Breathefree - How To Care For Your Child's Asthma During Winter

1. HowTo Care ForYourChild'sAsthmaDuring Winter • According to the Global Asthma Report 2018, about 6% of children in India are affected by asthma. This is a massive number givenIndia'spopulationofalmost140crores!Despitethecommonnessof asthmainchildren,itis surprising thatmanyparentsare inthedarkabouthowtocarefor their childrenwithasthma.Mattersget even moredifficulttohandleduringthewinterseason. • Inwinters,thethreatofvirusinfectionsincreases.Additionally,childrenare also moresusceptible tothe common coldandotherdiseasesthisseason. All of thiscontributesgreatlytoincreasingtherisksof asthmaattacksin children.So,howtocontrolasthmainchildrenduring winters? • Howcanyou avoidasthmaattacksinthecold? • Topreventasthma attacks,trytostayindoorswhenthetemperaturedipsvery low,especially if it’sbelow 10°F(-12.2°C). • Ifyoudohavetogooutside,cover yournoseandmouthwithascarf towarm theair beforeyoubreathe itin. • Drink extra fluids in the winter. This can keep the mucus in your lungs thinner and therefore easier for yourbodytoremove. • Trytoavoidanyonewhoappearstobesick. • Getyourfluvaccineearlyinthefall. • Vacuumanddustyour homeoftentoremove indoorallergens. • Washyour sheetsandblanketseveryweek inhotwater togetridofdustmites. • If you exercise outdoors in cold weather, use your inhaler 15 to 30 minutes before you exercise. This opens upyourairwayssoyoucanbreatheeasier. • Carryaninhaler withyouin caseyouhaveanasthmaattack. • Warm-upforatleast10to15minutesbeforeyouworkout. • Wearamaskorscarfoveryour facetowarm theairyoubreathein. • AvoidCampfiresandFireplaces • Itcanbetempting towanderoff intothe wildernessforacampfire,ormaybejustcosyupnearafireplace at home. Butifyour child'sasthmadiagnosisispositive,thenyoumustavoidthem atall costs. • Campfiresand fireplacesspreadparticulatematterlikeash allaround along with suffocatingtoxic gasesthatare invisible tothenakedeye.Inhaling thedebrisandthegasescanquicklytriggerasthmasymptomsinyour child. • AlwaysCarry anExtra AsthmaInhaler • Childrenare veryplayfulandcanmisplace itemsratherquickly.Solely entrusting thechildren withanasthma inhaler is not a wise decision. As a parent, always carry an extra inhaler with you so that you can help your children whenasthmasymptomsmanifestandtheymisplacetheirinhalers. • If yourchild'sasthma symptomsaresuddenlyescalated,thentheymightrequire anasthmanebulizertohelpthem breathe.Simply put,theasthmanebulizerturnsliquidmedicationintovapour,whichisdelivereddirectly intothe lungsofthechildupon inhaling.There arealsodifferenttypesof nebulizers,like:*JetNebulizers* Ultrasonic ebulizers *MeshNebulizers.