Breathing easy through the holidays - for asthmatics

  About holidays inhalation

It’s the second week in December and the holiday season is in full swing. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and the New Year. We are all caught up in shopping, decorating, entertaining and traveling. Throw asthma into the mix, and your stress level can soar, possibly making things worse. Hopefully, I can offer some tips and suggestions to keep you breathing easy into the New Year.

I’ll start with decorations. They’re beautiful and they are everywhere. Unfortunately, all those decorations that you brought out of the attic or up from the basement can mean problems for people sensitive to dust and mold. Think about all those decorations spending the better part of a year in a dark place in cardboard boxes. Artificial trees are notorious for harboring mold spores and dust mites.

Live trees also bring in mold and all the pollen that was blowing around before the trees were cut down and shipped to your town. Try to rinse the tree off before bringing it inside.

If it’s not too late, try to clean decorations before setting them about the house. And before you store them, consider investing in large, airtight plastic containers. Not only will they help control dust and mold build up, but little critters tend to avoid plastic.

Entertaining and visiting are lots of fun, but it throws you into new environments and unknown food. Remember, homemade foods are not labeled, so pay close attention especially if you are sensitive to peanuts. It’s okay to ask the cook what she used or to stay away from the goodies when at a party.

Another concern for holiday parties is sending your child to school. If your child has severe food allergies, especially peanuts, talk with your teacher so that she is aware of the problem. She can request that parents donate items that are peanut free. Some experts advise that you send your child to school with their own snack and that he/she abstain from eating the party food. While this is effective, young children don’t like to be different.

Of course, it’s hard to think about the holidays and not think about traveling. Many of us travel or have friends and relatives spend a few days with us. Traveling to new places can put us in contact with allergens and triggers we’ve worked hard to remove from our home environment. For a safe, uneventful trip, you need to plan ahead.

It sounds obvious, but refill your prescriptions about a week before your travel. Why a week? Well, everyone else is doing the same thing and sometimes pharmacies need 24 to 48 hours to fill your order. Take at least two Ventolins with you and keep your medication with you at all times. I keep my son’s meds in my makeup case; there’s no way I will to lose either!

Along with medication, take your doctor’s phone number and find out where the nearest pharmacy is when you arrive at your holiday destination. It’s always nice to be prepared.

As for location, try to find out if the person you’re visiting has animals, smokes or has a houseful of other key triggers. Perhaps they can keep the animal out of the room you’ll be sleeping in or refrain from smoking inside while you’re there. It is likely that many of these will be unavoidable, so ask your doctor about a good antihistamine or other temporary defense strategies.

We like to take my son’s allergen-barrier pillowcase. Pillows, especially foam pillows, are breeding grounds for mold and dust mites, which is why we got the case in the first place. Also, think about hotels. They only change the pillowcases; who knows what is on that pillow. Maybe I’ll get pillowcases for the whole family.

When it comes to asthma, you have to be vigilant at all times. Letting your guard down, especially over the holidays, could be the lump of goal in your stocking.

Breathe well and enjoy the holidays!

About the author:
Asthma



More health information - More asthma information