For some people, it can be humidity.  While there is an old wives tale that we should all live in the desert if we have asthma, that isn’t really true.  Super dry air can be a trigger for a lot of asthmatics but so can humidity.   And humidity can breed mold which is an allergen and trigger for lots of people with allergy related asthma.   And dry places have issues too as Las Vegas is super dry but it also has lots of health issues such as “Vegas throat”.  There are also lots of allergens in the desert when it does rain.   And some places, like Las Vegas have embraced smoking culture and second hand smoke is bad for you and it is a major known trigger for asthmatics.

What can you do as an asthmatic?   KEEP A DIARY.

Having a bad asthma day?   Write down where you were, what you did, what you ate, what the temperature was, what the season was, the date, the weather.  Was it humid?  Was it raining? Had it been raining that week and everything was now just wet.   This can help you and your asthma team narrow down your triggers and plan for them.  You cannot control the weather obviously but you can control some things.  You can adapt your asthma plan to deal with seasonal things like allergies and humidity.  You can choose to not go certain places (like places where there will be a lot of smokers).   I go to a swap meet every other month and it is outdoors and I really like it but it has a section where all the dealers smoke and I just don’t go over there.  Do they have great things I might want to buy – who knows.  Maybe.  But it isn’t worth a possible day of asthma cough and inhaler side effects to find out.  I get muscle cramps if I use my inhaler more than a couple of times in a day and smoking is something that will cause me coughing and shortness of breath so I just avoid any situation I can control where there will be smokers.

Mold is also a major trigger of mine and I am almost like a human mold detector.  The Wal-Mart near my home used to be a major trigger so I avoided going there.  No idea what it was but I would need a cough drop after about 10 minutes and then a drink and then a puff of inhaler.  WHY DO THAT TO MYSELF?   Now I avoided that store for a few years and I did go in there a few months ago and they seemed to have fixed whatever was causing that.  My guess would be leaky roof or problem with the air system but it is now gone.   That said, there are several stores that cause this for me.  Not lots and not all.  But some.  I can smell mold in the Walgreens near my house and it does.  The Target near my house is fine, but the next one down the road is horrible.  I can’t smell mold but everything clogs up if I go in there.   My point here is that you CANNOT CONTROL mold in nature.  But you can control it when it is caused by humans.  Don’t shop in stores where you don’t feel well or seem to have issues.  There are tons of alternatives so if a store makes you have some allergy or asthma reaction — SKIP IT and go to the next one.  Your health is way more important that whatever you think you need at that store.

If some of your triggers are in your home, you have more options. 

1 – Check your furnace/AC and have it cleaned.

2 – Have your vents cleaned especially if you just bought a home (I had mine done when I bought my house and the crap that came out of there from the previous owner were amazing, gross but amazing)

3 – Consider using a spray or device to kill dust mites.  ( I use the spray below and I am sure you could make your own but you can actually feel the air being cleaner when you spray it and it is all natural)

4 – Use a high quality furnace filter (this is not a place to save a couple of bucks) and CHANGE IT OFTEN.

5 – Consider an air cleaner.   It can be extremely helpful.

6 – Keep pets out of your bedroom.

7 – Handle roofing issues and leaks and bathroom repairs and basement issues promptly.  These can all cause mold

So in summary………..

KEEP A DIARY when you have a reaction to the weather or something you think may be weather or allergen related.

AVOID PLACES YOU CAN CONTROL and fix the things you can fix.

Talk to your asthma specialist or medical professional to see what else you can do about weather and environmental triggers for your asthma.

Consider some changes in your home to eliminate or reduce triggers.

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