Asthma Specialist

Living Water Clinic

Telemedicine, Virtual Urgent Care, Family Medicine, Walk-in, Primary Care Clinic located in Porterville, Lindsay, Visalia, and Woodlake, CA.

Asthma affects about 8% of all children and adults in the United States, causing symptoms that range from mild wheezing to life-threatening airway closure. The empathetic practitioners at Living Water Community Health and Wellness Clinic have years of experience treating children and adults with asthma, using evidence-based treatments to relieve their symptoms and reduce future flare-ups. If you or your child experience frequent or severe wheezing, difficulty breathing, or coughing, call the office in Porterville, Lindsay, Visalia or Woodlake, California, use the walk-in clinic, or book an appointment online.

Asthma Q&A

What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that occurs when the airways become inflamed. Inflammation leads to three problems that narrow the airways: swelling, increased mucus production, and muscle contraction. As a result, you have a hard time breathing.

What triggers an asthma attack?

After you develop asthma, your airways become more sensitive to substances that can trigger a flare-up. If you have allergies, there’s a good chance your allergens trigger your asthma attacks.

These are a few of the most common allergic and non-allergic triggers:

Pollen
Dust mites
Animal dander
Mold spores
Cold air
Stress
Acid reflux
Tobacco smoke
Respiratory infections

Exercise also triggers a flare-up in many patients.

What symptoms develop due to asthma?

Though asthma typically appears for the first time in children, it can also suddenly develop in adults. Asthma symptoms vary in their frequency and severity and include one or more of the following:

Chest tightness or pain
Shortness of breath
Wheezing
Dry cough

Many patients discover that their symptoms get worse at night. During a severe asthma attack, you may not notice any wheezing or chest sounds because air can’t get in or out of the lungs.

How is asthma treated?

After reviewing you or your child’s medical history and symptoms, your Living Water Clinic provider orders pulmonary function testing to verify asthma and determine how well your lungs are working. Treatment for asthma includes:

Asthma action plan

Your provider helps you identify the asthma triggers and creates a plan to avoid them as much as possible. They also help you develop a written plan that outlines what parents, teachers, and caregivers should do when your child has an asthma attack, if applicable. This plan includes lists of medications and asthma triggers, early signs of a flare-up, and what to do when a flare-up begins.

Medications

Patients with asthma use two types of medications. Rescue inhalers produce quick relief at the start of an asthma attack, while daily medications reduce inflammation and lower the risk of future flare-ups. Living Water Clinic works closely with you or your child to be sure you know how to use an inhaler.

If you or your child have severe asthma, your provider may prescribe biologic medications. These innovative medications improve lung function and reduce attacks by targeting antibodies, molecules, or cells involved in asthma.

If you or your child need holistic treatment for asthma, call Living Water Community Health and Wellness Clinic, or schedule an appointment online. Walk-ins are welcome if you need care today.

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