Local Asthma Resources

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Local Asthma Resources

via Riverside County Department of Public Health

Help Spread the Word — the Riverside County Department of Public Health offers FREE asthma services to children and seniors.

Its program offers education to help people control their asthma, as well as supplies including spacers, peak flow meters, and allergen-proof mattress and pillowcase covers. For more information on the program, call 951.358. 4977.

More About Asthma via the CDC

The spring season is always a good time to re-educate yourself about asthma as triggers for the condition are numerous during this time of year.

According to the CDC, “Asthma is a lifelong disease that causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. It can limit a person’s quality of life. While we don’t know why asthma rates are rising, we do know that most people with asthma can control their symptoms and prevent asthma attacks by avoiding asthma triggers and correctly using prescribed
medicines, such as inhaled corticosteroids.”

As stated in the above paragraph, asthma rates have been on the raise for the past number of years.”The number of people diagnosed with asthma grew by 4.3 million from 2001 to 2009. From 2001 through 2009 asthma rates rose the most among black children, almost a 50% increase.”

How to Manage Asthma

Proper education is an important part in managing asthma and preventing attacks. According to the CDC,

  • “People with asthma can prevent asthma attacks if they are taught to use inhaled corticosteroids and other prescribed daily long-term control medicines correctly and to avoid asthma triggers. Triggers can include tobacco smoke, mold, outdoor air pollution, and colds and flu.
  • In 2008 less than half of people with asthma reported being taught how to avoid triggers. Almost half (48%) of adults who were taught how to avoid triggers did not follow most of this advice.
  • Doctors and patients can better manage asthma by creating a personal asthma action plan that the patient follows.”

An asthma action plan looks something like this:

Asthma Action Plan Stages

Green Zone: Doing Well

No cough, wheeze, chest tightness, or shortness of breath; can do all usual activities. Take prescribed longterm control medicine such as inhaled corticosteroids.

Yellow Zone: Getting Worse

Cough, wheeze, chest tightness, or shortness of breath; waking at night; can do some, but not all, usual activities. Add quick-relief medicine.

Red Zone: Medical Alert!

Very short of breath; quick-relief medicines don’t help; cannot do usual activities; symptoms no better after 24 hours in Yellow Zone. Get medical help NOW.

Full Action Plan:http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/actionplan.html