What is your Non-Pharmacological ways of helping to manage Asthma?

Several consecutive nights of deep, quality sleep … exercise and staying away from alcohol helps me tremendously. I suggest it reduces inflammation.

I installed an air scrubber that attaches to our Air conditioner unit. It takes out even dog dander. I recently was diagnosed with 2 kinds of Sleep Apnea and that has truly helped my lungs. I came from sleeping disrupped sleep for 2 hours a night to 7 hours of non interupted sleep each night. I also do diaphragm breathing several times a day which has strengthened my lungs.

TY, I had forgotten about Belleruth Naparestek. I've now downloaded the audio and it’s helpful.

Managing Ashtma involes a combination of strategies to minimize exposure to triggers and to strengthen iverall respiratory health. One effective metod is to maintain a clean home enviorment. Reguarly dusting and vacuuming to remove dust mites, pet dander, and other potential allerfens can be very helpful. it's also imortant to change air filters frequently in your heating and cooling systems to ensure you're breathing cleaner air. Additionally, using hypoallergenic beddingand keeping humidity levels low can deter mold growth, which is another common asthma trigger.
Another approach is to focus on lifestyle facotrs that can improve respiratory strength and reduce symptoms. Regular exercuse, while it should be moderated accoriding to individual asthma action plans, can help by strenghtening the lungs and improving overall fitness. Of course, it's important to exercise in enviorments that don't contain your specific asthma triggers. A balanced diet rich in fruits and veggies can also support immune funstion and potentially reduce the severity of asthma symptoms. it's all about creating a supportive enviorment and lifestyle

@patiencespeir Welcome to Connect. You are so right about creating a safe home space reducing triggers.

I also stay inside during times where the outside air is unhealthy. There have been so many wildfires in the western US and Canada that have affected air quality over the entire US that changes with the wind patterns.

Does that situation make your asthma worse even with minimal exposure?

Jennifer

Hello could you share which air scrubber you installed? I am looking to upgrade our air cleaner on the air conditioner and I do have a HVAC CO. coming out next week to show me what they have. Right now mine is a electro-static one. You have to take the 2 filters out and soak every so often. Its been in there at least 10 or more years I dont feel it is still working that well. I use to hear it zap particles but do not hear it anymore. Also have the UV lite next to it which they now say not to use!! Thankyou

The wildfire smoke over central Ontario combined with me underperceiving my episode, then covid again has resulted in an acute exacerbation I am still working on coming out of.
The main game changer was the wildfire smoke. Even when the sun wasn't red in the sky my lungs became so hyper reactive to any particulates

@pat2407, I can remember being in Kings Canyon National Park while the fires were in Yosemite (just north of Kings Canyon) The smoke was affecting the air and I wrapped a scarf to cover my nose and mouth because it was all that I had with me. I'm not sure if it made any difference, because my asthma is diagnosed as Exercise Induced Asthma, and is activated by spring pollen, humidity, and physical exertion. Maybe I am lucky that when hiking, I can slow down to make me breathing easier. Just last fall my pulmonologist changed my daily/during spring/summer season. I also have an albuterol inhaler which I can use year round if needed. I am going to be giving it a real test in June when I will be hiking in the humidty, heat, and mountains. After that trip, I have an appointment with pulmonologist where he will want to know if the now current treatment is helping me.

I do realize that my experience is not your experience, and I am curious as to your "game changing" reaction to the smoke that you have mentioned. Were you aware of asthma before the wildfire smoke episode? What are you doing when you say that you are "still working to come out of this"? Are you working with a pulmonologist?

Yes I have a cardiologist and a respirologist supporting me.
I have had virally triggered only acute exacerbations (hospitalized a number of times) until covid. My lungs would lumber on through an episode and then occassionally I would be near vent.
Since covid my asthma has reacted to everything. And I mean everything. I have bilateral scarring and I feel like I accumulate junk.
I use Mucinex a lot all sorts of meds, protect myself from triggers and have been doing ok.
Once the wildfire smoke blanketed us in late May 2023 everything got worse. My sat 02 was consistantly sketchy and I began to have severe acute attacks instead of the slow virally triggered slide.
These were call 911 type of attacks.
Was on pred for 8 weeks and I am improving a lot.
I have added a nebulizer at home. I use Advair 500 plus Ventolin most days with an aerochamber. Sometimes nebulizer but that is not an every day thing anymore.
I just couldn't get better last summer with the smoke in the air
Idk if this helps you or not
The smoke seemed to be the one thing that kept me getting worse.
I now have some very fancy vent masks for the coming summer

I am on an oxygen concentrator. Helps quite a bit.