Managing the Stress of Asthma can be devastating for the people and their families who are affected with the lifelong disease. Many people who have been diagnosed with asthma feel distressed frustrated, and very scared. Today, approximately 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma, with 250,000 annual deaths attributed to the disease. It is estimated that the number of people with asthma will grow by more than 100 million by 2025. It is one of this world’s most common and costly diseases. There is no cure for asthma, but asthma can be managed with proper prevention and treatment.
Asthma & Dust - The Relation Between the Two
Asthma is so common in our society, that we accept it as 'one of those things', particularly when the doctor tells us just to keep taking the medicine and the nebulizer.
Could dust be the main cause of your asthma or your child’s asthma? Nevertheless, what if you could find out the cause that's triggers your the asthma condition? Could you do something about it and reduce or end your dependency on the asthma medicines you have to take?
Many doctors and asthma specialists believe that dust is one of the main causes of asthma. They say the dust mites in your home trigger the asthma attacks. You are probably wondering what are dust mites? They sound disgusting. Well they are disgusting.
What do I do first?
- Start in the bedroom. Most of the dust mites in your house live in your mattress.
- Put a tightly woven, dust-proof cover over your mattress.
- Wash your sheets and blankets in very hot water every week.
- Wash your pillow every week or put a dust-proof cover on it. The pillowcase goes over the cover.
- The water used to wash your sheets and blankets should be 130°F to 140°F. This temperature is higher than you may want for your water heater, because water over 120°F can burn children if they turn on the hot water by themselves. If you do not want to set your water heater at this temperature, you can wash your sheets and blankets at commercial laundries.
- Your bedroom should have a hardwood, tile or linoleum floor instead of carpet. Dust mites can grow rapidly in carpet. If you must use carpet, try not to place it on concrete because the warm space between a rug and concrete is a good place for mites to live.
- Vacuum your carpets and upholstery every week. Vacuums with high-efficiency filters pick up more dust mites, but even standard vacuums will help.
- Plastic or wood furniture that does not have much padding can also help keep down the number of dust mites in your home. Because dust mites love warm, humid places, keep the humidity in your home low by using a dehumidifier and running your air conditioner. Special air filters can also help reduce dust mites in the air.
- Use a damp cloth or rag weekly to wipe surfaces where dust can collect. This includes countertops, shelves and windowsills. If your children have allergies, make sure to buy them stuffed animals that you can put in the washing machine.
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