How To Proactively Manage Your Asthma (NAPSA)—Many women with asthma become overwhelmedbyit and let it control the way theylive their lives. Dr. Monica Kraft, Director of Duke University’s Allergy, Asthma and Airway Cen- ter, who is featured in a television special entitled “Breathing Easy: Women & Asthma,” talks about effective ways in which women with asthma can accomplish goals andlive the life they want. “One of my patients decided that she wanted to start running at the age of 48, but after a quarter mile she was wheezing and coughing,” says Dr. _ Kraft. “Together, we worked on ways to Dr. Monica Kraft enable her to run. She now has a goal of completing a 10k runningrace.” In the show, Dr. Kraft advises that if you have asthma,it’s impor- tant to put yourself first and not let asthma control your life. You have to find the right doctor with whom you can build a long-term relationship because on-going follow-up is the key to managing your asthma. Then you haveto describe your symptoms and how often you are using your fast-acting inhaler. Tell your doctor how these symp- toms keep you from doing what you wantor need to do. Your doctor can help you set goals—whether it’s running or gardening without getting out of breath—and let you know that such goals do not have to be out of reach. You must learn to recognize your symptomsandtheirtriggers. There are many ways that you can help control your asthma. The most important step is talk- ing to your doctor about ways to manage asthma. If you believe your asthmais starting to control To Proactively Manage Your Asthma: Be Engaged in the management of your condition. Bein Touch with Yourself by being aware of your environment and how you respond to it. Set Important Goals so your asthma won't control you. Source: Dr. Monica Kratt @ your life, Dr. Kraft offers the fol- lowing tips on how to help your doctor best serve you: Find out what you can about asthma so you can identify the symptoms and how it might be affecting your life. There are many great informational tools out there, including Websites like www.asthmaawarenessedu.com and the television show “Breathing Easy: Women & Asthma,” that can help womenidentify goals and find ways to talk to their doctors about asthma management. Think about your rescue inhaler use—do you use it more than twice a week? Do you useit at particular times? e Try to identify the specific environments or situations that trigger symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest tightening, lung burning, wheezing and coughing. Identify what you feel if and/or when you wake up at night. Identify what you feel when you first wake up in the morning. e What medications have you taken in the past that are or aren't related to asthma? e What medications are you currently taking? With the right tools and medications and the knowledge of how and when to use those tools, you can control your asthma.
