If you or someone close to you has asthma, you should be aware of popular treatment options for asthma for both immediate and long-term relief. It is vital to help you as well as your doctor control and manage the asthma symptoms. Anyone who has asthma must be aware of when to consult a doctor to avoid any emergency. This article lists some of the popular treatment options for asthma
Perform breathing exercises
When you persistently perform breathing exercises, you can get more air in and out of your lungs. With time, it will improve your lung capacity and curtail the symptoms of asthma. You can consult an occupational therapist or a doctor to learn some beneficial breathing exercises.
Medications
You need to know whether you should be using long-term medication, or the fast-acting rescue medications, or a mix of the two.
Long-term control medications
These medicines are to be taken regularly and are vital for asthma treatment. Such medications will keep your asthma in check and make you less susceptible to an attack. Some common long-term medications used are:
Anti-inflammatories: These are taken with corticosteroids, inhalers, and other anti-inflammatory medications. Such medicines help you overcome the mucus production and swelling of the airwaves. They will also make breathing easier.
Anticholinergics: These can prevent the tightening of the muscles around the airwaves. These are taken in combination with anti-inflammatories.
Long-acting bronchodilators: These medications must be used only in combination with anti-inflammatory medications.
Biologic therapy medicines: These are relatively newer therapy medications. They are injectable medicines used in treating severe symptoms.
Quick-relief or short-term treatments
Such medications are used while you are experiencing an asthma attack. They provide instant relief and help you with your breathing. If you need to use your quick-relief medications more often than usual, you should consult your doctor about switching to other types of medications for better effects.
Bronchodilators: These work within minutes and help you relax your tightened muscles around the airwaves. They can be taken either as a nebulizer or an inhaler, and are popular treatment options for asthma.
Bronchial thermoplasty: It is used to treat people with severe asthma symptoms, which do not seem to improve with any long-term medication or corticosteroids. Unfortunately, it may not be widely available for everyone right now. In this treatment, the doctor will heat your airways’ interiors in the lungs using an electrode. The heat will lower the smooth muscles located inside your airways. It will curtail the airways’ ability to tighten. With this treatment, breathing will become more comfortable, and the asthma attacks will reduce. It is performed with three outpatient visits.
First-aid treatment: If someone is experiencing an asthma attack in front of you, you should immediately help them sit upright and help them use their nebulizer or inhaler. In about two to six puffs, the symptoms should ease. In case the symptoms do not go away even after 20 minutes of the medication, and the second round of medication does not prove effective, you should seek immediate medical assistance.
