How to Use an Asthma Inhaler Efficiently

The advent of inhalers brought a lot of changes in asthma curing.Inhalers help to take correct amount of medicine straight to the lungs.This helps to avoid side effects and the patient gets the complete use of the medicine.

The Inhalers, are one of the best medical tool in treating asthma.They are very simple to use.

There are no breakthrough medicine invented recently for curing Asthma but there is a lot of improvements happened in the field of effective usage of the medicine.The main reason is the use of Inhalers.

Advantages of using Inhalers in place of Tablets and Injection

1. The reduced quantity of steroids
2. The medicine reaches the lungs straight
3. The medicine will start the work pretty soon(within one minute)

What is an Inhaler?

An inhaler is medicine converted to gaseous particles or medicine first converted to tablets which later powder to micro sized particles.When you use Inhaler the molecules of the medicine will get mix with the breathing air and enter your lungs.

Types of Inhaler

There are mainly three types of inhalers.They are as follows

1. Spray Inhaler or Metered Dose Inhaler
2. Powder Inhaler
3. Nebulizer

We will check out each of them.

Spray Inhaler

This is one of the most commonly used Inhaler and most popular.This is also called Metered Dose Inhaler.Do you know why?This is because each time you use it,a fixed amount of medicine comes out .

The basic structure of the body of the Inhaler is "L" Shape.The medicine in gaseous state will be filled in high pressure inside a metal bottle which will be placed inside this body.This metal bottle is called Canister.The part which u place inside the mouth is called the mouth piece.It also contains a lid for close the inhaler after the use.The canister contains a valve.When u press the canister the medicine will be expelled through this valve.

How to Use it?

The following are the different steps to use the Inhaler in a proper way.

1. Remove the lid of the mouth piece
2. Shake the inhaler well.Hold the inhaler in such a way that one finger must be on the metal can.
3. Don't place the mouth piece in between the teeths and bite it.But hold it partially with the lips.
4. lift the head a little back and take breath slowly
5. Press the canister once and spray the medicine like you use your perfume spray.The gas will strongly fill your mouth.Now remove the inhaler ,close the mouth ,inhale strongly so that medicine gas reach your lungs.
6. Try to hold the breath for a longer time so that the gas stays in the lungs for a longer time
7. If you want to inhale more than once give an intervalof one or two minutes
8. After the use close the inhaler with the lid

Small children and old people will need for using the inhaler.The thing is that,it is not the amount of medicine u take into mouth, but it is the amount of medicine which reaches the lungs do the effective healing.

Use carefully

1. After each use don't forget to close the inhaler with the lid
2. Those who use Steroid inhaler should wash their mouth after one or two minutes
3. You cannot use a single inhaler infinite times.The number of times you can spray your inhaler is written on the canister.Use only up to that limited number of times.

We were discussing the spray inhaler,there are two more left.Let us discuss that too.

Powder Inhaler

The medicine in powder form is inhaled using powder inhaler.The medicine will be in the form of capsules.

Nebulizer

It is mostly used in hospitals for immediate relief when the asthma gets worse.It require electricity to operate.Nebulizer is more capable of carrying more medicine into the lungs than the other two inhalers discussed above.