Why does stress matter?

June 2022

Jessica from Health Storylines

< Back to Asthma

Hey there,

Are you enjoying the Health Storylines app so far, or want to give us some feedback to better help you along your journey? Please let us know by giving us a quick rating in the app store!

Thank you for continuing to be a part of the Health Storylines community. Stress is a part of everyday life, but did you know that it can actually be a trigger for asthma? It can work as a cycle where stress causes your asthma symptoms to worsen, which can be alarming and create more stress.

Learning to reduce your stress can help prevent shortness of breath and asthma attacks.

Here are some tips you might find helpful:

Challenge your thoughts

Identify thought patterns that increase your stress and work to change them. What you think and how you think can often contribute to stress levels. Try working through your thoughts by writing them down:

Regular Exercise

Exercise has been shown to reduce stress levels as well as keep your body healthy overall.

Pay Attention To Your Diet

Limiting sugar, caffeine, and alcohol intake can reduce anxiety and stress.

Asthma triggers can be different for everyone, it is important to be aware of them in order to better control your symptoms. If you are concerned about your asthma symptoms and what might be making them worse, talk to your healthcare provider.

Planning a trip?

September 2022

Jessica from Health Storylines

< Back to Asthma

Hello there,

Thank you for continuing to be a part of the Health Storylines community. For a lot of people, the thought of a vacation getaway has been out of reach for some time now. There are a lot of eager travellers getting ready to explore new destinations and make up for lost time.

If you or someone you know struggles with Asthma, you might be familiar with the impact the environment can have on asthma control. If you are going somewhere you have not been before, you’ll want to be prepared in case you run into an unexpected trigger.

Ready to start packing?

Being prepared can ensure you stay safe get the most out of your vacation by avoiding flare-ups. Even if you are as prepared as you can be, flare-ups can still happen, so make sure you have all your medications packed and enough to last you for the whole trip.

If you are concerned about your asthma control and planning to travel, be sure to bring up any questions or concerns you might have with your health care provider. If this newsletter helped you remember a few, take a note so you’re ready for your next appointment with your doctor:

Why is finding a treatment that works so complicated?

July 2022

Jessica from Health Storylines

< Back to Asthma

Hi there,

Thank you for continuing to be a part of the Health Storylines community. If you’re managing asthma yourself, or are close to someone who is, you know that it can be challenging to navigate sometimes. How is a condition that is so common, with an estimated 25 million people with asthma in the US alone, still so unpredictable at times?

There are many reasons for this, all of which contribute to why there will never be a one-size-fits all approach to treating asthma.

It starts with your genes 🧬

As you may know, your genes have a role in you having asthma. Some studies have even estimated genetic factors to account for 70% of one’s risk of developing asthma. However, some people who have genetic predispositions may never develop it. How or when a person develops asthma depends on several genes.

It gets even more complicated. Genetics not only influence whether you develop asthma, but potentially how severe it is, and how you might respond to certain treatments.

It reacts to your environment ⛰️

You may already be familiar with your asthma triggers, and you may even recall the presence of certain triggers when you first started to notice symptoms to begin with.

If the variation in genetics affecting asthma wasn’t complicated enough, the effects of the environment are also extremely variable between individuals with asthma. Some might be triggered by allergens, pollutants, viral infections, certain medications, or even strong emotions like stress.

Why does this matter to you?

Your asthma is unique, and your experience may differ from other people you know who have the same condition. Try advocating for yourself in healthcare settings if you feel your condition is not being managed in a way that works for you.

Being equipped with your own data can help you do that, make sure to keep tracking your asthma symptoms so you can be in control on your health journey:

Why consistency is key

August 2022

Jessica from Health Storylines

< Back to Asthma

Hello there,

Thank you for continuing to be a part of the Health Storylines community. If you are managing asthma, you know that some days and good and others can be a little bit more difficult. What can be especially challenging is when you encounter an unexpected trigger.

Asthma is affected by your surrounding environment, which can be unpredictable at times. Unexpected triggers can cause flare-ups in symptoms, and this can be a frightening experience. It is important to remain calm and seek proper medical attention if there are any sudden changes to your condition.

For more ways to be proactive about monitoring your asthma, check out more of the tools available to you in the “Asthma” category of the new Health Tool Library:

World Asthma Day 🌎

May 2022

Funmi from Health Storylines

< Back to Asthma

Hey there,

Thank you for continuing to be a part of the Health Storylines community. Today is World Asthma Day! This day was created to raise awareness for asthma and to encourage learning about how to better manage the condition.

You’re Doing Great

We also want to take this opportunity to congratulate you on all the work you’ve put into managing your asthma. Not many people are committed to their health like you are so you should be proud of yourself. We certainly are.

How we’re helping close the gaps

Health Storylines has been proudly partnered with the Allergy & Asthma Network for almost two years. Our Not One More Life initiative is a program that works through the Allergy & Asthma Network to help provide minorities and underserved communities with knowledge and resources to help manage Asthma.

If you are located in the US and are interested in taking part in their program, visit the link below.

“Weather got you down? ☔”

April 2022

Funmi from Health Storylines

< Back to Asthma

Hey there,

Thank you for continuing to be a part of the Health Storylines community. We know that keeping your asthma under control can be difficult at times, so it’s important to be prepared. Did you know that your asthma is affected by changes in the weather? Moving into spring, it’s important to note that your asthma can be affected by:

To keep track of how the changing weather might be affecting your asthma visit the ‘Daily Asthma Control’ tool in Health Storylines.

Breathing With Focus To Manage Your Breathing

March 2022

Funmi from Health Storylines

< Back to Asthma

Hey there,

We hope Health Storylines has been able to help you better manage your condition. When you have asthma, finding strategies that work to control your asthma can be difficult. That’s why we like doing research for you, so you may be inspired to try them out yourself. Today, we talk about mindfulness..

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a state of mind where you are intentionally and purposefully in the present moment without judgment judgement or reacting. Think about it as taking an outsider’s perspective of your internal environment. This could be as simple as breathing and focusing on your breath. It is a set of skills so don’t fret if it takes if takes a bit of practice to nail it down!

Mindfulness has been shown to have many benefits in individuals with chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and much more. What you may not know is that mindfulness has been shown to improve symptoms in people with lung cancer, COPD, and, you guessed it, asthma. Mindfulness strategies include:

In a study, researchers suggest different strategies may be beneficial for people with different levels of asthma control. For example, they found that the skill of accurately describing symptoms was related to a better asthma-related quality of life in individuals with poor control. Why don’t you give it a try in My Journal? Doing so may allow you to make the best decisions during an asthma attack.

To learn more about the role of mindfulness in asthma control, check out the full study by clicking the link below!