Identifying the right type of asthma treatment for yourself is a very important step in managing this condition.
As the various severities of this illness will call for a variety of different asthma treatment methods, it's really important to educate yourself on what's out there. Even more importantly perhaps is that your needs may change over time with your body. You must realize that this is a long-term condition though and even though you may be feeling fine, that does not mean you should neglect to monitor your current condition.
The major factors you need to consider when selecting a type of asthma treatment are your age, the environment in which you spend most of your time, your genetics (this can also affect how you respond to various asthma treatment methods, as well as how the condition progresses), any other health conditions you may have that could make the condition worse and finally your race (data suggests that African-Americans may be more prone to experiencing this disorder).
Most of the relief options include taking medications to control the inflammation and symptoms like coughing, using quick reacting medications for when an attack does occur, learning to avoid placing yourself in an environment that will be conducive to a flare up and finally monitoring your symptoms so as to recognize when you may be on the verge of an attack.
The major medications fall into two different categories, first there are long-term relief drugs and then there are quick relief drugs to help you in the short-term. Both types will serve to be anti-inflammatory in nature as well as aiming to cause bronchodilation to clear the airways so you can breathe.
The long term medications are usually taken on an every day basis for a lengthy period of time to help achieve control over the condition. They would likely include corticosteriods, mast cell stabilizers (an anti-inflammatory drug) and long acting beta-agonists.
On the quick relief side of things, the medications will be aimed to stop coughing, chest tightness and trouble breathing and will likely be quick acting beta-agonists (a bronchodilator), anticholinergics or systemic corticosteriods (used during an emergency). Most commonly you will see these medications in inhaler or pill form.
Always be sure to speak with your doctor though before taking any type of medications to ensure they will not react in a negative way with anything else you may be taking at the time. With proper care however this condition can be managed and you can go on to lead a normal, active lifestyle.
