text: There is no cure. Asthma is forever.\n\nMy brother was born with it.  He is now 56 years old. He still has it.  He and his doctors have tried every-f***ing thing out there. It doesn't go away.\n\nAll you can do is control it.\n\nKnow what triggers an attack, and avoid it.\n\nWith my brother, it's animals.  He has no pets, and doesn't spend much time at my house...I go visit him.\n\nFor me, it's tree pollen (but not flowers), cigarette smoke, and pollution/smog.  I stay indoors as much as I can during pollen season or high smog days, and call in sick if I have to. It doesn't win me any points at work, but the alternative is only managing a half-day of substandard work before I end up in the emergency room.  As to the cigarette smoke, I avoid bars and nightclubs.  Just because I don't deal well with the smoke does not give me the right to dictate other people's choices.\n\nMy other brother's asthma is triggered by flowers and perfumes.  He avoids gardens, and leaves for work earlier or later than the regular rush hours because some people feel the need to dump an entire bottle of perfume on in the mornings. You can't open the windows on the subway trains, so again, he can choose a non-standard commute time, or go to the hospital.  He's also stopped going to church because of the incense and old ladies overdoing it with perfume.\n\nIn your case, you should probably ask your doctor to do an allergy test as well.  Anything you are allergic to will also trigger an asthma attack.  Most people will not have to go to such extremes as my family does, but "forewarned is forearmed."  Knowing what causes an attack will help you control the disease.