My Life as an Asthma Mom

  Decades ago, my city was full of orchards Houses have taken over most of the sprawling city, but there are a few small orchards hidden throughout  One small orchard is a block from my house That means I get to see deer running through the orchard when I venture out on walks. It's breathtaking! That also means the gardeners who take care of the orchard trim the trees every spring And burn the clippings  Burning orchard clippings   I suppose it's the easiest way for them to dispose of the clippings, but - that releases a lot of dangerous smoke  There are several neighbors with asthma, COPD and cancer Dangers of smoke   Smoke can be very harmful to those with asthma According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources :  "Air pollution from smoke can impact human health. People exposed to these air pollutants can experience eye and nose irritation, difficulty breathing, coughing and headaches. People with heart disease, asthma, emphysema or ot...

  It's that time of year again when I feel like a snotty little 2 year old.    I have a constant runny nose, I'm congested, sneezing, have itchy eyes, and I have a box of tissues at the ready.  I'm also coughing - a LOT.  I have been using more of my albuterol inhaler than I normally do. Even though I haven't missed any doses of my daily, anti inflammatory inhaler doses. Hello tree pollen! Many people don't realize that trees have pollen. If your allergies are acting up this time of year, it's not from spring flowers - it's probably from tree pollen.  Do you have a yellow dust covering your car? You can thank tree pollen for that.  How are allergies and asthma related? Most of people with asthma have allergic asthma - which means our body over reacts to common every day things, and that can trigger an asthma attack.  Common asthma triggers (allergens and irritants) are:   Acid reflux Air pollution Change in weather (cold to hot, or dry t...