Exactly what triggers asthma varies from person to person, but the most common triggers include:

1)  Cold air or sudden changes in the weather can trigger asthma symptoms.  If you're affected by the cold, the following tips can help:

• Try breathing through your nose. This helps warm the air before it reaches your lungs.

• If you have to breathe through your mouth, wear a scarf or a special cold-weather mask to help humidify and warm the air you breathe, making it easier on your lungs.

• If you usually exercise outdoors, try exercising inside on cold days.

2) Exercise (especially in cold air) is a frequent asthma trigger. A form of asthma called exercise-induced asthma is triggered by physical activity. Symptoms of this kind of asthma may not appear until after several minutes of sustained exercise. (When symptoms appear sooner than this, it usually means that the person needs to adjust his or her treatment.) The kind of physical activities that can bring on asthma symptoms include not only exercise, but also laughing, crying, holding one's breath, and hyperventilating (rapid, shallow breathing). 

3) Air Pollution & Outdoor Triggers:
When you're outdoors, you have less control over the triggers you encounter. You can't, for example, vacuum the lawn if pollen is bothering you, and there's no air cleaner large enough to clean a city's air pollution.  Still, there are things you can do to help keep your asthma symptoms to a minimum. By making a few simple adjustments, and by taking your medication as directed, you can breathe easier when you're outside.

1. Molds
   Molds are asthma triggers for many people. A type of fungus, their spores float in the air where they're easily inhaled and can lead to coughing, sneezing, wheezing and chest tightness.  You'll find molds wherever it's damp. This includes piles of vegetation, stagnant water, garbage containers, damp basements and more.  If you're sensitive to mold spores, try the following:

• Have piles of grass removed from your lawn immediately after it is mowed

• If leaves accumulate on your lawn, have them raked frequently and removed immediately afterwards

• Have outdoor garbage cans or composters cleaned regularly

• Have outdoor containers that hold stagnant water removed

• Have your basement dried out

2. Pollens
   Pollens are a very common trigger for asthma symptoms. Generated by trees, grasses and weeds, airborne pollens are easily inhaled, especially during warm-weather months.  If you're allergic to pollen, there are a number of things you can do to stay healthy:

• Use a HEPA-filtered air cleaner .

• On days when the pollen count is high, use an air conditioner in your home and car, and also try to keep your windows closed as much as possible.

• If you usually exercise outdoors, consider exercising inside on days when the pollen count is high.

• Check the pollen count to see whether you should reduce the amount of time you spend outdoors.

• Shower and change your clothing if you've been outdoors on a high-pollen-count day.

• If there are plants in your yard that trigger symptoms, have someone remove them.

• Use a good furnace filter.

• Don't place trees or plants near windows, or near the air-intake of your furnace or air conditioner.

• Don't hang your laundry out to dry – use a clothes dryer instead.

• Don't touch plants that you think might be triggers – and if you do, wash your hands immediately afterwards.

4)  Indoor Triggers at Home & Work:
With mold, pollen and air pollution, you might think that you're more likely to encounter triggers outdoors than indoors. In fact, the opposite is true. Because houses built since the '70s are more "airtight" than older ones (as a consequence of the 1970s oil crisis and the need to conserve energy), indoor triggers can build up more than they used to. As a result, people with asthma are exposed to more indoor triggers than was the case several decades ago.  Fortunately, a great deal has been learned about asthma triggers that exist inside.  By educating yourself about indoor hazards, you'll discover simple ways to reduce their levels. Overall, you should: 

• keep the air quality in your environment as free of allergens as possible by using an air conditioner and/or air purifier with allergen filtering features

• shampoo your pets with an "allergen-formula" pet shampoo that neutralizes pet dander, ticks, etc.

1. Dust Mites
   Dust mite allergy is a common problem for people with asthma. The excretions and body parts of these tiny, spider-like creatures can be a powerful trigger of asthma symptoms.  Dust mites congregate in soft-surfaced places where there is an abundant food supply. Dust mites feed off shed human skin and are thus found in bedding, mattresses, pillows, sofas and carpets.  Effective strategies for minimizing dust mites are:

• Encase your pillow, mattress and boxspring in mite-allergen impermeable encasings

• Use a dehumidifier in damp area. Try to keep the humidity level below the 50 per cent mark, since dust mites can't survive in dry environments.

• Remove or frequently clean carpets, especially in the bedroom.

• Launder bed linens in very hot water (55 degrees Celsius).

2. Cockroaches
   Cockroaches are one of most hated household pests, and for good reason. Not only are they a terrible nuisance, their feces have been shown to trigger symptoms in individuals with asthma.  If your home has cockroaches, make sure that food and water are never left where they can get at them. To ensure they leave and never come back, call a professional exterminator.

3. Indoor Molds
   Molds are fungus that can be found just about anywhere it's damp and where air flow is minimal, like basements and bathrooms. Their airborne spores can trigger asthma symptoms, but there are many ways to avoid them:

• Clean moldy areas, especially in bathrooms, with an anti-mold cleaner; use "allergen-formula" cleaning and personal care supplies available at Allergy Savers , specifically designed to be easier on your skin like

• Ensure that you have proper drainage around your house.

• Use a dehumidifier to keep humidity below 55 degrees Celsius.

• Use fans that are vented to the outside in bathrooms and the kitchen.

• Reduce the number of your house plants. Silk plants may be an alternative.

• Use electric or hot-water radiant sources to heat your home. Forced-air systems can blow mold spores around.

• Have your ducts cleaned every five years.

5) Tobacco smoke: 
Today most people are aware that smoking can lead to cancer and heart disease. What you may not be aware of, though, is that smoking is also a risk factor for asthma in children, and a common trigger of asthma symptoms for all ages.  It may seem obvious that people with asthma should not smoke, but they should also avoid the smoke from others' cigarettes. This "secondhand" smoke, or "passive smoking," can trigger asthma symptoms in people with the disease. Studies have shown a clear link between secondhand smoke and asthma, especially in young people. Passive smoking worsens asthma in children and teens and may cause up to 26,000 new cases of asthma each year.   Medications like aspirin can also be related to episodes in adults who are sensitive to aspirin. Irritants in the environment can also bring on an asthma episode. These irritants may include paint fumes, smog, aerosol sprays and even perfume.  People with asthma react in various ways to these factors. Some react to only a few, others to many. Some people get asthma symptoms only when they are exposed to more than one factor or trigger at the same time. Others have more severe episodes in response to multiple factors or triggers. In addition, asthma episodes do not always occur right after a person is exposed to a trigger. Depending on the type of trigger and how sensitive a person is to it, asthma episodes may be delayed.

This article, along with many other allergy information articles can be found at:

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Induced Asthma
For people with exercise-induced asthma (EIA), their favorite physical activities can trigger asthma symptoms.  We have assembled some procedures to help you avoid setting off your asthma during exercise.

How to Avoid Induced Asthma
Symptoms of EIA are coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, or shortness of breath. People with EIA may experience difficulty breathing after brief exercise begins.  Airways are overly sensitive to sudden changes in temperature and humidity.  During strenuous activity, people tend to breathe through their mouths, thereby allowing colder, drier air to reach the lower airways without passing through the warming, humidifying effect of the nose. In addition to mouth breathing, air pollutants and high pollen counts may also contribute to exercise-induced asthma.

Some activities are better for those with EIA. Sports or activities with periods of rest are least likely to cause asthma symptoms. Activities followed by brief rest periods can allow the person to gain control of their breathing. Sports such as baseball, softball, volleyball, tennis, golf and some track and field events all have brief rest periods.

Exercise-induced asthma can be prevented most of the time. An effective way of treating EIA is to use a prescribed treatment prior to exercise with appropriate medications. Inhaled medications taken prior to exercise can prevent exercise from triggering asthma symptoms.

It is important to warm-up before you start any type of exercise. Your warm-up may include, 3-5 minutes of light jogging 10-15 minutes of light stretching of all major muscle groups.

Once your work out is over it important to properly cool down. Your cool down period should be a few minutes longer and may include, 5-10 minutes of easy walking and/or 15-20 minutes of light stretching.

Other Suggestions:
1) On cold days or in the mornings when temperatures are cooler, wear a light scarf or wrap to protect and warm your neck.
2) Try not to exercise during high pollen count days. Be aware of pollen levels in your area.
3) Pace yourself and only exercise within your capabilities.  Give yourself breaks in between your exercise routine. 
4) Drink plenty of fluids. 
5) Make sure to have your medicine or inhaler with you.
6) If you are in a group setting, make sure to let some else know that you have asthma.

  This article, along with many other allergy information articles can be found at:

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Household dust is not a single substance but rather a mixture of many materials. Dust may contain tiny fibers shed from different kinds of fabric, as well as tiny particles of feathers, dander from pet dogs or cats, bacteria, food, plant and insect parts, and mold and fungus spores. It also contains many microscopic mites and their waste products.  These waste products, not the mites themselves, are what cause allergic reactions. Dust mite waste contains a protein that is an allergen—a substance that provokes an allergic immune reaction—for many people. Throughout its life, a single dust mite may produce as much as 200 times its body weight in waste!  Dust mites can be controlled with air purifiers and specialized vacuum cleaners that remove them from your environment.    

How do you get rid of dust mites?  Most dust mites die when exposed to low humidity levels or extreme temperatures. But they leave their waste behind, which continues to cause allergic reactions. In a warm, humid house, dust mites can easily survive year round.  Having dust mites doesn't mean that your house isn't clean. In most areas of the world, these creatures are in every house, no matter how immaculate. But it is true that keeping your home as free of dust as possible can lessen dust mite allergy.  Again, there are a number of air purifiers , vacuum cleaners and air conditioners that are specifically designed to help in removing these allergens.

This article, along with many other allergy information articles can be found at:

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There are many types of allergies, all of which are triggered by allergens.  The materials that cause allergic disease in susceptible people are known as allergens. They enter our bodies in a variety of ways:  

• Inhaled into the nose and the lungs from sources such as airborne pollens of certain trees, grasses and weeds, house dust that include dust mite particles, mold spores, and cat and dog dander; these can be reduced or eliminated through disinfectant sprays ;

• Ingested by mouth from sources such as shrimp, peanuts and other nuts;

• Injected from sources such as reactions to penicillin, several other injected drugs, and stinging insect venom;

• Absorbed through the skin from exposure to poison ivy, sumac and oak.

Allergies seem to have some link to heredity. (If both your parents have them, it's more likely you'll develop them). There is some belief that babies, who are not breastfed, are more predisposed to developing allergies.  A depressed immune system can encourage the development of allergies.

Hay fever (allergic rhinitis) results from the presence of pollen, affecting mucous membranes of the nose, eyes and airways. There are three hay-fever seasons: February to May, late spring and summer, and fall (or ragweed pollen season).  The presence of pollen can be greatly reduced by air purifiers .

Allergies to molds are brought on when cutting grass, harvesting crops, walking through fields/meadows or raking up leaves. Molds grow wherever it is damp and dark such as bathrooms, kitchens, garages and trash cans.  These areas should be cleaned with an allergen formula cleaning solution.

The most common foods that people become allergic to are: chocolate, shellfish, wheat, dairy products, strawberries, eggs and sulfites.

This article, along with many other allergy information articles can be found at:

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There are a wide range of potential signs and symptoms of allergies depending on the route of the exposure (air, mouth, skin), the type of allergy and the level of exposure.  The main symptoms of allergies and early warning signs may include:

• asthma

• itchy, watery eyes

• itchy, runny nose

• the "allergic salute:" pushing up on the nose, causing a white crease to appear across the bridge of the nose

• itching

• eczema

• hives

• dark circles under and around the eyes

• recurring headache

• shortness of breath

• wheeze

• cough

• diarrhea

• stomach cramps

Because these signs and symptoms may indicate the presence of another disease rather than an allergy, they should be investigated by your physician.  If you do suspect allergies, there are a number of preventative measures you can take to reduce the exposure, such as cleaning your house thoroughly using allergen-formula cleaners, specialized vacuum cleaners and removing allergens from the air with an air purifier .

  This article, along with many other allergy information articles can be found at:

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ALLERGIES - Questions & Answers

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