Essential Facts To Know About Asthma Asthma is a common respiratory problem worldwide. There are millions of people who suffer fromasthma, but they live with it because they know how to control it and how to stop asthma attacks. Thefollowing article features a few basic facts that all asthma sufferers must know in order to alleviateany problems associated with asthma and live a healthy life. For a person with asthma who already has enough trouble breathing as it is, smoking is an unwisedecision, as smoking is a major irritant to the respiratory system. Smoke produced by tobaccoproducts is composed of harmful gases and particles. When a smoker inhales these gases andparticles, the lungs produce more mucus than normal, causing the smoker to have an asthma attack.In addition, smoking is damaging to cilia. Cilia are small, hair like organelles found in the lining of thetrachea. Cilia normally get rid of dirt and mucus, but if they are damaged by smoking, then mucus anddirt will accumulate and the frequency and severity of asthma attacks will increase. Generally there are two types of medications used for asthma: short and long term. The mostcommon medication of the short term medications is salbutamol, which is a short acting beta2-adrenoceptor agonist. Salbutamol stops bronchospams created during asthma attacks by relaxing themuscles of the bronchioles, making it easier to breathe. Salbutamol is administered through aninhaler that mixes the medication with air. Inhalers are used for long term medications as well, suchas the common corticosteroid Fluticasone propionate. Inhalers are useful tools for delivering asthma medication, but only when they are used correctly. If aninhaler is used improperly, then the body won't receive the medication necessary to soothe asthmaattacks, leaving the asthma sufferer in danger. Inhaler users should have their inhaler techniquechecked by a doctor frequently to ensure that they are getting the most out of their inhaler. A peak flow meter is a small device that is used by doctors to measure a person's top expirationspeed. This measurement is used to determine how well a person can expel air. A user will blow intothe device, which will cause the meter to move to a certain position, depending on the strength of theblow. Healthy users will produce high results, while those with constricted airways will produce lowresults, signaling to a doctor that treatment is needed.

One of the keys to preventing asthma attacks is to know what causes the attacks. If an asthmasufferer knows that triggers their asthma, they can take active steps to avoid these triggers andeliminate anything that may trigger an attack in their homes. The best way to determine triggers is toseek the help of a doctor, as they will know better than anyone what items contain particles that actas triggers. Knowing the facts about asthma is the key to dealing with it and the problems associated with it.While keeping the facts from this article in mind, anyone can live with asthma. For more help click here