Asthma is a chronic condition where your airways become inflamed, narrow, swell, and produce mucus, causing breathing difficulties. You can cough, make a whistling sound when you breathe, and even have shortness of breath. Some asthma triggers are viruses, exercise, allergens, and emotional stress. Asthma can be minor or severe, interfering with your daily activities. It can lead to a life-threatening attack. It would be best to visit your doctor, Carrie Jones MD, to help you manage asthma. There are many facts about asthma, but people have come up with myths about the condition, and here are some.
Asthmatics should avoid exercise.
Although exercise is one of the asthma triggers, people are not restricted to exercise. Your doctor can help you manage the disease to engage in physical activities. The doctor will also advise you on the best exercises fit for you. Physical activities control asthma symptoms and reduce airway inflammation. Physical activities will generally improve overall body health.
Children outgrow asthma.
Asthma is a lifelong complication, and it can flare up at any time of your life, from babyhood to old age. Symptoms improve or disappear in the youthful period or adulthood. If your child has permanent lung damage, it is difficult to control the condition. There is no cure for asthma, but your specialist can help you with management and treatment.
Medications for asthma are addictive.
Inhalers and oral asthma drugs are not addictive. The medications widen airways and relax muscles surrounding the airways. Since it is a chronic disease, you need a particular routine of long-term drug use. The drug is used to manage the condition. Although you may need multiple drugs to control asthma, no medication has been proved to be habit-forming. Furthermore, there is no proof that a drug has lost its effectiveness due to long-term use.
Asthma cannot be fatal.
Medications for asthma cannot cure the disease. About ten people in the world die from asthma each year. If you do not manage asthma, it can worsen and become fatal. Though rare, asthma flare-ups can be life-threatening. To control the disease, you need to understand and avoid triggers that cause asthma attacks. If your condition is severe, you should learn how to prevent it.
All people with asthma experience the same symptoms.
People with asthma experience different symptoms varying from mild to severe. Some people experience several symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, and chest congestion, while others may get one. Symptoms also vary throughout your life. With proper management, symptoms reduce as you grow up.
It is not asthma if you do not have wheezing.
Wheezing is the whistling breathing sound you make when the air passes through the narrowed airway. Wheezing occurs due to inflammation and constriction of airways making breathing difficult. The sound is audible, but you can only hear it with a stethoscope if you have a severe case. Severe flare-ups prevent air in and out of the lungs, so you will not have wheezing.
It would help if you got the correct facts about asthma, as myths can make managing and treating the disease challenging. Schedule an appointment with Carrie Jones, MD, for asthma treatment.
