6 Myths About Asthma Are Absolutely Not True
Asthma is a disease of the respiratory tract due to inflammation and narrowing of the airways. Usually, asthma is characterized by difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing or wheezing. Asthma attacks can appear suddenly and occur more than once. Usually, an asthma attack takes place quickly or even more than one day. The second attack can be more severe and dangerous than the first.
Although asthma is not a fatal disease, however, asthma is a serious disease because if it is not handled properly it will still make the patient feel uncomfortable in their activities. But unfortunately, not many know about asthma properly. In fact, there have been many myths related to asthma that have caused misconceptions about asthma.
Here are some of the myths reported by Hello Sehat (hellosehat.com) regarding asthma that you need to know.
Myth 1: Asthma is a genetic disease (offspring)
This opinion is not true, because you can still have asthma even though there is no history of asthma in your family. Asthma can be caused by asthma triggers, namely environmental factors.
Myth 2: Asthma can be healed
Many people believe that asthma can be cured, especially when they feel that they no longer feel symptoms of asthma. In fact, asthma can only be controlled, not cured, because asthma is a chronic disease that is triggered by pathological abnormalities which means that the nature of allergies in asthma will always remain.
Controlling asthma usually depends on the severity. If you do not feel symptoms of asthma, it does not mean that you have completely recovered from asthma. Therefore, one way to control asthma is to use an inhaler or you must avoid asthma triggers, such as stress, anxiety, dust, smoke, cold air, etc.
Myth 3: Asthma sufferers should not exercise
Exercise can be done by people with asthma, especially if the asthma sufferer has done the right treatment. Asthma sufferers are more encouraged to exercise in an environment that has high humidity because a dry environment can cause airway constriction due to drying of the airways. And one sport that is often carried out by people with asthma is swimming.
But apparently, until now there has been no scientific evidence that states the relationship between swimming and healing asthma. Regular exercise such as swimming can only improve fitness and lung function; and if you match the type of exercise you do, then, the symptoms of asthma will decrease.
Myth 4: Inhalers can make addiction
Usually, asthma medications are given through an inhaler. The inhaler works by sending asthma drugs directly into the respiratory tract by inhaling from the mouth. Although the use of inhalers is effective for controlling asthma, there are still many people who think that inhalers can be addictive.
Unfortunately, this fact is not true because using an inhaler is the same as toothbrush activity that will not the addiction; but both, including the use of inhalers, are good habits for controlling asthma.
Myth 5: Steroid drugs are dangerous because they have side effects
Steroids are known to have many side effects such as osteoporosis, weight gain, easy bruising, diabetes, cataracts, heartburn, depression or digestive disorders. As a result, many people are worried about using these steroid drugs. In fact, one of the best methods for controlling asthma is using drugs that contain corticosteroids which are copies of steroids that are produced naturally in our body. Thus, steroids are a very safe and effective treatment for asthma. Moreover, if you use steroids with a dose that is not excessive and according to the doctor's advice, then, steroids will not harm your body.
Myth 6: Everyone has the same asthma symptoms
In fact, everyone has different asthma symptoms. Some symptoms of asthma that may be owned by everyone will vary, including: chest tightness, wheezing, fatigue, or coughing.
