The right asthma inhaler can transform the life of an asthmatic. If you have mild asthma, an emergency inhaler (like Ventolin) can stop the occasional wheeze in its tracks, so you'll never have to worry about disturbed sleep or miss out on activities. With a well-prescribed preventative inhaler, even severe asthmatics need never have an attack again!

The great thing is that these benefits come with very few, if any, downsides. Most emergency inhalers (called "relievers", or "bronchodilators" because they relax the airways) are so safe, it's actually impossible to overdose! Preventative inhalers do have some side effects, but the dose is so tiny, they are much less serious than most other medications.

Some asthmatics are reluctant to use their inhalers because they don't like the idea of taking drugs. It's important to understand that every time you wheeze, damage is being done to your airways. So isn't it better to take a miniscule dose of medication in an inhaler, than risk that damage?

Preventative inhalers have to be taken daily - usually two or three times a day. The effect builds up over time, so if you don't take it religiously every day, you may as well throw it away - you're just wasting your money, because it won't work!

The payoff for being conscientious is that, with the right dose, you'll feel as if you don't have asthma at all. No wheezing, no coughing, no shortness of breath when you exercise. Every day, all the time. Isn't that worth making an effort for?

Preventive inhalers usually contain some kind of steroid. In large doses, they can cause osteoporosis, so even with the tiny amount in inhalers, it's best to play it safe and get the dosage just right. Newer inhalers like Seretide or Advair use a combination of preventative and bronchodilator to help get the balance right.

If your doctor or specialist knows their stuff, they will give an Asthma Treatment Plan with your preventative inhaler. The Plan will state your normal dose, as well as a higher dose to take if your asthma gets worse for any reason (for instance, if you get pollen allergies in summer).

To follow the Plan, you’ll need to know when your breathing is normal and when it’s not. Often, an asthma attack will start to build up before you’re even aware of it – and if you take a little extra medication at that point, you can nip an attack in the bud.

That’s why a Peak Flow Meter is an essential weapon in your war against asthma. By using your Peak Flow Meter every day and recording the readings, you can learn what your normal breathing pattern is. Then you’ll know instantly, the moment your breathing starts to deteriorate.

If your doctor hasn’t given you a treatment plan, here’s how to build one yourself. You’ll need a Peak Flow Meter and a notebook to record your daily readings

Use the Peak Flow Meter every morning when you get up, and again when you go to bed, and record the readings. After a week, check your readings - you should find the readings are fairly consistent. If they are, you now have a reading that you can regard as “normal”.

From now on, make your Peak Flow Meter part of your regular morning routine, like brushing your teeth. If your reading takes a sudden dip, take one extra puff of your preventer for a few days until your reading returns to normal. If it shows no sign of improving, don’t increase the dose again – see your physician first.

Emergency inhalers - bronchodilators - are inhalers you carry around and use when you have a wheeze. You can also take a puff or two before you start exercising, to prevent you having an attack. Common brand names are Ventolin and Proventil. For these inhalers, there is no such thing as an overdose limit, and the only known side effect is a tremor.

If there's no overdose limit, you may wonder why the packet sets a limit on the number of puffs you should take. It's not because the drug is dangerous - it's because if you have an asthma attack and it doesn't respond to two or three puffs, it's so bad that you may be in danger.

Almost all asthma attacks can be relieved by just one puff of one of these inhalers. The problem is, it has to get deep into your lungs to do so - and that can be hard, if your asthma is bad. That's why you're recommended to take two puffs - but there's no point in taking them in quick succession.

The first puff is meant to ease the congestion enough so the second puff can get deep into your lungs. Therefore it's very important to wait a minute or so for the first puff to work before taking the second one. If you're still feeling tight after another minute or so, you can take a third puff.

If that doesn't work, you're in trouble. I mean it! Take a fourth puff, but get yourself to a doctor or a hospital. Lungs that don't respond to an inhaler are so badly congested that you're in grave danger - you could suffocate to death.

Deaths from asthma are more common than you may think, and many of them occur because people keep on taking puffs on their inhaler and hoping it will work, rather than seeking help. Don't be a statistic!

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All text copyright Marisa Wright. Cat photo thanks to Maggiejumps. Child in hospital phot by Daryl Davis. Both on Flickr.com