Staying informed on keeping asthma flares at bay is a never ending process, but that's why we're here! Let's get into things you may not have thought that could trigger asthma:
Rush hour traffic, one of life's great annoyances but if your as asthmatic, it could mean trouble. Firstly, your windows should be up to prevent outside irritants from coming in. Secondly, always have your RESCUE inhaler ready. Pollutant's along with toxic fumes from vehicles can cause a reaction for asthma. Keeping calm also helps to not add extra load on our already stressed state.
If you don't have a vehicle with air conditioning it's a good idea to check air quality forecasts before your commute and learning a different route in which you can avoid high traffic areas.
[ We use coconut wax based candles with allergy safe scents👍🏾]
Air fresheners and Scented Candles [ watch out for public bathrooms 🫢 that have been sprayed too]. Whether home or work, fragrances esp artificial ones are asthma triggers and set off allergies, When scenting your home look for scents made from pure essential oils or make your own. While at work, try replacing artificial air fresheners with something you've brought that you know is safe. I think everyone will appreciate the fresh natural scents over artificial ones like Fabreeze😵💫
Sulfites are known Asthma Triggers and there in so many food products. This is why I remind to ALWAYS READ FOOD LABELS. It's for our own protection. Foods like luncheon meats and those from the deli ( unless otherwise stated) commonly contain some form of sulfites and nitrites all additives and preservatives. 🥴. Another big one to watch for is the well known MSG🫣😵💫 a flavor enhancer. [ In particular, be careful when eating any type of Asian meals and snacks as they are known for containing MSG. If the restaurant you've chosen isn't CLEAR about the existence of MSG or other sulfites STEER CLEAR‼️
All artificial food coloring and additives are potential asthma triggers so it's best to steer away from them. Most traditional candy will contain one or more of these ingredients. It's important to keep in mind if your kiddos are going to be consuming fall celebration candy. Yellow and other fake food colorings are often too, found in many common foods like rolls, and breads, frozen meals, CEREALS and more.. Read Read and Re Read lables.🧐
Bouts of intense crying or laughing can trigger an asthma flare by the restricting breath flow and changing normal breathing patterns. The body can read these actions as a form of hyperventilating.
I spoke of this topic some in a previous post: Asthma and Alcohol ~ Do They Mix? Under Asthma Health and Care🧐🙃
It's true consuming certain alcohol 🥃 🍷 drinks can aggravate asthmatic lungs and increase the chance of an attack. It may be specific components of the alcohol like sulfites mentioned above, or ethanol or histamines found in alcohol. Any one or all of these can trigger an allergic reaction with asthma. Many people are simply allergic to all alcohol itself.
If you notice an increase in asthma episodes when consuming alcohol you should talk to your doctor, allergist. It would be Asthma Smart to just avoid it because asthma attacks are nothing to celebrate.🍾
Asthma and its management are multifaceted and we must get to know our body and what we can and can't tolerate for our own health and safety.
Staying Asthma Smart results in living better more breathable lives!☺️🫁