Ever used a peak flow meter? It’s a device that measures how much you can exhale, indicating how well you’re breathing. When it comes to talking to your family about asthma, you need to become sort of a human peak flow meter, giving regular updates on your symptoms. If this sounds like an challenge, well, it is. But good communication is key to getting your family to understand what you’re going through. Good communication also ensures that you receive all the help you need.

Here’s a rundown of the peak flow approach to talking to your family about asthma.

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Let’s be honest. When you’re young, the harmful effects of cigarette smoking can seem far in the future. The health problems caused by inhaling smoke may take years to develop. But if you have asthma, a lungful of smoke (first- or secondhand) may trigger or worsen asthma symptoms right now — not to mention what it will do down the road.

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When Hurricane Floyd hit the Carolina coast in September 1999, locals contended with flooded basements and mud-filled living rooms. For some unlucky folks, the storm’s aftermath also brought sneezing, chest congestion, and difficulty breathing. All that standing floodwater in damp, humid homes had created the ideal environment for mold, a common allergen. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) issued a bulletin to North Carolina residents, warning of sky-high mold spore counts that could last well into December of that year.

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Whether you’re an old hand at tackling eczema symptoms, or you’re new to managing this chronic condition, it’s worth reviewing your medication options. Here’s some help from the National Jewish Medical and Research Center (NJMRC), a leading authority on allergies, asthma, and immunology, about the types of medications now available. These prescription medications can treat symptoms ranging from a mild case of dry, itchy skin to a more severe eczema flare-up.

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If you’re allergic to your pet, your doctor may have recommended that you give away your furry or feathery friend. If your response was an emphatic “no way!” you’re not alone. Over 40% of people with animal allergies will not give up their pets, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Before you start looking for a more pet-friendly allergist, consider these tips for working with your doctor on a treatment plan that’s acceptable to both of you.

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Each year, the first warm weekend of spring inspires millions of hikers, campers, and other outdoor enthusiasts to hit the trails. Come Monday morning, a few of them will wake up scratching. By Tuesday, these unlucky souls may have full-blown poison ivy - the red, itchy rash that will send them searching for calamine lotion or other remedies. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about 85% of Americans are allergic to poison ivy and its close relatives, poison oak and poison sumac.

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Just because you or your spouse has asthma doesn’t mean your child will. In fact, controlling your child’s early exposure to allergens actually may slow down or prevent the development of asthma. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) reports that early and prolonged exposure to allergens contributes to the later development of asthma and allergies.

Start by getting dust mites (the most common pediatric asthma trigger) out of the crib. Doing so can delay or prevent the development of allergic disease, as is documented in study after study. For example, research published in the January 1998 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology confirmed that dust mite-blocking bedding encasements can prevent dust mite sensitization.

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If you have asthma and you smoke, you’re putting your health doubly at risk. In addition to spiking your risk for lung cancer and heart disease, smoking can trigger asthma, worsen symptoms, and make it harder to recover from asthma episodes. Quitting smoking isn’t easy, especially if your friends smoke. And it may take some practice before you finally quit for good. In other words, you may quit for a while, then start again, quit, start, quit, start, quit. That’s OK, just as long as the end result is finally quitting.

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You have drawers full of inhalers. You have a medicine chest filled with pill bottles. You have a peak flow meter and a couple of spacers. But when asthma warning signs come along, do you reach for the bronchodilator, the inhaled corticosteroid, or the long-acting beta2-agonist? If you’re serious about managing your asthma, you need to understand your medications. Once you do, you should find your episodes becoming less frequent. Eventually, your episodes may disappear altogether.

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