Keeping allergies and asthma under control

Allergies can be controlled largely by controlling your environment. Keep pets outside or confined to carpet-free areas outside the bedroom, make sure your home is free of house mice and cockroaches. Air cleaners and filters for air conditioners should have HEPA filters to help remove particles and small indoor allergens. Avoid camping trips, outdoor chores and strenuous activity when pollen is at its peak, usually in the spring and early summer during morning hours. Investing in mattress and pillow covers can reduce dust mites (a major cause of allergies) up to 98 percent (Brittany used to itch at night. She stopped almost immediately when I put the covers on her bed). Remember dust mites thrive in environments that are dark and humid.

Keeping allergens away requires constant work. The good news is that by taking the necessary precautions, asthma can be controlled. Our doctor, Richard Harris of Asthma & Allergy Specialists, started us on a preventive program that has really helped. Brittany's asthma is now controlled by daily doses of Zyrtek (syrup), Flovent (oral spray) and Nasonex (nasal spray). Prednisol, a low dosage steroid and Ibuterol, an oral spray, is kept for emergencies and administered at the first sign of wheezing for up to three days. Ibuterol can also be taken alone. Make sure your child knows how to use it when they are away.

We also use a device called a peak flow meter. It measures how much and how quickly air is exhaled from the lungs. It can alert you to changes in your breathing and the onset of asthma symptoms, which also may help identify triggers. So far, so good. This year, she has managed to get through the entire winter without as much as a wheez. Having a nebulizer at home can bring quick relief and avoid costly trips to the hospital. When using this respiratory machine, it is important that the patient breathe as slowly and deeply as possible to allow the liquid Ibuterol to penetrate the lungs. The medicine can be inhaled either through the mouth or nose depending on the model. About half of children with asthma outgrow it by adolescence. But half of these children will develop symptoms again in their 30s or 40s. There is no way to predict when the symptoms may return or to whom. Knowing the warning signs and taking preventive medicines can help asthma and allergy sufferers lead a normal life.