In 1997, the National Institutes of Health’s National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP, a project of the National Institutes of Health) changed its Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Asthma to reflect a new approach to asthma management. Tens of thousands of asthma patients are benefiting from stepwise care today.

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While no two people experience asthma exactly the same way, your symptoms may be similar to others who also have this condition. Left untreated, asthma symptoms can worsen, leading to a potentially life-threatening asthma episode. It’s up to you to learn the symptoms of asthma, and even more important, to know what they can mean for your health.

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It’s perfectly normal for any mother to think about the health of her unborn child. As a mother with asthma, you may also worry about how asthma will affect your baby. It may ease your mind to know that women with asthma can expect a normal pregnancy, without an increased risk to themselves or their babies, as long as asthma is controlled.

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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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Vacation travel can be as stressful as a major life change — especially when you can’t take a deep breath. But with a little planning, taking asthma on the road is easier than you might think. Star athletes do it all the time, safely and with few major inconveniences. It’s a matter of making a few phone calls and packing thoughtfully. Here are some tips for air and car travel.

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In 1995, almost 2 million Americans sought emergency help for an asthma episode. Many of those millions were diagnosed with status asthmaticus, defined by the Journal of the American Medical Association as a severe, life-threatening asthma episode. It happens most often when asthma is undiagnosed and untreated. But anyone with asthma can experience status asthmaticus. It doesn’t matter whether your usual asthma classification is mild intermittent or moderate persistent. All it takes is the wrong circumstances to put you in real danger.

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In these days of managed care, choosing a doctor seems like a lot of trouble — but it’s worth every minute of your time. Your relationship with the doctor who treats your asthma is critical to controlling symptoms and improving your quality of life. In fact, developing a genuine partnership between patient and doctor is one of the key recommendations of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP, a project of the National Institutes of Health).

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The average home is teeming with asthma triggers, so when it comes to combating the allergens and irritants that trigger symptoms, the solution is often simpler than you think. Start by cleaning to reduce your exposure to common asthma triggers. This is a key component to a successful asthma management plan, according to the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. Ignore this simple step and your symptoms are less likely to improve. In fact, they may even worsen. Get started with these cleaning guidelines.

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