Asthma Assistance

Childhood asthma is a common ailment in this country. Having a child diagnosed with asthma does not mean you need to lock your poor kid in a box where they can’t be exposed to environmental or allergen triggers, catch colds, or exercise, so that they will never have to suffer the breathing problems that come with the lung condition. That’s simply not practical, nor is it necessary. Most children handle the transitions needed to adjust to living with asthma just fine, but some alterations do need to be made to accommodate your child’s asthma and new breathing capacities.

One of the first questions kids diagnosed with asthma ask their doctors is if they can still play sports, and the answer is not simple. Often in children with asthma, exercise, especially running and swimming, does tend to trigger asthma attacks. But with careful monitoring and a detailed asthma action plan to help manage the condition, most kids can continue to participate in the sport of their choice. In fact, aerobic exercise can increase the function of airways by helping to strengthen the muscles used for breathing.

If your child wants to engage in exercise with asthma, try to make sure they stretch before and after their active time. Have them breathe in through the nose rather than their mouth to help increase the air’s temperature and humidity before it enters your child’s sensitive airways. In colder weather and winter months, have your child exercise indoors if possible, and if they must be outside, instruct your child to wrap a scarf around their mouth and nose to heat the air and make breathing easier. Follow your physician’s recommendations for medicating your kid, but make sure they carry a quick-acting reliever medication in case of an exercise induced asthma attack. Make sure your child knows how to handle an asthma flare-up, and tell them not to sacrifice their breathing or their health for the sake of a game. Of course you still want them to go out and have fun, and asthma shouldn’t get in the way of that.

If your child has asthma, you have probably figured out some of your triggers. If your triggers are allergen based, you might vacuum daily or keep your pets out of your bedroom. But did you know that in children, particularly young children, almost eighty-five percent of all asthma attacks are caused by upper respiratory sickness?

The common cold counts as an upper respiratory infection, so if your child has asthma, preventing him or her from catching a cold can help prevent asthma attacks as well as keep their overall health in better shape. Colds not only make a child achy, feverish, and stuffy not to mention grumpy and whiny but they weaken the immune system which leaves your baby susceptible to more infections.

Children who have asthma are especially harmed by colds and other respiratory illnesses because in addition to making your kid feel bad, colds and sinus infections and bronchitis inflame the delicate tissue in the airways which can bring on an asthma flare-up. While many people pop extra vitamin C to eliminate or help stave off colds during fall and winter months, people with asthma need to take even more precautions. A child with asthma who gets a cold is not just sick, they’re at risk for breathing problems.

Some simple tips to avoid getting a cold or other respiratory infection may sound like no-brainers, but it can’t hurt to remind people of good general health practices. Avoid coming into contact with people who are sick. Keep healthy children away from sick children in the house if possible. Wash your hands and your children’s hands frequently, especially if you or they are in contact with someone who is ill. Think about where your children put their hands and then they put them in their eyes, nose, and mouth where infections can enter the system. Hand washing is good for your family’s health, and a good way to lower the risk of respiratory illnesses.

Prevention is the best medicine, so keep those colds away from your kids and they may have fewer asthma attacks as a result.