The jewel-toned colors and rich aromas of Autumn stimulate our senses with images of natural beauty. It is no wonder that this is the favored season of the year for many people. Others, typically those who suffer with asthma, find this a cautionary season. If you have asthma, the Florida Lung Doctors remind you that Autumn brings many triggers that might cause a reaction.

“In the fall, there are numerous triggers that can make asthma worse,” says David L. Rosenstreich, MD, professor of medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, chief of the division of allergy and immunology at the Montefiore Medical Center, and director of the Bronx Asthma Project in New York. “We see a lot more emergency room visits due to asthma starting in the fall.”

Trigger 1. Mold Can Mess Up Your Day!
Both Spring and Fall arrive with a multitude of molds! You can never make friends with mold, but the best offense is a good defense: For example, you can utilize hypoallergenic mattress covers and pillow cases. You can turn on a dehumidifier in the basement. To learn more ways of making your house asthma friendly, read here.

Trigger 2. Step away from that field of white Flowers!

At a distance, ragweed looks like a field of lacy flowers like Queen Anne’s Lace or Baby’s Breath, but it can be as ugly as its name. The best cure for this common fall allergen is avoidance. Stay indoors during the high-flying hours of the pollen, 10:00am to 3:00p.m. Pre-treatment also helps steer clear of this asthma inducing trigger. Dr. Rosenstreich advises, “There are both prescription and non-prescription allergy medications available, including non-drowsy antihistamines and steroid nasal sprays. Start taking these medications several days before the ragweed season starts — don’t wait until you have symptoms.”

Trigger 3. Say “no” to dancing with the falling leaves!
If you have asthma, you must avoid throwing, raking or rolling in the beautiful gold, red and orange leaves that give this season its beauty. Enjoy them at a distance. “Fall leaves can be breeding grounds for mold.” Dr. Rosenstreich, says, “Not only can mold grow on wet, dead leaves, but its spores can also travel easily in the crisp fall air.”

Trigger 4. Back away from that marshmallow roasting!
Smoke inhalation can easily trigger asthma. Look at the smoke, and stand away from the way the wind is blowing it so that you can avoid a reaction.

Trigger 5. (See Trigger 4!) Avoid that homey hearth!
Your wood fireplace is also a source for smoke inhalation, even though you think it is clean, and you believe it does not make enough smoke for an asthma trigger! “Persistent exposure to fireplace smoke is associated with more severe asthma.” Wood is not the only possible culprit in the home arena of asthma triggers. Dr. Rosenstreich adds, “Kerosene and gas space heaters can also make asthma worse. Avoiding these heat sources altogether is the best way to prevent asthma.”

Trigger 6. Do not play catch with cold and flu viruses! Did you know that people with asthma tend to get much worse cases of flu? It is true, and that is why the Lung Doctors recommend being certain asthma patients are given their flu shots. The flu shot might help to lessen the severity of the virus, or flu you might contact in the average classroom, church or shopping mall.

Trigger 7. Use your muffler or scarf!
That icy chill is not just bracing! A blast of cold air, even without leaves or mold, can trigger asthma, all by itself.. It is known that cold air can cause constrict airways in the lungs. Sometimes, medical labs even use cold air to assist in diagnosing asthma. “When you have to go outdoors, try wrapping a scarf around your nose and mouth; this will help warm the air before you breathe it in.”

Even from your window, Autumn can be a visual feast for your eyes. Enjoy it, but be aware of these possible triggers for your asthma.

At this time, it is appropriate for the physicians and staff the Florida Lung, Asthma & Sleep Specialists to send their Thanksgiving Greetings to all of their patients, their patients’ families, and all of our friends in Florida, in the USA, and in countries all around the world!  We hope you enjoy the many blessings of this Day of Gratitude.

A Thanksgiving Quotation:

“To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant,
to enact gratitude is generous and noble,
but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.” By Johannes A. Gaertner