Asthma Living with Asthma

Practical Home Treatment of Asthma for Your Child

So your doctor told you that your child has asthma. Well, you're in good company. In some areas of California, up to 20 percent of children have been diagnosed with asthma. So what can you do about it? This article will focus on some practical strategies to increase your control over asthma, increase your ability to communicate with your doctor, and finally how to determine when things are worse than you can handle at home and medical attention is necessary.

Triggers
Identifying your child's asthma triggers is a crucial part of home asthma treatment. Sometimes the triggers will be obvious, and sometimes not. If the triggers aren't obvious, keep a log of your child's attacks. Where was your child when the attack started? What was your child doing when the attack started? A very small detail might be the key.

The most common triggers that affect children include colds, exposure to smoking, weather changes, and allergies. Some of these we can't control, but some we can, often with very little effort.

Colds: Teach your child good hygiene. Good hand-washing goes a long way in preventing colds. Also, your child should get an annual flu shot. It's the one cold we can prevent!

Exposure to smoking: Smoking is probably the most preventable asthma trigger. Try to quit. It is the single most effective way to help reduce your child's asthma symptoms.

Weather changes: Be realistic about where you live. Sometimes a move to a different part of the country can make the world of difference-for better or for worse. If you are planning to move, talk to people with asthmatic children in the area to see how they do. And avoid areas with heavy pollution or heavy pollen counts if at all possible.

Dust: Fighting dust and dust mites can get costly. Start with the cheap solutions first. Some suggestions are:\

• Make the rooms where you spend the most time as dust free as possible. Most people sleep eight to 12 hours a day, so work on the bedroom first.
• Keep the bedrooms especially free of clutter (stuffed animals, decorations, trophies, etc.) that can accumulate dust and can be hard to clean.
• Mattress covers and pillow covers are cheap and very effective.
• HEPA air filters and HEPA vacuum bags can get a little pricey, but prevent dust very effectively.
• Change the heating and air conditioner filters every one to three months.
• If you have carpeted floors, consider changing to tile or hard wood.

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