mar 19)
2. Murphy S, Sullivan D. 13 Natural remedies for severe asthma [Internet]. Healthline Media UK, Ltd. Brighton, UK. 2020. (Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/severe-asthma/natural-remedies; last updated on 2019 Mar 28; last accessed on 2020 Mar 19)
by Chang Xian
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