Asthma Healing

By ANTHONY DePALMA
Published: August 28, 2007

Rescue and recovery workers at ground zero have developed asthma at a rate that is 12 times what would be expected for adults, according to findings released yesterday by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

By ERIC NAGOURNEY
Published: November 13, 2007

Inhalers are an effective treatment for asthma and other respiratory diseases, but they can have adverse side effects. The conclusions of studies on these effects apparently depend in part on who pays for the study.

Q. Are common cockroaches carriers of disease?

Julien Jourdes for The New York Times

Angie Cano, a 5-year-old with asthma, is evaluated at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. Asthma afflicts a disproportionate number of minority children in urban areas.

Asthma is a chronic, inflammatory respiratory disease characterised by recurrent breathing problems. People with asthma suffer an asthma attack when the airways in the lungs constrict and become inflamed and clogged, which causes breathing difficulty. There may be tightness in the chest; as breathing becomes harder it may hurt and there may be coughing. The air moving in and out of the lungs may make a wheezing or whistling sound.

The Breathology Programme aims to offer asthma sufferers worldwide a real choice in managing their asthma without resorting to a lifetime’s dependency on asthma inhalers. The combination of our personal experience and commitment to the science and study of all the contributory factors that influence asthma and breathing health has enabled us to develop a unique programme of simple breathing techniques and practical lifestyles choices that can easily be integrated into daily life, giving quick and consistent results.

Asthma is the leading cause of chronic illness in children. It affects as many as 10%-12% of children in the U.S. and, for unknown reasons, is steadily increasing. It can begin at any age, but most children have their first symptoms by age 5.

Being proactive and maintaining close communication with your doctor are important keys to controlling your asthma. Instead of just answering your doctor's questions, consider asking some of your own to better understand your condition.

Is this you? You're doing all the right things, taking your medication and following your treatment plan, but you still experience symptoms and even asthma attacks.

You're already familiar with asthma and its symptoms: coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. The type of asthma you have depends on what triggers your symptoms. If they are triggered by your body's reaction to year-round allergens in the air, you may have allergic asthma. This is the most common type, affecting more than 60% of Americans with asthma — 10 million adults and children.

Author:

Herschel Lessin, MD

Children's Medical Group, NY

Medically Reviewed On: October 16, 2004

The faces of childhood asthma are many:

Your child who complains about shortness of breath after running. Your infant with her fourth episode of "bronchitis" this season. The child who always seems to be coughing and whose colds seem to last forever. Your 7-year-old brought to the doctor's office just as it opens, having been up all night gasping for breath. The 2am trip to the emergency room with your child who is having severe breathing troubles and will need to be admitted to the hospital...AGAIN!

Taking an asthma inhaler is often the last thing on the mind of a teenager, even one who is coughing or wheezing regularly. Adolescents are often more concerned with their schoolwork and social life than their medication. But it's important that adolescents maintain their asthma therapy, because untreated asthma can severely affect one's ability to lead an active life. Complicating matters, teens are less apt to notice symptoms, which can include daytime sleepiness and poor athletic performance.

Author:

Qanta Ahmed, MD

King Fahad National Guard Hospital, Saudi Arabia

Emily DiMango, MD

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons