5 Tips to Reducing Asthma

According to Asthma Australia asthma is:

          "a long term lung condition. People with asthma have sensitive airways in their lungs      
          which react to triggers, causing a flare-up. In a flare-up the muscles around the 
          airway squeeze tight, the airways swell and become narrow and there is more 
          mucus. These things make it harder to breathe"

Witnessing a 'flare-up' or asthma attack is an horrific experience, especially if that person is your own child. Watching a little person gasp for air, the panic in their eyes as they realise they can not fully fill their lungs is sickening. As a by-stander there is not a lot you can do, you cannot physically relax the lungs nor can you reduce the squeezing of their airways. What you can do though is to help create an environment where those triggers are lessened.

In my opinion, if you are responsible for a child with asthma, it is your absolute responsibility to ensure you do ALL THAT YOU CAN to reduce triggers in the home. Again, in my opinion, failing to act upon this is sheer negligence. Remember, failing to NOT do something a reasonable person would do is NEGLIGENCE. Negligence is not just failing to feed your child. So, failing to keep your home as free from dust and toxins, when you have an asthmatic child, is negligence in my book.

I am passionate about this. I have seen three of my children struggle for air, struggle to breathe. I have seen the panic in their eyes.  And most recently I have had to call an ambulance for my 3 year old and watch her be poked and prodded, needles, bloods and tubes hanging out of her everywhere. It is NOT a pretty sight. 

Ok, rant over......

So here are my 5 Top Ways to Reduce Asthma 

(according to me, I am NOT an expert)

1. If you have carpet, vacuum every second day. And I mean do a proper vacuum, lift shit out of the way and vacuum under beds. Don't just run around looking pretty and air fairy dancing on your broom stick. Get in their and clean as many fabric surfaces as possible - lounges, mats, rugs and floors. I have a 5 bedroom and 1 study house and I can do this job in under 10 minutes. I just grab my Dyson and off I go (currently I have the Dyson V6 Absolute but am looking to upgrade to a ball one).

2. Look at your washing powder and think about reducing the chemicals your child is breathing in and is closest to the body. Bed sheets, doona covers and clothes are closest to our faces, hence particles are breathed in continually. I am in the process of switching to this powder as it is proven to contain less toxins and is an 'asthma safe' product. I will do a follow up post once I have tested the product for myself.

3. Clean your floors every few days. Dust is a trigger for asthma. Washing your floors reduces the amount of dust laying around, just waiting to be breathed in. Again, it is a small investment of your time and effort to help your child. Do it, get off your butt, it is not that hard. No one is too busy to clean their floors. Don't make excuses, don't be lazy about this one. Go wash your floors.

4. Do not smoke around kids. I am not a smoker so this is a no brainer for me. But, if you do feel a need to smoke, go outside and puff away and preferably change your clothes before you come back inside.. hahahaaa, but seriously, residual smoke is just as much an issue as breathing the stuff in.

5. Reduce clutter in your home. Don't give dust a chance to find places to settle. Keep surfaces free of shit and put stuff away and GET RID of stuff. Live simply and without clutter, you do not need all the stuff, it is just clogging your kids airways.

For me, these are all simple way steps to reduce the triggers in your home. Again, I am NOT an expert, I am merely sharing my journey with you. My opinions are MY opinions. If you don't like them feel free to either stop reading, comment below, email me or go and whinge to someone whom you think might listen.

I am #makinggoddchoices for me and my tribe. You follow your own journey.

Melsy