Is your asthma under control?

I just saw a commercial on TV yesterday from asthma.com  It showed a man sitting on the steps to his home, saying his asthma was fine and under control. Then his wife appeared and says you coughed all through our date! His boss appears and says you missed work last week because of your asthma. His mom appears with the "oh no you didn't!!" attitude and says you are always using your inhaler!

So, how do you know if your asthma is "under control?"

Asthma.com has an Asthma Control Test. It's pretty easy, you just answer 5 questions and it will give you a score that will let you know if your asthma is being controlled. The following list is from asthma.com and it shows what you should be experiencing if your asthma is under control.

• Few, if any, asthma symptoms.

• Few, if any, awakenings during the night caused by asthma symptoms.

• No need to take time off from school or work due to asthma.

• Few or no limits on participation in your usual daily activities.

• No asthma-related emergency department visits.

• No asthma-related hospital stays.

Their website also says that many people over-estimate how well they are taking care of their asthma. 85% of people say their asthma is "completely or somewhat controlled", when in reality, testing shows they are "not well controlled."

If you are waking up at night due to asthma, missing school or work, or you can't do what you would like to, or are ending up the emergency room or hospital for treatment, your asthma is not under control.

There's no reason to live like that. There are treatment plans available and asthma medications to help make life more enjoyable. Talk to your doctor and he can help you figure out what you need to control your asthma.

It's summer, let's have some fun and enjoy life - don't let asthma control what you can do!!