Keeping warm in the winter often means throwing some wood into the fire and lighting a scented candle. But if you're one of the 25 million Americans who suffer from asthma — which affects women nearly twice as often as men — these soothing rituals could inadvertently create major problems.

Harmful substances

Wood smoke and candle scents can trigger or worsen asthma symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. It may also cause dangerously worsening symptoms, which send more than 1.8 million Americans to hospital emergency rooms each year.

The risk of developing asthma - a chronic inflammatory disease that causes narrowing of the airways - should not be underestimated. More than 4,000 people die from it every year, while 6 out of every 10 adults with the disease have uncontrolled cases - a problem that is also worse in women.

For this reason; It's important to pay attention to the seemingly harmless things that surround you at this time of year. This awareness should be combined with a handful of other basic asthma management techniques that may also have been overlooked, says Dr. Nora Barrett, a member of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the Severe Asthma Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard University.

Avoid common mistakes

Dr. Barrett points out these common mistakes in asthma control:

• Not vaccinating with key vaccinations: Dr. Barrett says that respiratory viruses can worsen asthma symptoms. Since we tend to travel and socialize more during holidays, we are more likely to encounter them. She adds: “The main trigger for asthma is viral infection. During the epidemic, when everyone was wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, people were not only protecting themselves from Covid, but they were also not getting other viral infections such as the common cold, and they were not experiencing exacerbations of asthma caused by viruses.

Therefore, receiving vaccination against influenza and “Covid-19” is especially important for people with asthma, who are more vulnerable to serious complications. For the same reason; Dr. Barrett recommends getting a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and pneumonia.

• Do not visit a specialist: A general practitioner or internist is very capable of managing asthma cases that worsen from time to time. But if your asthma doesn't respond to standard treatments and flares up frequently, it's time to see a specialist.

Allergists and pulmonologists can often identify underlying problems that contribute to difficulty controlling asthma. For example, allergies are a common trigger for asthma attacks, and an allergist can perform detailed tests to find out which allergens are bothering you, if any, and how to reduce your exposure.

Pulmonologists are lung specialists who have the experience needed to better manage difficult asthma cases. “If you've seen your primary care doctor and your asthma is still not well controlled after a month or two, that's a red flag to ask why,” Dr. Barrett says.