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Controlling Your Asthma

Child with asthma?
Controlling asthma
Child with asthma? What you can do:
  • If you have a child with asthma make sure to provide a copy of your response plan to child's school or daycare provider.
  • If your child is old enough to understand his or her plan, he or she will be an active part of keeping the plan on track.
  • If not, you may need to train someone at the facility how to use a peak flow meter, write the results in a log book and, if needed, provide medications.
  • Make sure any physical education or gym teachers are aware of the plan and ready to allow the child to reduce participation on bad asthma days.
More about asthma in children
If you take control of your asthma, you can keep living the life you want to lead. If not, you may miss many activities you enjoy. Your symptoms can become more dangerous and require visits to hospital emergency rooms. Left uncontrolled, asthma may cause permanent damage.  

Start with a plan

The first step in taking control of asthma is having a plan. Your plan should cover how you will do the day-to-day things that keep your asthma under control:
  • Check 
    Learn to use a simple tool called a "peak flow meter" to measure your breathing regularly.
  • Medications 
    There are medications that will help you depend on an inhaler less often or even not at all.
  • Triggers 
    Reduce the asthma triggers in your home, office or schoolroom to keep symptoms from starting or getting worse.
  • Exercise
    Improve your lungs' use of oxygen. It can also help reduce the number of asthma attacks you have.

Last modified 04/22/08