Managing Your Child’s Asthma

And this education isn’t just about how to take medications or how to conduct daily peak- flow readings—it’s also about how to improve indoor air quality. This is especially important since at certain times of the year, children can spend up to 90 percent of their life indoors between school and home.

“We have to really explain the best way to vacuum; whether a child can have any stuffed animals in his room. There are a lot of things to discuss and it takes more than one visit with the family. That’s what I’m emphasizing with physicians,” Fishkin says.

While parents can’t control the indoor air quality at their child’s school, they can control air quality at home. For that reason, Fishkin has a program where he sends out trained nurses to do home assessments. These nurses visit the homes of children with severe asthma in New York to determine asthma triggers. Perhaps the vacuum cleaner isn’t of the best quality. Perhaps the cleaning supplies have harsh chemicals or the neighbor’s long-haired cat shouldn’t make as many visits?

If you’d like a home assessment, check with your physician, especially if you are in a HMO. Otherwise, check with your local chapter of the American Lung Association.

Fishkin outlined the six main triggers for Asthma:

1. Allergens: Pollen, hay fever and other allergies such as pet dander and dust mites trigger asthma symptoms or attacks. In fact, 40 percent of people who get hay fever also have asthma.

2. Irritants: Things such as diesel exhaust, tobacco smoke, cleaning solvents, and strong perfumes can irritate asthmatics.

3. Respiratory infections: Viral or bacterial infections or bouts of the flu can spark an asthma episode. Another reason to get your flu shot!

4. Change in the weather: Whether from good to bad weather or vice versa—these seasonal changes can exacerbate asthma symptoms.

5. Exercise: That’s not to say asthmatics shouldn’t exercise! But if you notice your asthma worsening when you exercise, perhaps you need to discuss your treatment options with your physician.

6. Stress: When someone says, “It’s all in your head” well, that’s absolutely true. “Emotional stress is as powerful a trigger for asthma as anything else,” says Fishkin.