Steps to prevent asthma so that it is not easy to recur

Asthma is a disease that is recurrent in nature. Unfortunately, this disease cannot be completely cured because it is said that the cause is genetic. However, there are still ways to prevent asthma so that the symptoms don't recur at any time. Here are some basic asthma prevention tips that you can do.

The main way to prevent asthma

Asthma symptoms can appear anytime and anywhere without your guess. Quoted from the National Health Service, this is due to swelling or inflammation of the airways caused by certain trigger factors.

The right preventive measures can help minimize the chance of recurrence of asthma in the future. It can also relieve symptoms that may appear when asthma strikes.

Some asthma prevention steps you can take include:

1. Avoid the triggers

If you have been officially diagnosed with asthma, it is important that you know what specific things can trigger an attack. This is a good first step for the prevention of asthma.

There are many factors that cause asthma, but the most common include:

• Dust, cockroaches, animal hair, pollen from trees, grass and flowers.
• Allergy to certain foods.
• Cigarette smoke, waste burning smoke, and air pollution.
• Chemicals in household and cosmetic products.
• Extreme weather or climate change.
• Fragrance in perfume or other products.
• Certain medications, such as painkillers (aspirin or ibuprofen) and nonselective beta-blockers for heart disease.
• History of certain diseases, such as GERD.
• Upper respiratory viral infections, such as the influenza cold and sinus infections.
• Physical activity, including sports.
• Excessive stress and anxiety.
• Singing, laughing, or crying excessively.

Asthma that is triggered by allergies often confuses what the exact cause is. So if you have asthma and suspect allergies, consult a doctor. Doctors can run allergy tests to find allergens so that it can be done as an effort to prevent asthma.

2. Using preventative asthma medication

Asthma treatment is divided into two ways of working, one to control symptoms when the disease recurs and one to prevent attacks when the initial symptoms begin.

Using asthma medication as a preventive measure can be inhaled, taken by mouth, or by injection. Some of the most common asthma medications are corticosteroids and bronchodilators.

Further consultation with the doctor regarding how to use drugs to prevent asthma according to your needs.

3. Take the medicine with you wherever you go

If your asthma recurs easily, don't forget to take your symptom reliever with you anywhere. Including when you go to the doctor for routine condition checks. This is a basic step to prevent the worsening of asthma attacks.

Every time you go out of the house, make sure your asthma medication, at least inhaler, already put in the bag. If the form is oral medicine, keep the dosage form in a transparent medicine container.

Put it in a bag that is easily visible and quickly accessible as if at any time the symptoms of asthma recur.

4.Use an air humidifier (humidifer)

Not many people realize that exposure to air conditioning can actually trigger a recurrence of asthma symptoms. The reason is, the wind that comes out of the air conditioner tends to be cold and dry so that it can irritate the airways and trigger excess mucus production.

Instead, install a humidifier machine (humidifier) in the room. Moist air can be one way to prevent irritation of the airways, so that the risk of asthma attacks can be reduced.

However, be careful. Make sure you don't forget to clean this tool before and every time you use it. If left dirty, humidifier it becomes a nest of germs and fungi that can trigger recurrence of symptoms.

Read the instructions for use listed on the packaging carefully. Don't be shy about asking the salesperson how to properly care for and clean a humidifier.

5. Exercise appropriately and in moderation

Indeed, one of the causes of asthma is strenuous activity, including exercise. However, this doesn't mean you have to give up and avoid exercise altogether to prevent asthma. In fact, doing the right exercise will be beneficial for the asthma condition you suffer from.

One way to prevent the recurrence of asthma while exercising, make sure you choose the right type of exercise. Don't let your exercise trigger asthma recurrence. You can choose swimming, walking, or yoga.

As a preventive measure, people with asthma should avoid all types of high-intensity exercise. Physical activity that requires the body to move fast for a long time can put excessive pressure on the lungs, which in turn triggers a number of asthma symptoms.

Here are some exercises that should be avoided to prevent asthma:

• soccer
• basketball
• long distance running
• ice skating

6. Wear a mouth mask

The quality that gets worse in fact puts everyone at risk for various respiratory diseases. Especially if you already have asthma.

Therefore, wearing a mouth mask when doing outdoor activities is one of the efforts to prevent the recurrence of asthma that should be applied. Protect yourself by wearing a mouth mask, including when motorized or using public transportation.

The use of masks can prevent polluting dust, dirty air, and various other foreign objects from being inhaled by the nose. Not only asthma, this method is also effective for preventing various airborne infections.

7. Immunotherapy

The American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology reveals that immunotherapy is effective in preventing asthma that is triggered by allergies.

Immunotherapy is an allergy treatment that functions to increase or suppress the immune system. With immunotherapy, gradually, patients will be less sensitive when exposed to allergens

This treatment method is usually carried out under the supervision of a doctor who specializes in allergy and immunology.

However, before starting this therapy, the doctor must first know what allergens trigger your asthma. After knowing the specific type of allergen, the doctor will inject a special drug into your blood vessels.

