Do you want to come to the Christmas market with us? Part 3

Do you want to come to the Christmas market with us? For most of us, this is a harmless, innocuous question. But for people with chronic respiratory conditions, this question is not always easy to answer. We asked four lung patients this question anyway. Here are their answers.

Franziska Werner, 18 years old, student and asthma patient

"I really like going to Christmas markets because I love the atmosphere, but I choose smaller markets to avoid crowds and the risk of infection. I don’t want to have to stop going to Christmas markets because of my asthma, even if I sometimes have trouble there with the strong smells from perfumed candles and incense sticks or with cigarette smoke. Once I started having an asthma attack because of a some really strong incense. I moved away from the booth and first tried to manage my breathing using the pursed lip breathing technique, but I ultimately had to use my asthma spray. In winter, the cold air is also a problem for me. My lungs are more susceptible. So I consider how my lungs are doing before I go to a Christmas market. If I have the feeling that they are not doing that well, I use my asthma spray at home before I go to the market."

Franziska’s tips:

  • Before going to a Christmas market, possibly check your peak flow with a peak flow meter
  • If necessary, use your asthma spray before going to the Christmas market
  • Take your asthma spray with you to the market in case of emergencies

Franziska reports on Instagram (franzisasthmazone_yt) and on her YouTube channel “Franzis Asthmazone” about her life with asthma.

Read more about the day-to-day life with asthma and therapy options for asthma.


Also read:


Note: The statements made in the interview are the individual views of the interviewee. They do not necessarily reflect the PARI view or the general state of science.


An article written by the PARI BLOG editorial team.


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