anti-inflammatory Archives - I'd Rather Walk

How Your Asthma and Allergies Change Over Time

Most recently updated July 7th, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 18 minutes

If you live in the South, you know all about the annual yellow haze that hangs in the air and the yellow dust that covers every surface in the Spring.

This year we’ve had an especially prolonged pine pollen season. It started in February, and was still going strong in early April.

If you’re lucky, it’s just annoying.

Author, out standing in a field - full of bees! — Author, out standing in a field – full of bees!

Other people spend weeks this time every year wheezing and sneezing and taking LOTS of allergy meds.

Still another group of people (who never used to wheeze or sneeze in the Spring) find that they suddenly HAVE become allergic to the pervasive yellow dust….or something else, like, say bee stings.

How can that be? What happened?

The truth is that allergies and asthma, including what your triggers are, can change over time and strike without warning.

Bee Legends, Folklore, and Mythology — A busy bee doing it’s thing.

I experienced an unexpected new allergy earlier this year, with frightening and nearly deadly results!

Read on to learn more about my death-defying experience, plus how allergies change, and what you can do about it.

Continue reading How Your Asthma and Allergies Change Over Time

Asthma’s Effects on Mental Health

Most recently updated July 7th, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 17 minutes

It’s been a while since I’ve written about anything asthma-related.

Of course, those of you living with this chronic illness already know that for us, everything is asthma related 😉

That’s kind-of what I’d like to talk about today…

I'm not really one for sharing my feelings, especially about my chronic asthma. — I’m not one for sharing my feelings about my chronic asthma.

One reason I started this blog was to share my ongoing quest to enjoy a “wheeze free” life – in hopes that my experience could help someone else.

I’ve written posts about what kind of diet and supplements helped, what kind of exercises worked, the latest medications, how to clean the air inside your home – and much more.

But one thing I’ve never written about is how chronic asthma makes you feel.

I’ll share my experience – and of course, the latest research – here, in hopes it might help you or someone you care for!

Continue reading Asthma’s Effects on Mental Health

What’s the Best Medicine for Your Asthma?

Most recently updated July 7th, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 17 minutes

If you or your children are asthmatic, you’ve probably spent a lot of time looking for the best medicine for your asthma.

Or maybe looking for better asthma treatments, if you’ve already been prescribed something.

If you’ve read some of my other posts, you know that I’ve had asthma and have been fighting it my whole life, with both medical and non-medical tools.

In the U.S., asthma affects more than 25 million people.

There is no cure, but some people do “grow out” of it (meaning you don’t have obvious symptoms), and medical drugs are available that treat the symptoms for those that have them.

I didn’t grow out of it, and from childhood through young adulthood, my parents tried all available medical options to make my illness better.

But in spite of allergy shots and prescribed inhalers and pills, my asthma got worse every year.

Pine pollen is a huge problem in the South

Finally, as a young adult, I had an epic attack that led to complete respiratory failure and several days unconscious on a ventilator.

When I woke up, the doctors just told me to take more medicine and stay in a controlled environment.

That’s when I became very pro-active in my search for better treatments and lifestyle choices to reduce my asthma symptoms and prevent future severe attacks.

Author happily viewing the Canyon for the first time! — Author happily viewing Bryce Canyon for the first time!

I’ve had some success 🙂

In this post I tell you about the prescribed medical options available now, and the ones I’ve used – and mostly still use – that appear to help my chronic asthma.

For inspiration I’m also sharing photos of beautiful places I’ve been able to hike, without any trouble breathing!

Continue reading What’s the Best Medicine for Your Asthma?

Asthma and COVID-19: Are You at Higher Risk?

Most recently updated July 7th, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 20 minutes

If you have asthma, like I do, you may be extra concerned about how COVID-19 could affect your health.

COVID-19, after all, is a respiratory disease and those of us with asthma have had bad experiences with those.

And by “concerned” I might also mean frightened, anxious, panicky… 😉

The COVID-19 virus is known to cause problems in the respiratory tract (nose, throat and lungs).

Because asthma is also a respiratory disease, it’s been assumed that people with asthma have a greater chance of catching the virus and getting very sick from it than other people.

It’s a reasonable assumption, and asthmatics have been classified as “high risk” since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But I’m here to tell you, I’ve done the research, and at this point – maybe for the first time ever – asthmatics are just like everyone else 🙂

It’s important to know that currently there’s no evidence of increased COVID-19 infection rates in those with asthma.

And now, after months of studying this new disease, medical and infectious disease experts have been able to create a more exact picture of the risk to asthmatics.

Since the release of the vaccines, there have also been questions about the possible risk to people with allergic reactions. I’ll tell you what I found about the current CDC advice.

(I’ve included photos of my garden and places I’ve traveled, as a reminder both that while there is beauty to be found at home, the world is still full of amazing places waiting for us to find them!)

Continue reading Asthma and COVID-19: Are You at Higher Risk?

Fight Asthma with Vitamins and Supplements

Most recently updated July 7th, 2023

If you’ve read some of my other posts, you know that I’ve had asthma and have been fighting asthma my whole life.

In spite of allergy shots and prescribed inhalers and pills, my asthma got worse every year.

Eco-friendly garden at Lake Crabtree County Park.

After a childhood full of midnight ER visits and college years laced with time in Intensive Care, I had complete respiratory failure as a young working adult, and spent several days unconscious on a ventilator.

After that event, the doctors could only advise that I take more daily medications and stay indoors in a controlled environment.

I realized then that the available asthma treatments would probably keep me alive, but would severely limit my life.

So, I moved across the country to escape the worst of my local airborne triggers – and got some breathing room 😉

Since then I’ve experimented with diet, exercise and supplements to find what might help reduce my symptoms and my use of most medications.

Through research plus trial and error, I’ve created a strategy that helps me breathe easier and stay healthy enough to do just about anything I want to do!

In this post I tell you about the vitamins and supplements available and the ones I’ve used – and mostly still use – that appear to help asthma.

For inspiration I’m also sharing more photos of beautiful places I’ve been able to hike, and beautiful plants and animals that haven’t made me wheeze 🙂

If you’re looking for additional (non-medical) ways to minimize or even eliminate asthma symptoms, maybe this strategy could help you, too!

Continue reading Fight Asthma with Vitamins and Supplements