My Answer to Your Asthma Queries

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: My friend has asthma, what kind of inhaler is best, he has occasional attacks

My humble Answer: Ideally, that is something he should talk to his asthma doctor about. Most asthma experts recommend every asthmatic at least have a rescue inhaler like Albuterol on hand at all times to treat acute asthma symptoms. This inhaler is neat because if your friend is short of breath it can help him catch his breath real quick.

Another inhaler that is highly recommended for many asthmatics is something like Advair or Symbicort. Those are 2 inhalers that prevent asthma attacks so your friend shouldn't need to use his rescue inhaler too often (if at all).

There are other asthma medicines also (click here) that are also options, so your friend should work with his doctor to find which one (ones) is right for him or her.

Question: What are some serious implications to ignoring your child's asthma?

My humble answer: Great question. Where do I begin? I guess I should say don't ignore your child's asthma because there are serious implications to it.

For one thing, most asthma experts agree that if asthma is diagnosed at a young enough age, and it is treated quickly and aggressively, it is much milder and easier to control later in life. If left untreated, things like lung scarring and remodelling can occur, making asthma more difficult to control.

Likewise, when asthma is treated with controller medicines that are available today, acute asthma episodes can be prevented so your child can live a normal active life. Without the controller meds, your child may continue to have trouble with his or her asthma, and this can have serious negative implications on your child's life.

What are some implications? 1. asthma episodes more often 2. asthma episodes that are more difficult to control. 3. missed school days 4. more frequent ER visits. 5. inability to play with other kids 6. inability to participate in gym or sports 7. loss of self esteem 8. anxiety 9. the list goes on.

To be honest with you, I actually have a personal interest in your question here, as when I was a kid doctor's didn't have the asthma wisdom and medicines to treat asthma as they do today (I write about this here), and because of that I actually experienced many of these serious implications. And trust me, it wasn't fun for me.

Ignoring your child's asthma is definitely not a good thing.

If you have a question you would like to ask you may inquire at freadom1776@yahoo.com