This guide from the National Institutes of Health (Publication 07-5248) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute provides the latest information on asthma management, describing asthma symptoms, the latest treatments, and ways to monitor and keep your asthma under control. We know a lot more about asthma today than we did just a decade ago, and we have a much better understanding of how to treat it. In fact, based on what we now know, most people with asthma should be able to gain control of it-and keep it under control for a lifetime. By working closely with your doctor or other health care provider, you should be able to learn how to control your asthma. And once it is controlled, you should usually be able to do whatever someone without asthma can do-whether it's sleeping through the night every night or competing in the Olympics. In other words, you should be able to live a normal active life! The following list shows what your life could be like if your asthma were controlled: As a rule, you should have: Few, if any, asthma symptoms; Few, if any, awakenings during the night caused by asthma symptoms; No need to take time off from school or work due to asthma; No limits on your fully participating in physical activities; No emergency department visits; No hospital stays; Few or no side effects from asthma medicines. Doctors often refer to this list as the goals of asthma treatment. Happily, most people with asthma can reach these goals by taking the following four actions: 1. Work closely with your doctor or other health care provider to learn how to manage your asthma. This is the key to keeping your asthma under control. 2. Learn which medicines you should take and when you should take each of them. Also learn how to use an inhaler and spacer correctly. Then take your medicines just as your doctor recommends. 3. Identify the things that bring on your asthma symptoms-your asthma triggers. Then avoid them or, at least, reduce your exposure to them. 4. Learn how to monitor your asthma and to recognize and respond quickly to warning signs of an attack. This guide gives you the very latest on asthma and provides practical suggestions for managing it effectively. It contains information about the most effective medications for treating it and describes how to take them. It also includes information about common warning signs of an asthma attack and explains how to act quickly to keep your asthma symptoms from getting worse. Welcome to "So You Have Asthma"-your one-stop source for the latest information on controlling your asthma.