Asthma can't be cured, but it can be treated. With good asthma treatment, you should be almost symptom-free and enjoy an active life.

Asthma is a chronic disease - you have it all the time, even when you don't feel symptoms. To stay healthy and safe, you must follow your treatment at all times, even when you feel fine.

How to manage your asthma?

You can prevent breathing problems by controlling your asthma on an ongoing basis

1. Work with your doctor to get your asthma under control

For most people with asthma, it's possible to achieve good asthma control. If you have asthma attacks or feel your asthma symptoms a lot, your asthma is probably not as controlled as it could be. See you doctor, and ask for help to achieve better asthma control.
Signs of good asthma control

You know your asthma is under control if:

• You have daytime symptoms less than four times per week
• You don't miss school or work because of asthma symptoms
• Your physical activity is not limited by asthma
• Nighttime symptoms disturb your sleep less than once per week
• You have not had to take your asthma rescue medicine (blue inhaler) more than three times a week, except before exercising.

Signs of poor asthma control

Asthma symptoms may get worse slowly. By knowing the early warning signs of poor asthma control, you can help to prevent an asthma episode. Here are some symptoms that mean your asthma is out of control:

• You wake up at night because of coughing, wheezing or feeling short of breath more than one time per week
• Your rescue inhaler (blue puffer) doesn't work quickly or completely to remove your asthma symptoms
• You are using your rescue medication more than three times a week (except during exercise)
• Your asthma symptoms are stopping you from doing regular activities like exercise

If you have any one of these signs, see your doctor. Follow your doctor's advice as written in your asthma action plan.

If you don't have an asthma action plan, print one out and ask your doctor to help you complete it. Your doctor can explain what you should do if you are running into problems with your asthma. You can also ask a Certified Asthma Educator to explain how to use your asthma action plan to manage your asthma symptoms.

2. Follow your written asthma action plan

To take the guesswork out of managing your asthma, use an asthma action plan. Studies show that people who use their asthma action plan have better asthma control.

Your asthma action plan tells you:

• What symptoms you should watch for
• What your symptoms mean
• How to adjust your medication according to your symptoms

Ask your doctor to fill out an asthma action plan for you. Make sure you understand what the plan says. If you have any questions, ask your doctor. You can also discuss your action plan with a Certified Asthma Educator, a healthcare professional with special training in asthma management.

This asthma diary card can help you keep track of your symptoms; use it to record your symptoms every day. Working with your doctor or Certified Asthma Educator, you can use your diary card to see if there is a pattern to your asthma symptoms- are certain days, or certain times of the day, worse for your asthma? The diary card can also let you know if changes to your asthma medications are relieving your symptoms.

3. Avoid your asthma triggers

The best way to control you asthma is to make sure you stay away from triggers. Asthma triggers are things that make your asthma symptoms worse by irritating your airways. Asthma triggers make the muscles around your airways squeeze tightly.
Asthma triggers cause symptoms that:

• Usually come on suddenly
• May not last very long
• May be easy to relieve with a blue rescue inhaler

Each person will have his own set of asthma triggers. Some common asthma triggers are: fumes, smoke, and exercise. The table below offers more information on asthma triggers:

Other asthma triggers

Most people's triggers are inhaled (breathed in). But asthma symptoms may also be triggered by things you eat, drink, or swallow, like medication, for example:

• Sulphites (used to preserve some food, like dried fruit and red wine)
• MSG (a flavour enhancer for some food)
• Aspirin (never let a child or teen take aspirin)

Some people with asthma also have food allergies. People with any allergy that causes anaphylactic shock should keep their Epipen with them at all times.

4. Avoid your asthma inducers

Asthma inducers are things that cause swelling in your airways. Asthma inducers make your airways swollen, red, and filled with mucus. If you avoid your asthma inducers, you'll have fewer asthma symptoms.
Common asthma inducers include:

• Viral infections : colds, flu, etc.
• Allergies : Read more about allergies and how to avoid them

Asthma inducers cause symptoms that:

• May come on slowly
• May take a while to treat
• Can be treated with asthma preventer medicines

Viral infections: colds, the flu, and other viruses

Viruses like the cold and flu can infect people's airways and lungs. Viral infections are a common cause of asthma symptoms, especially in kids.

Some viruses that can cause lung and airway infections are:

• The common cold
• The flu (influenza)
• Pneumonia and others

Oftentimes, people know they have a virus because they have a runny nose or because they are coughing up mucus from their lungs.

If you can prevent viral infections, you will have fewer asthma symptoms. Here are some ways to prevent viral infections:

• Wash your hands properly and follow other germ-fighting tips
• Get the flu shot
• Get the pneumonia shot
• If you have a virus, pay attention to your symptoms. If your symptoms are getting worse, follow the directions in your asthma action plan. Your action plan may tell you to take more of your asthma preventer medication when you have a virus

How do I know what my asthma triggers and inducers are?

It may be hard to figure out which triggers or inducers give you asthma symptoms. It helps if you pay attention to when your asthma gets worse. Is it when the air is cold? When you are near your neighbour's cat? Paying attention to your symptoms will give you clues about your triggers and inducers.

Try using an asthma diary card to keep track of your symptoms and your surroundings. Show your asthma diary card to your doctor or Certified Asthma Educator for more help.

You can find out what your allergies are by getting allergy tests, including a skin prick allergy test.

Asthma triggers and inducers can work in combination

Keep in mind, asthma triggers and inducers can work in combination.

For example,
If your airways are already swollen because you have a chest infection, and then you go into a smoky room, your airways are less able that usual to cope with the smoke. The inducer and the trigger- the cold virus and the smoke- work in combination to make your asthma worse.

There's no need to get rid of every possible asthma trigger and inducer - just the ones that set off YOUR asthma

It's expensive and time-consuming to get rid of all possible triggers and inducers from your surroundings. Sometimes people spend a lot of money fixing things that might be triggers for other people but aren't triggers for them. In the end, they may still be exposed to the things that trigger their asthma. For example, they may give away the family dog when it's really pollen that triggers their asthma symptoms. You don't have to get rid of every possible asthma trigger and inducer- just the ones that bother you.

5. Take your asthma medications as prescribed

To keep your asthma well-controlled and to prevent asthma attacks, it's very important to take your asthma medications exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Taking your medication regularly means you can avoid asthma emergencies.

Many people think they can skip their medications when they don't feel sick- that's not true. Asthma is a chronic disease, which means you have it all the time, even when you don't feel symptoms. That's why taking your medication as prescribed is so important.