Asthma medications fall into two categories: medication to prevent attacks, such as inhalers, and quick treatment for flare-ups — "rescue" bronochodilators.

"Patients have to be accountable," says Jonathan A. Bernstein, M.D. "I'll see people with asthma who come in and say, 'Cure me.' But then it turns out that they sleep every night with a cat on their face. I try to compromise with people, but they have to be willing to modify their lifestyles, too."

Your role in the doctor-patient partnership is to:

• Follow your treatment plan
• Take medications as directed
• Stay away from anything that bothers your breathing
• Monitor your asthma so you can respond quickly to signs of an attack

Setting up your environment to avoid attack triggers is one of your key defenses. See this month's article on cleaning your way to a healthier home to find out what you can do.

With proper treatment, you should ideally have these results:

• Your asthma is controlled
• You're free of asthma symptoms
• You have fewer attacks
• You need to use quick-relief medicines less often
• You can do normal activities without having symptoms