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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Asthma Q&A: Is there a cure for asthma?

Every day at MyAsthmaCentral.com we get lots of asthma related questions. Below are some questions I thought my readers at the RT Cave would enjoy.

Question: I would like to know if there are any side effects when taking foracort 200 inhaler. My 5 year old daughter has been prescribed Foracort for 2 months.

My humble answer: Foracort is the generic form of Symbicort, and therefore has the same side effects as Symbicort. You can check out possible side effects by clicking this link here. Also, side effects of this medicine are rare if the medicine is used only as prescribed, and if you have your child rinse his mouth out really well after each use. For more information about this drug, click here.

Foracort may also be another option for those who cannot currently afford the high cost of Symbicort and Advair.

Question: what is in combivent? an what are the long term side effects?

My Humble answer:
Combivent is an inhaler that has both Albuterol and Atrovent in it. Albuterol is a medicine commonly used for asthma as a rescue inhaler. It often provides instant relief for asthma. Atrovent is a back door bronchodilator that is used more as a preventative medicine. Both the medicines in combivent are very safe medicines with no recorded long term side effects. (You can read more about combivent and side effects of it by clicking here.)

Both the medicines in combivent are refined to the point they do the job of causing bronchodilation with basically no short term side effects either, so long as you use the medicine as prescribed. If you rinse your mouth after each use you can diminish the chance of getting side effects even further.

Question: how can i get rid of asthma. i want total cure

My Humble Answer:
Great question. You would think a disease that's been around as long as asthma would be cured by now, but unfortunately that's not the case. Unfortunately there is no cure for asthma. Fortunately modern wisdom and medicine have made it so most asthmatics can live a normal active life. Most asthmatics should have controlled asthma with symptoms very seldom.

To get to the point your asthma is well controlled will take some effort by both you and your asthma doctor, and perhaps some life changes by you.

Here are some tips:

1. The best thing for you to do is to make sure you maintain a good relationship with your asthma physician. Ideally you should see him (or her) no less than once a year. You need to work with your doctor on finding a medicine regime that works best for you. To get an idea of what medicines work best for asthma, click here.

2. You have to be compliant with your asthma medicines. (Here is a great link for further reading on this topic)

3. You also will want to work with your doctor on creating an asthma action plan that works best for you. You can read about asthma action plans here.

4. Another thing you will want to do is work with your doctor on determining what your asthma triggers are so you can try your hardest to avoid them. Your doctor may be able to help you determine if allergies is a trigger for your asthma, and show you ways to treat this. You can read about asthma triggers here.

5. Now, I hate to lecture (and I'm sure you've heard this before), but one of the worst asthma triggers of all is smoking. In fact, asthmatics who smoke are at an increased risk of developing severe or hardluck asthma. So perhaps the #1 best thing you can do for your asthma is to stop smoking, and not allow people to smoke around you either. (I know! Easier said than done! But I had to say it.) For more asthma facts click here and follow the links.

Scientists are working really hard to find a cure. Yet, while there is no cure at this time, thankfully asthma wisdom has progressed to the point where there are many options available for you and your asthma doctor to control your asthma.

Yes, it may take some work on your part to get your asthma controlled. By coming here you are taking that first step.

Question: bronchial asthma and related hurts

My humble answer: I would love to answer your question here, but I'm not sure exactly what you want to know.

There really are no pain receptors in the lungs, but sometimes when you are working hard to breath you use accessory muscles that are normally not used for respiration. If your body uses these muscles to breath, they can be sore for a couple days thereafter. It's kind of like when you work out for the first time in a long time your muscles you used get sore.

Other than that, there really shouldn't be any "hurt" related to asthma. Yet, there are other lung diseases that can cause pain, so if you have pain that you are concerned about you should give your physician a call.

Question: Does it help asthma to have cooler temps in the home, like when the air conditioner is on?

My humble answer: I don't think it really matters so much whether the temperature is hot, warm or cold, but more so the humidity that can trigger asthma. For example, many times in the summer when it's hot high humidity goes with it. The humidity can make breathing hard. When you have the air condition conditioner on you are making the room cool, but you are also clearing the room of humidity. In this sense, it can seem the cool air is making it easier to breath. I wrote a post about asthma and humidity recently, and I will link to it here in case you want to read it.

Question: Can asthma patient donate blood?

My humble answer: I asked that question at a blood drive a few years back and the answer I got is yes. Likewise, no asthma medicine should hold you back from being able to donate blood.

If you have any further questions you can contact me by clicking the "contact me" icon above.

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