For the first few months, the injection will be given usually once a week. Sometimes, it can also be given only once a month. It can take several years for the immune system to become more sensitive to allergens.

8. Adjust your diet

Have a history of GERD or ulcers? Be careful, both of them can trigger the relapse of asthma symptoms if not controlled properly.

If you have a history of acid reflux disease, the best way to prevent asthma is to adjust your diet. From now on, you should include fatty and fried foods in your diet to prevent asthma recurrence.

Also avoid foods that are too acidic and spicy because both can trigger stomach acid to rise. Replace by eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

If you are able to control the symptoms of acid reflux, you can reduce the risk of recurring asthma. So, don't hesitate to stay away from the food restrictions above to prevent this asthma.

9. Frequently check lung function

Apart from the preventive drugs, you should also monitor the condition of your lungs on a regular basis peak flow meter. This tool is effective as a measure to prevent recurrence of asthma.

How to use a peak flow meter is fairly easy. You simply put the tip of the tool in your mouth and take a deep breath. After that, exhale as fast and hard as you can into the cavity of the tool.

Look at the position of the numbers listed on peak flow meter. If the number that comes out of the peak flow meter is high, your breathing function is good. Conversely, if the number is low, it means that there is a risk of asthma that is prone to recurrence because your lungs are not working as well as expected.

10. Get used to breathing through the nose

When doing strenuous activity or sports, it may unconsciously make you inhale and exhale through your mouth. However, it turns out that this method can trigger asthma to recur.

The mouth does not have hair and sinus cavities like the nose which can humidify the incoming air. Dry, cold air entering your lungs will constrict your airways, making it difficult for you to breathe properly.

When you get in the habit of breathing through your nose, you will keep the air you inhale warm and moist. This method is also a preventive measure for asthma.

11. Clean the bed regularly

Mattresses, pillows, bolsters, and blankets are favorite hiding places for mites to breed. So small, you may not realize that during this time your asthma recurs frequently due to inhalation of dust mites while sleeping.

Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter (high efficiency particulate air) to remove all minor air pollutants, from mites, dust, pollen, and pet dander from the mattress. Moreover, animal dead skin cells are very small and fly easily, so they can only be filtered using a HEPA filter.

12. Wash the pillow with hot water

After regularly cleaning the bed, experts also recommend that you regularly wash and change sheets, pillows, bolsters, and blankets at least once every 1-2 weeks.

All of these bedding should be washed using hot water to make it more effective at killing dust mites and preventing them from coming back. This method can make you sleep better and avoid asthma attacks, especially at night.

13. Wear a tall pillow

If you also have the flu or sinusitis, sleeping with your head flat can build up mucus or phlegm around your nose and throat (post nasal drip). This can block the flow of air in the respiratory tract and trigger asthma at night.

The same effect can also be felt if you have ulcer disease. Sleeping lying on a flat position allows stomach acid to rise further up the throat. As a solution, use a high pillow to help prevent mucus from building up and stomach acid from rising.

14. Be sensitive to weather changes

Weather can also be a trigger for asthma. Usually, the weather will be a big challenge for people with asthma when they are on vacation. However, that doesn't mean you can't vacation in peace.

One of the asthma prevention you can do when planning a vacation is to know the weather conditions in your destination. Asthma generally recurs easily in cold weather. Make sure you choose the right time.

Asthma sufferers also have to be careful of drastic temperature changes, from hot to cold. So, you are obliged to wear or bring warm clothes. It also works to reduce the effects of cold air and recurring asthma symptoms.

You can also try the flu vaccine before going on vacation to prevent asthma. Why do you get a flu shot? This is because asthma can recur due to a virus that enters the respiratory tract, and is usually caused by the influenza virus.

15. Manage stress well

One of the efforts to prevent asthma that is no less important is to try not to overload your mind with stress.

For some people, it is not easy living with asthma. Knowing that this disease is incurable can lead to feelings of confusion, frustration, anger, and sadness. Not only that, disturbed sleep patterns due to recurring asthma at night can also trigger stress.

Therefore, you can try to deal with stress due to asthma by joining the asthma community to share experiences with other people who also experience this chronic disease. Individual counseling with a psychologist can also help.

Do relaxation and meditation to focus on the moment, because relaxation techniques can also help prevent asthma attacks. You can also try journaling to get rid of all the burdens of thoughts that have accumulated in your head.

Prevent relapse with an asthma action plan

Making an asthma action plan is no less important as an effort to prevent and control asthma. The asthma action plan aims to prevent this condition from interfering with your daily activities and avoiding complications of asthma.

Chronic asthma sufferers should have a special record with a detailed asthma action plan within easy reach. It contains a number of basic information related to a list of symptom triggers, the dosage of drugs used (and when and how to use them), to first aid instructions for dealing with an asthma attack.

You must also include emergency telephone numbers, such as guardian / closest family member, doctor's phone number, ambulance number, to hospital emergency room. Tuck a copy of your action plan in your wallet or along with your other important identification cards.