by Deborah Messner

Created on: July 03, 2008

Learning to live with and control your asthma can seem like a daunting task at first. I don't know a single person who would choose to live a life where you have unexpected bouts of coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, tightening in your chest, pain in your lungs, and feeling like you're going to pass out at any second. The key to living a full life with the disease is learning your limits, eliminating as many asthma triggers as possible, and keeping your body as healthy as you possibly can.

Asthma can be triggered by many things, and it's different for every person. Some people have asthma attacks because of food that they eat. Others have asthma attacks from the quality of the air around them, and what it contains. Still others have asthma attacks triggered by strenuous exercise, or too much activity in extremely cold or wet weather. It doesn't take long to find out what your individual triggers are once you are diagnosed. Once you have a fairly good idea of what will cause an attack, it's important to come up with a plan to control your asthmatic symptoms so that you can lead a healthier, more productive life.

I have had moderate to severe asthma for over 20 years. My main triggers are extreme cold air temperature, airborne pollens and dust, contact with some types of animals, and cigarette smoke. I have had mild asthma attacks of simple wheezing and shortness of breath, and nearly catastrophic asthma attacks that have required quite lengthy hospital stays. Since I have been an athlete most of my life, it has become imperative, especially as I grow older, to take control of my health and well being to make sure that my asthma doesn't take control over my daily activities.

Once you know what triggers your asthma, it's important to take control of what you can do to prevent as many attacks as possible. I was very fortunate to live in a completely smoke-free household my entire life,. It boggles my mind when I meet asthmatics who are smokers, or who live with someone who smokes. We all know that smoking is dangerous to your health, and it is even more dangerous for an asthmatic to introduce a carcinogen into their lungs. Lung function is automatically lessened in an asthmatic, and it decreases even more with smoking. If you do smoke and are an asthmatic, do everything in your power to quit. It's an unnecessary risk to add such a harmful agent to your already dysfunctional immune system. Avoid smoke-filled restaurants and entertainment establishments as well,

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