May 25, 2013
   
Add to Google
How Best to Manage Your Asthma
email a friend print




The STD chlamydia can be diagnosed with a urine specimen and does not require a pelvic examination or vaginal or urethral culture. More >

Follow us on Twitter. Become a fan on Facebook. Receive updates via E-mail and SMS:







Would you like to ask our staff a question? >
Join the discussion and leave a comment on this article >

How Best to Manage Your Asthma

E. Neil Schachter, M.D.
 
The widespread obstruction of airways that causes asthma symptoms can be extremely frightening to patients, their families and friends. Fortunately, the obstruction is, usually, reversible — either spontaneously or with therapy.

Medical scientists now believe that asthma is characterized by chronic inflammation and is active even when you have no symptoms. As a result of the continuous airway inflammation, irritants such as air pollutants or allergens produce, from time to time, medical consequences for the asthmatic.(1)

Many mechanisms cause asthma and they are not well understood. For practical reasons, we distinguish asthma associated with allergies from those for which allergy plays a less prominent role. Regardless of the cause, asthma is a disease that needs to be continually managed. The best way to do this is to pursue treatment through both drugs and non-pharmacologic therapies.

The primary goal of therapy is to reduce airway inflammation overall and manage flare-ups. Even though asthma is a disease of intricate physiology and genetics, it is clear that the environment — the setting in which it occurs — is very important. In the United States, data show that the patient's economic and social circumstances(2) and the medical support system available to the patient(3) are important factors affecting disability and death.

An educated patient is important to managing asthma successfully. The National Institutes of Health developed for doctors and patients Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma.(4) The guidelines emphasize that though asthma is a chronic disease, the asthmatic's understanding of their environment and prescribed regimen is central to successful management of their disease.

Self Management Strategies
  1. Follow the treatment plan and make sure you do not run out of medication.
  2. Take the following steps to reduce anxiety:
    • Have your doctor give you written instructions or write them down yourself in his or her presence.
    • Make sure you understand the treatment plan.
    • Make sure you have "measurement instruments" (e.g., diaries, peak flow meters) so that you can monitor the severity of your disease.
    • Have your doctor demonstrate the use of meter-dose inhalers, spacers and other respiratory care devices while you are in the office.

 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Next > 






 
 
Add Comment
NOTE: We regret that we cannot answer personal medical questions.

Name


Comment

Characters remaining:



Readers Comments
No comments have been made







This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.





The Doctor Will See You Now   |   LEGAL RESTRICTIONS AND TERMS OF USE OF THIS SITE. USE OF THIS SITE IS YOUR AGREEMENT TO THESE TERMS.
Copyright 2013 interMDnet Corporation. All rights reserved.
About Us | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | System Requirements