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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 25 million Americans live with asthma – a lung condition in which your airways become swollen and narrow and produce extra mucus, making breathing difficult for you to breathe in and out.
Asthma, when left untreated, can be life-threatening. Currently, there is no cure for asthma, but thankfully, many treatments can help you control the symptoms and live a normal life.
Let’s talk about different types of asthma treatments that an asthma doctor can recommend to help relieve your asthma symptoms and where you can go for asthma treatment in Downers Grove, Naperville, Elmhurst, and Plainfield, IL.
#1 Medications
Generally, your asthma specialist may recommend medications for asthma treatment after taking into account a number of things, including your age, severity of symptoms, asthma triggers, and what provides you relief from asthma symptoms.
Two types of medications are used for the treatment of asthma. These are:
Quick Relief Medications
Your asthma doctor may prescribe rescue inhalers or quick relief inhalers, which are used for immediate and short-term relief from asthma symptoms during a flare-up.
Short-acting beta-agonists, such as albuterol and levalbuterol, are delivered using these inhalers. Anticholinergic agents and some corticosteroids (oral and intravenous) can also be used for short-term asthma relief.
Always keep your rescue inhaler with you – on your bed, at work, etc. so that you use it in case of a bad asthma flare.
Long Term Asthma Control Medications
For long-term asthma control, your doctor can prescribe medicationsthat you should take daily. These medications keep your asthma under control and reduce the likelihood of an asthma flare-up.
Medications used for long-term asthma control include inhaled corticosteroids, leukotriene modifiers, and theophylline. A combination of long-acting beta-agonists and corticosteroids can also be used for long-term asthma control.
#2 Immunotherapy
Your lung doctor can prescribe immunotherapy or allergy shots if an allergen triggers your asthma.
In Immunotherapy treatment, your doctor will identify the allergen by performing different allergy tests, such as blood tests and skin tests. After identifying the culprit of your asthma flare-up, your doctor will use the identified allergen in a very small but gradually increasing amount to treat your allergy-induced asthma.
With time, these allergy shots decrease your immune system’s reaction to that specific allergen, preventing asthma attacks
#3 Biologics
For the treatment ofpersistent asthma, your asthma specialist may recommend biologics. These biologics are monoclonal antibodies that stop the substances thatmediate the pathway that leads to airway swelling and breathing problems.
For instance, the biological drug Omalizumab (Xolair) inhibits the mechanism by which histamine is released and causes asthma symptoms.
#4 Complementary therapies
Your asthma specialist may also recommend some complementary therapies as a possible treatment for your asthma. These complementary therapies include:
- Breathing exercises to improve your breathing.
- Traditional Chinese herbs, such as turmeric, garlic, and ginseng, are Chinese herb combinations, to name a few.
Asthma treatment in Downers Grove, Naperville, Elmhurst, and Plainfield, IL
Asthma can be life-threatening without proper and timely intervention and if left untreated.
If you are one of those 25 million Americans who are suffering from asthma and seek a lasting solution,visit us at Oak Brook Allergists, where our board-certified asthma specialists are highly experienced in providing the diagnosis and treatment of asthma, allergies, eczema, and other immunological disorders. Our asthma doctors are committed to providing you with advanced, comprehensive, and individualized care to help you feel good and breathe easier.
Want to make an appointment with one of our asthma specialists? Feel free to call us at (630) 574-0460 or fill out our convenient online appointment request form.
