As we step into the new year, many of us make resolutions to improve our health and well-being. For those who suffer from allergies and asthma, managing these conditions effectively is crucial for maintaining a good quality of life. With the right strategies and mindset, you can take control of your allergies and asthma in 2024 and minimize their impact on your daily life.
If you’re one of the 50 million Americans with asthma or allergies, 2024 is another year to redouble efforts to manage them.
But how?
“It’s not always easy to get allergies and asthma under control,” allergist Dr. Gailen Marshall, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), said in a tip sheet from the organization. “The new year is a great time to take stock of how you’re feeling and assess what kind of changes you might want to make to feel better overall. They might be small changes, which taken together, can mean big improvements in how you navigate your day.”
He and the ACAAI offered up a handful of ways you can handle things.
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Top 5 Resolutions
1) Update your prescriptions
What worked last year to keep your allergies at bay might not be working by next year: Check in with your board-certified allergist or asthma specialist to make sure you’re up-to-date on the latest meds, the ACAAI said.
2) Ward off respiratory viruses
Folks with asthma and allergies can be at high risk for a lot of germs that hamper breathing, the ACAAI said.
Be sure to get up-to-date on your seasonal flu shot, the COVID-19 vaccine and the newly approved respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) shot. The very young and the very old face even higher risks.
3) Keep your mind healthy
A stressed mind and body can trigger or exacerbate the symptoms of asthma or allergies, so staying calm is
