Asthma Treatments: Medications
and Their Effects
This site reviews the various types of treatment available
today, including the different asthma medication drug groups,
how the medications work and any significant reactions or side
effects of the drugs. It also looks at the day-to-day prevention
of attacks and treatment of the condition with a particular
emphasis on the use of inhalers and bronchodilators.
To learn more about treatment options that are specific to the
severity of your asthma, go to the
Asthma Treatment Tool.
Medication Delivery Methods
Methods for administering asthma
medications can be divided into three broad categories:
 oral:
swallowed pills and liquids
inhalation:
via mouth or nose
injection:
into muscle or vein.
Available Asthma Treatments
Forms of medication and treatment
vary according to the nature and severity of the attack. Certain
treatments, however, are typical.
Mild
asthma attacks: Short-acting inhaled bronchodilators relieve
symptoms.
Moderate
to severe asthma attacks: A combination of bronchodilators and
anti-inflammatory drugs reduce constriction and inflammation of
the airways.
Acute
asthma attacks: A combination of bronchodilators, such as
theophylline, and intravenous adrenalin (epinephrine) are used.
The use of inhaled steroids (as opposed to oral steroids) is
preferred.
Specific
allergy-induced asthma attacks: Anti-allergic medication usually
administered by injection desensitizes the asthmatic to the
allergen.
How Asthma Treatments Work
Each of the asthma medications or
treatments has a specific mode of action.
Bronchiodialators
relax the muscles surrounding the airways.
Anti-inflammatory
agents (steroids or corticosteroids) reduce the swelling and
irritation in the airways.
Preventive
asthma products, such as cromolyn sodium, control and
prevent the onset of an asthma attack.
Adrenaline
(epinephrine) is used in emergency situations to rapidly relax
the muscles surrounding the airways.
Preventing Asthma Attacks
Asthmatics can rest assured that a
treatment suitable to their condition is usually available. In
fact, asthmatics have a wide range of products at their disposal
that can effectively control their symptoms, often within
seconds.
Advances in the range of asthma treatments are certainly
encouraging. Most asthmatics, however, would prefer to avoid a
lifetime of dependence upon medication at all! It makes sense,
therefore, that prevention of triggers should be the first line
of defense.
Knowledge of how to prevent or avoid asthma triggers is vital.
If you are asthmatic, you should know:
the
degree of severity of your attacks, and whether they're
stabilizing or deteriorating
if
your prescribed medication is the most appropriate for your
needs
if
any changes in your condition might benefit from a different
type of treatment.
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Asthma Research Findings
A report in the British Medical Journal found
that sixty percent of the 255 asthmatics who
participated in a study failed to identify the critical
point during an attack at which treatment (or further
treatment) was required. Objective information using
peak flow meters to measure airflow was compared with
the participants' subjective opinions about their
breathing ability. The worrying conclusion was that most
asthmatics, during recovery from a severe attack,
believed that their condition had returned to normal,
when in fact they were still in great danger. |
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What do I do if I have an attack?
• Take your reliever inhaler immediately
• If the reliever has no effect after five to ten
minutes, call your doctor or an ambulance
• Continue to take reliever medication every few minutes
until help arrives.
Source of Information
Since one of the most common cores of allergy, asthma and
sinusitis is fungal infections,
as well as polyps, reflux disease and bacteria, you
have to make sure that your home and real estate is free from
molds and mildew, which later may develop into molds, and prevent
any of their future growth.
-
To eliminate molds and mildew from your home, office
or other real estate and property, follow the suggestions of the book Do It Yourself
Mold Prevention, Mold Inspection, Testing, & Remediation.
For more info, please visit: Mold
Book.
-
To
visit the best internet mold website, please visit:
Mold Inspector.
-
To find a
Certified Mold Inspector, Certified Mold Remediator or
Certified
Mold Contractor
in your area, please visit:
Certified Mold Inspector.
-
To find services of a mold lawyer or a
mold attorney,
please visit
Mold Lawyer.
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