Asthma Education

Asthma Education

Asthma Myths

• Foods do not trigger asthma episodes
• All asthma can be controlled using proper breathing techniques
• If you strengthen your immune system, your asthma will go away
• If you haven't had an episode for (some stretch of time) you can stop taking your medications
• It's not asthma, it's a cold
• It's not asthma, it's bronchitis
• I'm allergic to xxx, so your asthma must be triggered by xxx
• Asthma is rare
• All asthmatics are about to drop dead
• Asthma only shows up as an attack
• If you really wanted to be better you would be
• If it worked for me, it will work for you

Asthma Triggers you may not be aware of from A - Z:

• activity, air conditioners (cold air, molds), anger, anxiety, animals (hair, skin, saliva), aspirin
• baseball (running), basketball (running), bedding (dust), bees (venom), birds, blossoms (odor), books (dust), bubble baths (odor)
• canopy beds (dust), carpets (dust, molds), cats, chalk, chemicals (odor), chocolate, cigarettes (irritant), citrus foods, clams, cold air, colds, crab, curtains (dust)
• dampness (mold), deodorants (odor), dew (mold), dirt, dogs, dolls (doll hair), down comforters, down sleeping bags, down pillows, drapes, dried flowers (mold), dust
• eggs, emotions, excitement, excercise, exertion, exhaust fumes (odor)
• fans (dust), fear, feathers, fighting, filters, fire (fumes), foam rubber (mold), flowers, fog (mold), food coloring, football (running), forced air vents (dust, mold), fright, fruits (citrus), furnaces, fur
• gardens, gardener's blowers, gasoline (fumes), grasses (pollen)
• hair spray (fumes), hay (mold), heating vents (dust, mold), hockey (running), horses, humidifiers (mold)
• ice cream, influenza, illness, insect spray
• jasmine (odor), juices (citrus), jumping, jute (plant)
• kapok (plant), kittens
• latex rubber, laughing, leather, leaves, lemons, life jackets (made of kapok)
• macrame (plant), malts, mildew (molds), milk, milk products, mites, moisture, mold, mushrooms
• nervousness, nighttime, nuts
• onions, oranges, oysters
• paint (odor), peanut butter, peanuts, penicillin, perfumes (odor), pets (hair, skin), pickles, picture frames (dust), pillows, plants, playing, pollens, pollution, powders (odor)
• quarreling, quizzes (emotions)
• rain, rugs, running
• sawdust, screens, seafood, shellfish, shelves (dust), shower curtains (mold), shutters, smog, smoke (odor), soaps (odor), sports, sprays, strawberries, stress, stuffed animals (dust)
• tension, tests, tomatoes, toys (dust), trees (pollen)
• urethane (odor), upper respiratory infections, upsets
• vacuuming (dust), vaporizers (mold), varnish (odor), venetian blinds (dust), vents, volleyball
• weather, weeds (pollen), wind, wool, worry
• xylene (chemical used as solvent for resins and in making dyes)
• yarn (wool), yeast
• zinnias, zoo (animals)

Not everyone will have these triggers. This just gives you an idea of what might trigger an asthma attack for you or someone close to you. If you suspect you may have asthma contact your family physician as soon as possible.