Talk to your physician about medication that will stop these attacks, before you they get too scary and out-of-control. Avoiding attacks isn t always as easy as taking medication. There are other things you can do to make living with asthma much easier, steps you can take that make avoiding attacks an easy enough task. 3) Flare up and get very severe, then disappear for long periods. 4) Symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe for extended periods of time. The cause of asthma is not actually known; sometimes it appears genetic, but then identical symptoms pop up in a vacant gene pool of non-asthma sufferers. The sad truth is that, even with all our advanced knowledge of how things work and why, there is still not even any known 'cure' for asthma suffers. Some circumstances you should come equipped with for the doctors evaluation are: - Your medical history - What your symptoms are How frequently they occur How they change with medication Individual triggers for symptoms - Your own allergies - Your family history On your visit, a doctor will test your lung function, using peak flow monitoring and spirometry to determine how quickly you expel air. If you child suffers more than two attacks a week he will probably be prescribed inhalers, they can also be given a breathing mask which may make the drugs easier to administer, although it might be a little scary at first it will help him or her breath easier. Children Pre- school children obviously need help with managing their medication, and an adult must give it to them till they learn how themselves. But here is the news, no matter how unhappy to read, to separate urban legend from fact. A common misconception is that only fur or feathers is what cause a reaction in those susceptible to asthma. In fact, pet hair is sometimes tolerable for people with asthma. Triggers in your pet may include: -Dander (skin) -Saliva -Urine/Feces -Other secretions And it s not just cats or dogs that are prime candidates for the asthmatic. Living with asthma absolutely does not mean living with breathing difficulties all the time, every single day. Many asthma sufferers manage their condition through medication very easily. Your doctor can talk to you more about asthma medication, and you ll find that your local pharmacist is always willing to answer questions you may have about any type of medicine.