Know Your Asthma Triggers

If allergies to a beloved pet make you sneeze and wheeze, you may have a pet-related asthma trigger. Allergies to a cat or dog are caused by tiny particles in your pet’s dander (flakes of skin), saliva, and urine. Because these particles are small, they're easily airborne, and when you breathe them in, your asthma symptoms can flare up. Even so, giving up your pet may not be an option, so these tips may be helpful.

CATS VS DOGS VS BIRDS

People are more likely to be allergic to cats than to dogs. The small size of cat dander allows it to stay in the air longer than dog dander, so you're more likely to breathe it in. Even your kitty's grooming habits make matters worse by exposing you to saliva on its fur.

Keep in mind that no dog is truly hypoallergenic. In fact, a dog can bring pollen inside on its coat, which can trigger your asthma. And you might not be out of the woods if your pet is a bird instead of a cat or a dog. Feathers, even in a pillow, can cause allergic reactions or asthma symptoms.

To avoid triggering an asthma attack from pet hair or dander:

Nasal allergies and asthma share an underlying component—inflammation. In fact, more than half of people with asthma also have nasal allergy symptoms. The triggers for nasal allergy symptoms can also cause asthma symptoms, and while nasal allergies are more common, anyone can have either condition.

If you have nasal allergies and are concerned that you may also have asthma, consider the following questions.

• Do you wake up in the middle of the night because of coughing, wheezing, or other breathing difficulties? If yes, how often?
• Have you had to cut back on routine activities such as walking up stairs or exercising because of coughing, wheezing, or breathing difficulties?
• Do you feel you can't do things because you’re afraid that you will experience these symptoms?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might want to talk to your doctor about your worries. Both asthma and nasal allergies require ongoing treatment that includes regular monitoring of your symptoms. Don't hesitate to ask your doctor for more information. When you understand asthma and nasal allergies, you'll feel better!

MANAGING YOUR ASTHMA DURING ALLERGY SEASON

Springtime is allergy season for many Americans. More than 40 million have nasal allergies, or allergic rhinitis. While you can't avoid pollen entirely, the following facts may help you weather the seasons:

• Not all pollens are equal! Tree and flower pollens cause problems in early spring, while grass pollens strike in late spring and early summer. Weed pollens tend to cause problems in the late summer.
• Weather and time of day also affect asthma symptoms. Ragweed releases its pollen into the air in the morning, and a strong wind may carry it right through an open window into your home.
• Heat, humidity, and air pollution can also cause your asthma symptoms to worsen.

If you have asthma, it's important not to smoke. Cigarette smoke makes your asthma worse by irritating the airways of your lungs and causing them to narrow. Smoking may also permanently damage your airways.

If you're already a nonsmoker, that's great. But it doesn't mean you're home-free where smoking is concerned. Inhaling other people's cigarette smoke can also be harmful to people with asthma. This can be a big problem if a member of your family happens to smoke. Also, it can be difficult to tell friends who smoke just how their smoking affects you. But if you have asthma, it's really important to speak up and let people know their smoke is more than just a nuisance to you—it can trigger your asthma and make it worse, and that is a serious problem.

How to ask people not to smoke around you:

For years, people have referred to waking up at night with asthma symptoms as "nocturnal asthma" or "nighttime asthma." But don't be misled—asthma is a condition you have 24 hours a day, every day. Taking your medication as prescribed can help you control symptoms both during the day and at night. But symptoms may still worsen during the night.

WHY ASTHMA SYMPTOMS MAY BE WORSE AT NIGHT

If you have heartburn, lying down can make heartburn and your asthma symptoms worse. Heartburn, which can be a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is caused by stomach acid backing up into your esophagus or sometimes into your throat or windpipe as well. Many people with nocturnal asthma have heartburn or GERD. It is best not to eat late or snack after dinner, but you should ask your doctor about GERD if you are having nighttime asthma symptoms. Smoking can also make GERD worse. Treating GERD may help to improve asthma symptoms in people who have both conditions.

Researchers are looking into other possible causes of nighttime asthma, such as cooling of the airways, which happens when you sleep, and less adrenaline and cortisol—two hormones your body makes that help keep your asthma in check. They are at their lowest levels between about midnight and 4AM.

IS YOUR BEDROOM PART OF THE PROBLEM?

Pillows, bedding, and rugs or carpet all attract dust and invisible dust mites that can trigger asthma symptoms in individuals allergic to dust mites.

WHAT TO DO:

• Encase your mattress and pillow in special dustproof covers.
• Wash the sheets and blankets on the bed each week in water hotter than 130°F to kill dust mites.
• During the day, keep dust off your bed by covering the entire bed with a bedspread. At night, take off the bedspread and put it in another room.

If you've done all these things and still have trouble with your asthma during the night, talk to your doctor. Your asthma treatment plan may need to be adjusted to include preventative medications to help control wheezing and coughing throughout the night. You can also ask your doctor about a product that can help control airway constriction and inflammation, the two main causes of asthma symptoms.

Don't ever expect a food fad to cure your asthma, no matter what you read on the internet. There is no "asthma diet." The only proven way to treat asthma is to follow the daily treatment plan your doctor prescribes.

In addition to following your treatment plan, what you can do is take good care of yourself. This means drinking adequate fluids and eating well-balanced meals, including the proper number of servings in each of the five food groups. Your doctor can give you information about the foods in each group and the suggested daily requirements.

It may take a while to figure out what foods—if any—trigger your asthma symptoms. Tracking what foods you eat and how you react to them can give you valuable information about possible food triggers. Common food triggers include beer, wine, shrimp, dried fruit, and processed potatoes.

For many years, it was believed that people with asthma should not or could not exercise. Doctors now know that asthma symptoms during exercise usually occur within a few minutes after stopping exercise, reach a peak of severity about 5 to 10 minutes later, and may continue for another 20 to 50 minutes. Planning and adjusting your exercise carefully—and consulting your doctor—can help you find an exercise routine that won’t cause asthma symptoms.

TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE STARTING AN EXERCISE PROGRAM

It is important that your doctor knows how exercise affects you and if it triggers symptoms, so she can create the best exercise plan for you.

EXERCISE TIPS: