Current Asthma Treatments | Covenant Allergy and Asthma


In our last two blogs, we talked about the various treatments available for allergies. This time, we’d like to tell you more about treatments for asthma. At Covenant Allergy and Asthma, we want to help you live your life to the fullest. With proper treatment asthma does not have to limit you!

Your Asthma Management Plan
The key to every effective asthma treatment is the asthma management plan. Your plan will empower you to control your asthma instead of asthma controlling you. Your plan should include:

  • Environmental control measures such as the avoidance of asthma triggers like specific allergens, exercises, irritants, emotions, weather changes, and more.
  • The objective measurement of lung function, which might include peak flow meters.
  • The recognition of early symptoms.
  • The use of preventive medications.
  • The knowledgeable use of a step-up treatment with an “asthma action plan.”

Asthma Medications
There are two typical categories of medications for asthma: long-term control and quick relief.

Long-term control medications are taken regularly to achieve and maintain control of asthma. These medications may also be called preventive, controller or maintenance medications.

There are a few types of long-term control medications:
* Anti-inflammatory medications include inhaled corticosteroids and non-corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are considered the most effective long-term control medications for asthma.

  • Long-acting bronchodilators are used to control bronchoconstriction and are used in addition to anti-inflammatory medications.

  • Leukotriene modifiers are mild asthma medications that come in either pill or granule form and can help decrease bronchospasm, mucus production and inflammation of airways.

  • Anti-IgE therapy is a newer injectable treatment for those with moderate to severe allergic asthma. It works by reducing the production and diffusion of Immunoglobulin E, which is a primary trigger of allergic inflammation in the airways of the lung.

Quick relief medications are quick acting meds which are taken to provide fast relief from symptoms like coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath due to an asthma flare-up. These are often called rescue medications.

There are three types of quick-relief medications:

  • Short-acting beta agonists relieve asthma symptoms quickly and some can help prevent exercise-induced asthma. These are the go-to medications for treating an asthma episode.

  • Anticholinergics are sometimes used in conjunction with short-acting beta-agonists during an asthma episode.

  • Oral Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory agents sometimes used to treat asthma flare-ups, but these can take up to eight hours to become effective.

Acupuncture
Acupuncture is one of the oldest and most commonly used medical procedures in the world. It refers to a family of procedures which cause stimulation to anatomical points on the body by a variety of techniques. The most common and widely studied version of acupuncture involves painlessly penetrating the skin with hair thin needles.

Are you interested in finding relief from your asthma symptoms and learning more about our treatments? Covenant Allergy and Asthma would like to help. Visit our website today to learn more about our clinics and make your appointment.