Yes. An itchy, runny or blocked nose due to hay fever or allergies (called allergic rhinitis) can make asthma harder to control. The good news is that treating the symptoms in your nose and throat can also improve your asthma symptoms.

Corticosteroid nasal sprays are effective treatments for managing allergic rhinitis. They can be used every day long term, if needed, just like preventers for asthma.

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• Is your nose making your asthma worse?
• Allergic rhinitis and your asthma
• Asthma and allergy
• Asthma inhaler and medication tips

Yes, if your doctor has told you to do so. Preventer medications help make your airways less sensitive by reducing the amount of redness and swelling (inflammation) in your lungs. Preventers need to be taken regularly to work properly – they help keep your asthma under control and help you avoid asthma attacks.

Sticking to medications can be hard. Ask your doctor, pharmacist or asthma educator to explain your medications – sticking to your treatments can be easier if you know what they are, how they work and why you need them. Ask for a personal written asthma action plan, which has instructions on when and how you should use each of your medications.

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• Medication tips
• Written asthma action plans

You can do several things to help prevent your asthma symptoms getting worse or developing into an asthma attack.

• Know what triggers your asthma and try to avoid or reduce your exposure to these triggers
• Take your medications as instructed by your doctor, even when you feel well
• Follow your personal written asthma action plan, developed with your doctor
• Make sure you are using your inhaler (puffer) properly

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• Written asthma action plans

Finding a good general practice and pharmacy close to home can help make managing your asthma easier. Most people can have their asthma managed effectively by their GP and pharmacist (often with help from an asthma educator or practice nurse), and don’t need to see a respiratory specialist for their usual care.

If you have allergies that affect your asthma, your GP may suggest you see a doctor who specialises in this area. Such a doctor can be called a 'Specialist in Clinical Immunology', an 'Allergy Specialist', or simply an 'Allergist'.

Most GPs regularly see patients with asthma. If you want to check the asthma services provided by a nearby practice, you could phone and ask the receptionist whether any of the doctors have a special interest in asthma or whether the practice offers an asthma clinic.

Find a Pharmacy, an online tool from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, allows you to search for pharmacies by location and select a service you require, such as asthma management. Go to: Find a Pharmacy

Locate an Allergy Specialist, an online list from the Australasian College of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, gives details about medical specialists who provide allergy and clinical immunology services. You will need a referral from your GP to make an appointment.

Go to: Locate an Allergy Specialist

To find a respiratory specialist, ask your usual doctor. Normally you will need a referral from your GP to make an appointment.

Possibly. Fewer than one in nine adults with asthma are sensitive to aspirin and similar medicines like ibuprofen (called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs). And aspirin-intolerant asthma is even less common in children. However, if you have experienced sensitivity to aspirin or one type of NSAID, you are likely to react to other types of NSAIDs too.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist about risk factors for aspirin-intolerant asthma and whether you can stop avoiding these pain relievers

No. Most asthma medications have very good safety profiles for use in pregnancy, so don't stop or change your asthma medications without first speaking with your doctor. Remember, if you can't breathe, neither can your baby.

Speak to your GP to make sure that your day-to-day asthma is under control with appropriate medications and that your personal written asthma action plan is up to date so you know what to do if your asthma flares up. Ensure your whole healthcare team (e.g. obstetrician, midwife) know that you have asthma and how you manage it.

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• Written asthma action plans
• Pregnancy and asthma

No. The ‘milk myth’ – the idea that milk makes mucous or that dairy triggers asthma – has been busted by scientists for some time. In fact, cow’s milk and other dairy foods very rarely trigger asthma symptoms in people without milk allergy.

Limiting dairy in your diet can have significant health and nutrition effects, particularly for children, so talk to your doctor first if you have any concerns about food reactions.

The liquid inside your puffer is mixture of medicine and propellant (the substance that forces the spray into your lungs). The medicine droplets tend to settle separately from the propellent inside your puffer when you aren't using it.

This means that if you take a dose without shaking, you could be inhaling just the propellant and no medicine at all. The mixture settles back quickly, so you need to re-shake before each puff.

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Using your inhaler

The latest research shows that a puffer with spacer works just as well as a nebuliser for treating asthma in almost all circumstances, including during an asthma attack. A puffer with spacer is also simpler, cheaper and handier, is much more portable, and has fewer side-effects.

If you or a family member still uses a nebuliser for day-to-day or emergency asthma management, ask your doctor whether you can make the switch.

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• Using your inhaler
• Spacer use and care

Moving to another suburb, city or even country is a very big step if your asthma or allergies are the only reason you are considering such a move. Unfortunately, it may not have as much impact as you hope.

Different people’s asthma is triggered by different factors, but many people with asthma and allergies have an underlying allergic sensitivity (called atopy). For example, if you are allergic to grasses and pollens, you might have fewer symptoms on first moving from an inland region to a coastal area. However, while a different climate may help in the short term, over a longer time you might develop sensitivities to triggers in your new environment such as dust mites.

Before making such a move, speak to your doctor and/or asthma educator about your asthma and allergy concerns. There may be some simple steps you can take in your current home.

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ASCIA (the allergists’ association) has info on which pollens cause problems and when: Pollen allergy Guide to common allergenic pollen

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has a report on allergic rhinitis (hay fever), including which regions and cities have the highest rates: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Allergic Rhinitis

Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring