Do you suffer from asthma and live in an area with adverse air quality? Poor air quality can be especially problematic for individuals with asthma. To minimize the health risks associated with poor air quality, Asthma & Allergy Associates offers the following tips for dealing with poor air quality due to fires in nearby states:
Tips To Protect Yourself From Bad Air Quality
Tip 1: Local Air Quality Index
Check your local air quality index on a daily basis and plan accordingly. This will help you make decisions on whether it is safe to go outside or if you should stay indoors.
Tip 2: Outdoor Precautions
When outside, wear a face mask or respirator rated for protection against pollution particles in your environment. Children with asthma are more susceptible to problems with irritation, so indoor activities are highly recommended.
Tip 3: Indoor Precautions
Consider investing in an indoor air purifier that traps particulate matter to prevent it from entering your home and exacerbating asthma symptoms. Alternatively, set the A/C to recirculate mode, close vents, and keep windows closed.
Important: If you use oxygen at home, don’t adjust levels before talking to your doctor.
Tip 4: Limitations
Limit outdoor activities when the air quality is poor, such as during periods of high ozone levels or heavy smog days.
Tip 5: Contact Asthma Allergy Associates, PC
Contact our clinic to schedule a time to talk to one of our immunologists at Asthma & Allergy Associates about your asthma triggers and what you can do to avoid them. One of our physicians will be able to provide additional tips on how to manage asthma in poor air quality conditions. Call us immediately if your breathing symptoms worsen, such as increased coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath.
Our physicians have provided continuous allergy care to the people of southern Colorado for over 80 years. Our allergy clinic is the only one in Southern Colorado with doctors who have been presidents of and prior executive members of the Boards of Directors of the two national allergy societies, have been presidents of the Colorado Allergy Society and the Western Society of Allergy and Immunology, have done extensive clinical research, and have published many peer-reviewed journal articles on allergy and asthma in the national and international medical literature.
To get more information on how to deal with adverse air quality or to schedule an appointment with one of our allergen professionals, give the staff at Asthma and Allergy Associates a call today and feel better tomorrow!