CITIZENS as well as tourists in our beloved City of Pines noticed a dip in temperature in the last few days, probably brought forth by Butchoy (Nepartak) so much so that there has been a considerable increase of respiratory ailments, aside from the alarming rise in dengue cases. Of course asthma is likewise a big health concern.
No specific climate is ideal for people with asthma, since there are so many trigger factors for symptoms and these factors differ from person to person. Like for example, if you move to another area, triggers in the new environment may provoke your asthma attacks more or less than where you lived before. The levels of many allergens are lower at higher altitudes - Baguio is 4500 feet above sea levels- and this may be beneficial if you have known allergies to pollens or dust mites. But then again, this does not hold true for all asthmatics.
It makes sense therefore to try to discover what triggers your asthma. Is it tobacco smoke, dust and dust mites, cold air and exercise? Of course, dust and its mites are difficult to avoid therefore try to keep your house especially the living room and the bedrooms dry and well ventilated. Check your curtains as well as your blankets especially woolen blankets which have been shown to cause asthmatic attacks. Avoid textile floor coverings because they collect dusts.
We cannot over-emphasize the role of exercise for optimum health and therefore, should not be discouraged even among asthmatics. However, the patient himself/herself should by now know what kind of exercises bring about their symptoms and should take their maintenance medicines before engaging into any strenuous activity.
How about pets? Obviously, and this is sad, if you have asthma and are allergic, you should not but a pet. If at all, pets cannot be avoided like cats and dogs, as much as possible, you should not keep them indoors especially in the bedroom of the patient.
Pulmonologists- lung disease specialists- as well as pediatricians classify asthma medications into two- maintenance and rescue medicines. As the name implies, maintenance medicines are those taken by the patients on a regular basis at specific times of the day because asthmatic attacks have a peculiar pattern of severity especially during dawn or early morning hours.
Even with maintenance medicines, some patients have what your columnist calls "escape attacks" brought about by emotions, stress or exercise during the day and therefore must resort to the so-called rescue medicines which usually come in inhaler forms. It is strongly advised though that after two or three attempts with the inhaler or any of the rescue medicines, and still the patient has dyspnea-difficulty of breathing, wheezing, which could be heard even without a stethoscope - in other words, the patient is in respiratory distress, please bring the patient immediately to the Emergency room for oxygen inhalation.
Experience has shown that many lives are lost because the patient insists on taking in the inhaler medication so much so that, in the background of severe hypoxia- low oxygen inside the cell- the patient's heart may go into a serious arrhythmia- usually a PVC or premature ventricular contraction, which is fatal
Common sense, obedience to our doctor's advice and a healthy lifestyle all will add up to an easy effortless breathing for our asthma patients.