Keeping an asthma diary

Keep your health in your hands

Asthma is a strange disease. Though it effects over 20 million people in the US alone, no two cases are exactly alike. Doctors now know that it is a genetic condition, meaning it is passed down from generation to generation (see it was your father's fault all along), but what varies greatly are the triggers which set off an attack. A trigger can be any external effect (such as cold air, animals, dust, etc) which our bodies react to. Each sufferer has different tolerance levels to different triggers, which would be great if we knew what our own particular triggers were. But we don't, and herein lies the problem.

Do you get an asthma attack when you are or have been near dogs? How about when exercising? In these cases the cause of the trigger is quite obvious. But what happens when you aren't so sure? By keeping a diary we can pinpoint the exact triggers our systems are susceptible to. In order for it to work properly though, it has to be detailed. Note down all the exercise you do and your body's reaction to it. On one particular day did the exercise have negative results? Why? What was the weather like? Describe the room where you exercised. If the room is where you habitually go to exercise, was there something different about it on that day? Make a list in your diary of all the food you eat. It's not much good just writing 'pizza', as that doesn't give us much detail. Try to write down as many ingredients as possible, as a lot of foods are known to be triggers.

This all may seem like too much hard work, but after only a few days of writing in your diary you will soon see a pattern emerging. Another very important use of your asthma diary is to note the results of what is called a Control Pause. Do this in the morning on arising. After you breathe out normally, measure the time before you need to take in another breath. Some people cannot manage even one second while others can quite naturally last for 40 seconds or more. You can increase your control Pause by doing breathing exercises. Many people have found that their asthma attacks stop when they have a Control Pause of greater than 20. This gives them the confidence to lead a normal life.

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© Karon Beattie - http://www.cure-your-asthma.com

About the Author - Karon Beattie is a former asthma sufferer. She is the author of several books including "Naturally Free From Asthma" which describes how she eliminated her own asthma. This book has helped many other sufferers WorldWide do the same.

http://www.cure-your-asthma.com