Happy Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month! To some, “Happy Asthma and Allergy” might seem like a strange greeting. The official Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month of May brings misery to many asthma and allergy patients.
So, why would we say “Happy Asthma,” in our greeting? We chose this greeting because happy asthma or allergy patients are those who are controlling the condition. This only happens with the help of health providers like those at Florida Lung, Asthma and Sleep Specialists.
Dedicate, Celebrate and Advocate Asthma Awareness During May 2019
Spring is a Joyous Time For Some. Others Find it a Time of Misery With Allergy and Asthma
Although May is a well-favored month by many Floridians, others suffer most this time of year. Since 1984, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has been dedicating May as “National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month.”
Because this is the worst time of year for people with asthma and allergies, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) declared it is the best time “to educate patients, family, friends, co-workers, and others about these diseases.”
The AAFA: Covering An Umbrella of Conditions
This year the AAFA is clarifying that it stands for more than Asthma and more than food allergies. It covers many different conditions. Since the numbers have changed slightly over the last year, let’s review a few statistics:
- “More than 60 million Americans overall have asthma and allergies.”
- Likewise, “About 26 million Americans have asthma.” The AAFA states this includes “19 million adults and 6.2 million children.”
- We also know that “About 32 million Americans have food allergies (26 million adults and 6 million children.)
- Another statistic that might increase your awareness of a vast number of suffering individuals is that “About 21 million Americans have hayfever, rhinitis or nasal allergies (20 million adults and 5.6 million children.)”
What the Allergy and Asthma Awareness Facts Teach Us
These might open your eyes about the depth of suffering of people in your office or at your school. It’s a good bet that a large number of business employees are missing work and gobbling “over-the-counter medicines.” Instead of these measures, FLASS believes they should be treating and controlling their conditions under the guidance of a qualified health practitioner.
Looking Beyond the Asthma and Allergy Statistics
If You Have Allergy or Asthma, a Headdress of Flowers Might Be a Pollen-Laden, Miserable Style
Whereas the facts above show us how many people are suffering from asthma and allergies, they do not really “paint a picture of the overall impact these diseases have on people and communities.”
How can we look beyond the numbers and see the human face of these conditions?
- There are still myths out there about these conditions.
- And asthma and allergies can be challenging to manage.
“But it’s important to remember your condition doesn’t define you.” Such are the reasons for public campaigns like Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. We here at FLASS join forces with the AAFA and other associations in order to “help dispel the myths and help others see beyond the disease.” For more information, please check out this informative site.
The AAFA Awareness Crusade Marches on Social Media
The AAFA has set up some great ways for you to share your story if you are suffering from any of these conditions. You can show that you are more than your disease. For example, share a photo of how you are overcoming your symptoms and living a full life:
The AAFA Photo Contest
Show us how you are #morethanasthma. Take a picture showing how you overcome asthma barriers and live life fully. Images such as yours will help destroy the misconceptions people have about the disease. Check out how to upload it and enter the competition. Go to this amazing online resource to find more information.
More importantly, you are sharing your story with the AAFA online community.
By the way, if you live with food allergies there is a photo contest to show how you are beating your challenges also. More Than Food Allergies.
We hope you help the AAFA and FLASS raise awareness about how asthma and allergies are more than facts on a page.
We know how these conditions impact your life. The staff and healthcare providers also know that your disease does not have to define you, especially when you follow your FLASS Action Plan.
A Blogger’s Story: Avoiding the Triggers of Spring Allergy and Asthma
You might have seen a version of this story on the FLASS blog previously, but it’s so appropriate to the mission of Asthma Awareness month that we want to share it again:
Mommy, Baby Girl, and a grassy Trigger
The little five-year-old girl came running to her mother’s arms. She was gasping, wheezing. Her eyes were completely swollen shut and her nose was a bulb of red.
She waved a fist of wild-flowers at her mother and sobbed between her wheezes.
“It hit me!”
The mother, who knew allergy and asthma and triggers when she saw them, said: “What, what hit you, darling?”
“Thring,” she wheezed in dismay. It’s Thring-time, coughed the little girl. “Oh,” said the mother, “You mean spring time?”
“Yes,” cried the child, “Thring! I mean, Spring–It hit me here, huuuuh– here, in the chest!”
She waved the flowers and gasped, “T–t-tigers.”
“No, dear, triggers, and, don’t worry, we will learn to deal with them.”
A Warning for Asthma and Allergy Sufferers
Whether you are the child, the concerned parent or an adult, you might find great misery in May. Let’s face it: for some of us, Spring hurts.
Avoiding the Inevitable: Allergy and Asthma Triggers
As you might have guessed, the above story is biographical, referring to the FLASS blogger’s first memorable allergy and asthma attack. Fortunately, my mother, a registered nurse, got me to a pulmonary doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
Likewise, she followed some these time-honored tips. She made life more comfortable for me in spite of the Triggers that were on the loose.
Tips for Avoiding Allergy and Asthma Triggers
1. About Family Trips: When a family suffers from pollen allergies, they are most sensitive on hot, dry, and windy days. Plan family trips at cooler times.
2. Best Time to be Outside: You can’t always arrange it, but the best time for allergy and asthma sufferers to be outside is after a nice summer rain has washed the air.
3. Keeping The Count: Today, we can track pollen closer than in any previous generation. Several online sites provide up-to-date information on local pollen counts. Needless to say, asthma sufferers must avoid going outdoors during steep pollen counts.”
4. Time of Day: Ah! Morning sunshine–This is NOT a good thing if you have allergies. Do you know why? “Pollen counts are highest in the morning. So plan outdoor activities for later in the day.”
Outdoor Cautions
The Sweetest Flowers Can Be Dangerous If You Have Allergies and Asthma. Beware During the Asthma Months
5. Lawn Chores: At FLASS we highly discourage anyone with asthma, allergies or lung conditions from getting on or walking behind a lawn-mower. Another allergy-free member of the family, a pro-service or a friend should mow the lawn. When a patient must absolutely must mow the lawn, a mask should be worn as well as protective glasses. Highly sensitive individuals should use a “respirator mask with a HEPA filter.
6. Caution! One of the best tips for asthma and allergy patients is to toss their clothes into the washer and take a shower immediately after being outdoors when pollen and mold counts are high.
7. Shoe Tip! Likewise, it is a very good idea to leave your shoes on the porch or at least clean them well before entering the house. You might not want the dusty stuff that tracks onto the rug to end up in your lungs.
We hope these six tips can help our asthma and allergy sufferers to cope with their conditions. In spite of the triggers of mold and pollen, we wish you a controlled “happy asthma” spring. The Florida Lung, Asthma and Sleep Specialists thank you for reading our blog. And we hope you will help us spread awareness of asthma and allergies in this Asthma and Allergy month.