What You Need to Know About Asthma – Part I: Could You Have Asthma?

Many of my patients have asthma, from mild cases with occasional symptoms to others who can’t do without a rescue inhaler. The American Lung Association reports that about 23 million Americans have asthma, about 1/3 of them children.

In fact, the incidence of asthma in children is increasing for currently unknown reasons. However, I would wager that many of these cases are due to environmental contaminants, or perhaps even allergies to all the pesticides involved with our food today.

Some of my patients have had asthma since childhood and others acquired it as adults, usually due to environmental irritants such as cigarette smoking, car and truck fuel fumes, allergies/pet dander, occupational chemical fumes, or even house dust and mold spores.

Many of my patients who have asthma were surprised when they were diagnosed with the condition, as they had mild symptoms and had so far managed to control them. However, asthma can go from mild to worse quickly, depending on what triggers it. Could you be one of these people? Today I’d like to talk to you about asthma, what it is, and some things you can and should do to get help for your symptoms. First, let’s look at how to recognize asthma.

Common symptoms of asthma

For those of you who may have symptoms you are wondering about, these are the most common symptoms of asthma. However, these symptoms can also be related to vocal cord dysfunction, bronchitis, pneumonia, or even heart failure. That is why a proper diagnosis is so important. Also, these symptoms may be mild and may not occur consistently:

• Cough at night, shortness of breath while sleeping
• wheezing
• Difficulty breathing
• Tightness, pain or pressure in the chest

If you experience any of these symptoms repeatedly, you may have asthma and need to be evaluated by your doctor. After determining that your symptoms are due to asthma, your doctor may refer you to a doctor who specializes in immunology/allergy and/or a pulmonologist who specializes in diseases of the lungs. They may test you for certain allergens that may be causing your symptoms and measure your breathing on a pulmonary function test machine to determine your lung capacity and how well you breathe.

Among my patients who have asthma, some have mild symptoms and some have severe ones. Some symptoms are aggravated by:

• Exercise
• Laughing out loud or crying (emotional stress, good or bad)
• Viral infections (colds, bronchitis that congest the nasal passages)
• Exposure to irritants and allergens (pet dander, perfume, chemical odors, fumes, pollen, etc.)

The symptoms of an asthma attack can vary from person to person. In the presence of a trigger (something you are allergic to or very sensitive to), the airways begin to constrict and constrict (bronchospasms).

The lining of the airways also becomes inflamed, producing more mucus and clogging the airways, making breathing difficult, sometimes life-threatening. An attack may also be accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms:

• Intense wheezing when inhaling/exhaling
• Uncontrollable cough
• Rapid breathing, fast heartbeat
• Pale/bluish lip or fingernails
• Chest pain, pressure

If you experience any of the above symptoms, do not try to overcome them on your own, as they can worsen to the point where you cannot breathe at all. You could lose consciousness and die. Go to an emergency room or urgent care center right away, or call 9-1-1, to get epinephrine, an emergency asthma medication that will open up your airways and allow you to breathe freely again.

How is asthma treated?

If you are diagnosed with asthma, your daily treatment will likely be a “reliever inhaler,” which your doctor will prescribe for you to use for more severe symptoms. This involves medicine inside a small container that injects a measured amount of medicine into the lungs. This will reduce swelling and mucus so air can get into your lungs more easily.

In addition, you may also be prescribed another inhaler medication that works to reduce inflammation in your airways to prevent future attacks. Or, you may be given an oral medication (in pill form) to decrease swelling and constriction of the airways.

What else can you do for your asthma?

First, you’ll need to follow up regularly with your doctor to make sure your medications are working properly and your condition isn’t worsening. In addition, there are several things you can do to help your asthma by reducing inflammation, the main cause of an asthma attack.

•Vitamin D – Recent research has shown that a vitamin D deficiency may contribute to your steroid inhaler not working efficiently and/or becoming resistant to steroid therapy. Have your blood levels tested to determine if you are deficient. If so, take 1,000 mg of vitamin D3 daily to boost to the optimal level.

•Quercetin, fish oil, vitamin C, lycopene, magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, cordyceps (a Chinese herb used for a long time to treat respiratory problems). All of this works to reduce inflammation in the lungs and throughout the rest of the body.

•Keep a clean environment – Keeping your home/work space free of dust, mold spores, bacteria and viruses can also help keep asthma symptoms under control. Investing in a good HEPA air filter can also help. Using bleach in shower stalls and toilets can prevent mold growth. Change your furnace and air conditioner filters regularly.

•Rub your fruits/vegetables – clean your fruits and vegetables very carefully with a wire whisk brush after soaking them in a special fruit and vegetable soaking solution. This solution can be purchased at most fruit and vegetable departments. Eliminate pesticides that are present in most produce that can be a trigger for you.

As I tell my patients who are diagnosed with asthma, many, many people live full, healthy lives with the condition. However, it can also be very uncomfortable and even life-threatening if not treated properly.

Seeking the correct diagnosis of your symptoms, following up regularly with your doctor, identifying and staying away from specific triggers of your symptoms will help you control your asthma and prevent attacks.

Be sure to come back next time Asthma Part II: New treatments can prevent attacks where I’ll tell you about some very promising new research that identifies new ways to treat asthma, especially if you have difficulty using steroid inhalers.