But there is one simple thing you are probably doing every day that can make your child’s asthma worse! And you don’t even realize it! For me, eliminating this from my environment cured my symptoms.
Eliminating this one thing from my environment cured my symptoms. I’m not promising a cure. If your child has asthma you should see significant improvement. Just making one change.
Asthma’s Physical Effect
It was a normal Thursday evening. I was off to my favorite kickboxing class.
Kickboxing was one of the most popular classes. The all-female gym was packed with members – ready to fight!
I squeezed into a small spot on the classroom floor all the way in the corner. Not much wiggle room, but it was a spot. That’s what happens when you leave work 10 minutes later than you should have. All the good spots get snatched up quickly.
The music started – everyone was pumped. Moving in unison in time to the music. Fists were flying, legs were kicking.
The sweat started pouring. I was pumped. Then it happened.
I felt my chest tighten.
My thoughts raced, I couldn’t breathe. I started to gasp for air.
Thankfully the locker room was just a short distance. I headed straight to my inhaler in my gym bag.
Relieved I took a big puff on my inhaler.
But I still couldn’t breathe. So I took another puff.
Still tight. Still wheezing.
Thoughts flashed through my head a million miles an hour.
What was I going to do? It wasn’t working. It wasn’t helping.
My body tensed. My head was spinning from panic and lack of oxygen.
I looked around for the closest staff member. Her eyes locked on mine and she rushed over.
By this time I was slumped against the wall. Gasping for breath.
She called over more staff members. They gathered around.
I could hear them whispering. Should we call the ambulance?
One lady was so calm and focused. Like I was the only person in the whole world. She helped to calm me down.I continued to take puffs on my rescue inhaler. Calming down was key this time. I was wheezing. But my panic was making it worse.
Finally, my breathing started to normalize. My body was relaxing.
I was pumped up on the inhaler meds yet exhausted all at the same time.
Asthma is Frustrating
I felt like a failure. Frustrated my body wouldn’t let me do the things I desperately wanted to do.
If your child has asthma, it’s the same thing. They want to play, run, and participate in gym. Without having to worry about their asthma.
They want to play, run, and participate in gym. Without having to worry about their asthma.
They don’t want to stop having fun. Or live in fear of feeling you can’t breathe. Just because your child has asthma, you can still do something about it.
You can dramatically improve your child’s asthma symptoms with one simple change. Regardless what triggers your child’s asthma.
The One Thing That Triggered My Asthma
My trigger was fabric softener. I later discovered it was anything with a fragrance or perfume listed in the ingredients.
Fragrance is everywhere. In most cleaners, detergents, fabric softener, and skin care products.
As a culture, we are addicted to scents. We want fresh smelling laundry. Use air fresheners in the bathrooms to mask the smell. Yet we are harming our bodies in the process.
Fragrance is not natural. It’s full of all sorts of terrible things for our bodies. Read more about it here.
Fragrance is one of the top 5 allergens in the world. Yes, you read that right.
Consider making the switch to a natural fabric softener – here’s the low down on the most effective natural fabric softener solutions.
ONE OF THE TOP 5 ALLERGENS IN THE WORLD.
Even if your child is allergic to something else, like ragweed. Introducing another allergen into their world is making things worse.
You’re using these fragrances every day right under your child’s nose. For them to breathe all day long on their clothing.
I’m sure you try to keep your child protected from whatever triggers their asthma. I would be like waving that under their nose all day long.
Before you start beating yourself up… take a breath. You didn’t know! We assume products on the store shelves are safe.
The problem is most products are not tested for safety. The US has very lax standards for product safety. Unlike the pharmaceutical industry. But that’s a whole different story.
Where to Start if Your Child Has Asthma?
Stop using scented products!!!
The biggest place to start is your laundry room. Eventually, you should eliminate them fragrances from all areas of your home and body.
I did a whole post dedicated to how to switch to a natural laundry room. It gives you the lowdown on what products to choose that are fragrance-free. And unscented is not the same as fragrance-free. Read the labels!!
If you child has asthma, give them a chance to live a normal life. A life with less worry about their inhaler.
Fragrances aggravate asthma, making symptoms worse.
For me, it greatly improved my symptoms. Finally eliminating my symptoms altogether. I’m not promising it will make your child’s asthma go away. But I strongly believe it will improve their symptoms.
As a good parent, I’m sure if you could make a change that would improve your child’s life. You would do it. Not even a second thought.
So take action today!
Stop sitting on the sideline watching helplessly as your child struggles.
Make a change. Make a difference.
Switch to an all natural laundry room today. Learn how!
Today I no longer have symptoms – to the point that my inhalers all expired long ago and are in the trash.
I’m not suggesting this is a cure for your child’s asthma. Asthma is an allergic reaction to something in the environment. It can be different for every child.
I’d love to hear how the natural laundry room switch has helped your child’s asthma. Comment below.
Nice article thanks for sharing this article.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind words Keval!
Shannon
Thanks for sharing this. I’m surprised there’s not more information about this. A search on the Environmental Working Group’s website for “dryer sheets” or other products containing fabric softeners turns up information about what chemicals in the products might be contributing to asthma. I’ve recently had breathing difficulty and I’ve never had it before. Then I realized that I used dryer sheets for the first time earlier in the week. Hopefully rewashing things will help. How long did it take for you to become symptom-free after eliminating fabric softeners/scented products?
Hi Greg!
I completely agree, more education and information is needed on the topic.
I saw an immediate improvement. Usually my worst symptoms were on the one day a week I did laundry. Then I noticed a slow but steady improvement. Since you just started, I’m sure you’ll make a speedy recovery.
Keep me posted to your progress!
Shannon