Discovering your child has asthma is a shock. It's upsetting to think your son or daughter has an illness which may dog them for the rest of their life. But take heart, because if you manage your child's asthma correctly, you can help ensure they grow out of it for good in their teens.

First of all, if your baby is under three, you can stop reading now - because asthma in babies and toddlers is usually outgrown before they start school. A child who has baby asthma is unlikely to have asthma later in life, regardless of the treatment given.

In the rest of this article, I 'm talking about children who develop asthma from the age of three onwards.

Asthma can start at any age. It’s not known what causes asthma, although there’s growing evidence that being born and raised in an overly clean environment is a major factor. Babies need to be exposed to some germs and bacteria so their immune system learns what’s safe and what’s dangerous. If they are raised in germ-free surroundings, their immune system remains poorly “educated”. When they’re old enough to go out in the big wide world, it makes wrong decisions, reacting to things that are perfectly harmless. That’s basically what an allergy is – the immune system over-reacting to something harmless, because it thinks it’s a danger. And the root cause of most asthma - though not all - is allergies.

Although a child may become liable to asthma at a very early age, it usually needs some kind of trigger for him or her to actually start having symptoms. For me, it was measles at the age of three. What triggered the asthma doesn’t really matter – what matters is, treating it properly once it’s diagnosed.

Most asthma is caused by allergies, so it makes sense that you can help your child a lot by identifying and avoiding allergens (see my Hub on "Dealing with Asthma Allergies" for advice). But no matter how hard you try, you can't protect your child from everything they’re allergic to – unless you keep them in a plastic bubble, and that’s not much of a childhood, is it?

So it’s likely your child will need treatment of some kind.

It’s natural for parents to want to avoid giving their children medication. We hear so much about side effects that we don’t want to give our kids medicine until it’s really necessary.

You can’t afford to take that attitude with asthma! Because every time your child wheezes, even a little, it’s causing damage to his or her airways. It’s vital to prevent that damage occurring, because once the airways are damaged, they can’t be repaired.

Most childhood asthmatics grow out of their asthma in their late teens, only to relapse in their 30’s, 40’s or 50’s. That’s because the airway damage during their childhood has weakened their respiratory system.

So if you want your child to grow into a healthy adult – and stay that way! – you should ensure his or her asthma is properly treated right from the start. Studies have shown that children whose asthma is aggressively treated – preventing the slightest wheeze – grow out of asthma and never suffer again! That's a great gift to give your child, isn't it?

Natural treatments alone are unlikely to be enough, but they can certainly help your child. It’s been shown that eating fish (or, perhaps, taking fish oil supplements) can significantly reduce asthma attacks. Anything with anti-inflammatory properties will help, because inflammation in the airways is part of the problem.

You may have noticed that indigestion, constipation or any kind of tummy upset can make your child’s asthma worse – so it makes sense to pay attention to a healthy diet containing sufficient fibre and nutrients.

As for medication, inhalers are your weapon of choice. Inhalers deliver medication in microscopic amounts, so they are much safer than tablets or syrups. However, it's surprising how many people use them incorrectly.

See my Hub on "Managing Asthma with Inhalers" for more information.

Finally, remember that this disease is something that can affect your child for the rest of his or her life. If you can afford just one specialist appointment, it is well worth it. You’ll ensure that your child’s asthma is properly assessed and that you get the most appropriate treatment. Don’t let your doctor discourage you from doing the best you can for your child’s health!

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All text copyright Marisa Wright. Photo courtesy of Viralbus on Flickr.