A brief review of the following terms will help you better understand asthma:

Action plan:

A written plan made by your doctor that will tell you when to increase certain medications, go see your doctor, or go to the hospital.

Airways:

The breathing tubes in your chest that carry air in and out of your lungs.

Allergen:

A substance such as a food that causes an asthma attack.

Asthma attack:

When asthma symptoms like coughing or wheezing get worse, either suddenly, over a few hours or even days. Often this is the episode when your symptoms/breathing is not normal for you.

Bronchospasm:

When you have an asthma attack, your airways have muscle that tightens and makes the airways narrow.

Corticosteroid:

Also called steroids. They are NOT the same as anabolic steroids that some people take illegally to gain muscle. This medication reduces the swelling in airways which makes it easier to breathe, but it takes longer to work than a bronchodilator.

Dander:

Very small flakes of skin from pets such as dogs or cats. Dander, not animal fur, is what makes most asthmatics have an attack. All animals have dander.

Inflammation:

Inflammation means swelling of tissues. In asthma, this swelling occurs in the airways; making them narrower and harder for you to breathe when you have an attack.

Home Monitoring:

This is a continual process of testing how open your airways are at home. By using a peak flowmeter every day, you can keep track of how well your asthma is under control.

Metered Dose Inhaler (puffer):

Also called an MDI, this is a device used to deposit medications in your lungs by inhaling.

Mucus:

The sticky substance that cough out; also called phlegm or sputum.

Peak Flowmeter:

A device used to quickly test how well your asthma is under control. It measures the largest amount of air you can quickly blow out.

Preventers:

Medications which are taken over a long period of time to reduce the number and severity of attacks.

Relievers:

Medications which stop or relieve the symptoms of an asthma attack when it happens.

Spacers:

Also called an Aerochamber. These devices are used with your "puffer" to help more medication get into your airways.

Symptoms:

These are thing you notice when your asthma is not under control; they include wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, etc.

Triggers:

These are things that cause your asthma symptoms to get worse. They can include many items such as smoke, foods or even stress. See trigger section.

Wheezes:

The musical, whistling sound heard when you are breathing during an asthma attack. It is produced when the airways become narrower and the air you breathe passes through them.