Stop the Wheezing! Take Asthma Seriously and Asthma Drugs Right

If you've got asthma, taking your asthma drugs correctly -- so you're not wheezing all winter -- sounds like a simple, obvious thing to do, right? Like so many things that sound simple and obvious (e.g., ordering salad instead of fries, loading letterhead into the printer,) it ain't necessarily so.

You don't have asthma? If you know 12 people, you can bet the ranch one of them does. Asthma is more common than aspirin on New Year's Day, and the number of hacking, wheezing people increases every year. Winter is prime asthma time because colds and flu can trigger wicked asthma attacks. Wicked enough to kill.

Severe asthma attacks -- the horror-movie sensation of an invisible force stealing your breath -- hospitalize half a million Americans every year. Thousands die, often needlessly. New evidence just confirmed something all docs know: Many frightening or fatal asthma attacks result from people not taking their meds at all, not taking them the right way, or not using enough -- even mid crisis. Take asthma seriously. It's no joke.

So back to the simple and obvious: If you have asthma (or someone you love does) and have gotten casual about taking your meds, time to clean up your act. First step: Check in with your doc and review your control plan.

• Have your symptoms or triggers changed? (Is your best friend's cat suddenly giving you coughing fits? Has a recent asthma attack coincided with a mold sighting?)
• Do you have new challenges, such as a building exit clogged with secondhand smoke?
• Do your asthma drugs need adjusting? Would a vitamin D3 supplement help?
• Are you sure you know how to handle a breathing emergency? Using less than 75% of your "rescue" dose won't do it, and many people don't use enough.

We want you to breathe freely in 2012. Follow these steps to increase your lungevity.

Think you might have asthma but aren't sure? Take this breathing test to find out.