If COPD or asthma affects your breathing, learn to avoid the toxins and allergens that trigger flare-ups — smoke, chemical fumes, dust, dander, and pollen.

Conditions such as COPD and asthma can make breathing and daily activities difficult. When you have a condition that affects your breathing, you want to make sure that you avoid things in your environment that can make your symptoms worse, such as toxins and allergens. Toxins include chemical fumes, tobacco, vaping, and other harmful substances in the air. Allergens can include dust, pet dander, and pollen. Toxins and allergens can lead to flare-ups, which is when your lungs get irritated and symptoms get worse.

So how do you avoid toxins and allergens? One of the first steps, if you have a breathing problem, is to quit smoking or make sure you are not around smoke. If you smoke using a vape, cigar, or cigarette, you are breathing in firsthand smoke. It is really important to quit smoking, to avoid further damaging your lungs and making your symptoms worse. If you are having trouble quitting smoking, please talk to your care manager about how you can create a plan to quit. You also want to avoid secondhand smoke, which is where you inhale smoke around you but not directly from a source. Try to limit exposure to other smokers, as well as smoke from fires.

The second thing you can do is limit toxins from your environment. Toxins can be chemical fumes from cleaning supplies, or air pollution from smog and cars. If you're planning to go outside, you should check the air quality index, either on the local weather station or through a weather app. Very hot or cold temperatures can also make breathing difficult. Be sure to stay cool and take it easy in hot or humid temperatures. In windy, cold environments, you can stay warm and cover your face to avoid getting sick. Limiting toxins in your home can help manage COPD symptoms as well. Cleaning supplies and beauty products often have a lot of chemicals in them that are inhaled when you use them. To limit exposure, you can wear a mask while cleaning, or switch to green cleaning products, which are made with natural ingredients. You should also limit fragrant products such as hairspray, perfume, and candles that contain a lot of chemicals. Try to find green alternatives to reduce your exposure to these toxins. Lastly, you'll want to avoid allergens such as dust, pet dander, and pollen. To limit dust and dander in your home, you will want to vacuum and sweep regularly. Make sure your vacuum has bristles to avoid blowing particles into the air. You should also sweep in one direction using small movements to avoid brushing particles into the air. If you have any questions, you can chat with your care manager in the Movn app. Thank you for watching "Avoiding Toxins and Allergens."