This will give you hints, suggestions, and red flags so you re more aware of what to look out for and are prepared when symptoms creep up. Sample plans are available online or you can speak with your doctor and they may have ideas about what's worked for their patients in the past. For this discussion today, let s say there are three 'zones' in the life of an asthmatic. No amount of medication will help fix the damage that smoking can do, especially to those who already have existing breathing problems. Living smoke-free isn't as difficult as it may sound. There are many products available today that control the craving for cigarettes, and your doctor can even prescribe aids that will help you kick any existing smoking habit. Monitor your reliever use. If it increases, you can tell your asthma in general is getting worse. Treating a disease like asthma has no cure-all. No matter what that late nigt infomercial tells you. However with proper monitoring, communication between you and your health care provider, and personal responsibility, you can take part in assuring your health is maintained in a continuous, long-term way. If you follow the asthma plan your doctor or asthma nurse gives you, there should be few problems because of asthma. Remember Remember if your child is at pre-school, playgroup, with a child minder baby sitter or anyone else make sure they are aware of the fact that your child has asthma and that they no how to administer your Childs medication and what they should do in the case of a sudden severe asthma attack. 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. Often times they reach for a rescue inhaler, sometimes an attack comes on so fierce they re forced into the triage unit of the emergency room of the nearest hospital. Knowing and avoiding your own triggers can be an important step in the journey of living with and dealing with asthma. A trigger is something that inflames airways, leading to asthma symptoms.