An asthma attack is usually regarded as a physical experience. Asthmatics often experience chest tightness, coughing, and increased breathing effort. Yet, asthma also has an emotional component. There is the frustration of experiencing an attack and the fear of what might happen if the attack worsens.

Asthma can be a life-threatening condition. This can increase anxiety levels, leading to panic, which can trigger or worsen an asthma attack. Anxiety, resentment, and despair are common emotions felt by the asthmatic.

Many people believed asthma was caused by stress or emotional disorders for centuries. This led to a stigma attached to the condition and stereotypes of the asthmatic being a weak, anxious person, forever wheezing and coughing.

Breathing is tied in with emotion. We gasp with fear when we watch a scary movie and take short breaths if we get involved in an action flick. We catch our breath if something startles us. Laughing and crying are certainly expressions of emotion and they both involve changing our normal breathing patterns.

Being under stress can gradually tighten the airways. Sometimes people suffer their first asthma attack at a time of heightened emotion. The person was probably already susceptible to asthma in these cases, and the stressful event triggered the attack.

The beliefs of a person can also influence their asthma. Experiments have shown that asthmatics can produce and decrease asthma attacks using the power of suggestion. This power of suggestion may explain why some people worsen their asthma if they just see something related to their asthma triggers. It may also explain why some feel they cannot be without their inhaler.

To be clear, the origin of asthma is not in the mind. It is in the genes and airways. But it seems that the mind can aggravate the condition. Research has shown that asthma attacks can be connected to recurrent unexplained panic disorders. This connection seems stronger in smokers than non-smokers, and in women than men. When a child has an asthma attack most people panic. However, the parent or caretaker of a child with asthma must remain calm, reassure the child, and administer the rescue medications your doctor has prescribed. Make sure you understand how to treat your child’s asthma symptoms. Don’t let your child’s asthma symptoms scare you this Halloween. Take control of asthma by staying organized and ready to treat asthma symptoms whenever they happen!

I hope these tips have helped you! To learn more, visit www.asthmagobag.com.

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