National Asthma Patient Alliance (NAPA) Blog

Is work leaving you breathless?

2012-02-01T16:01:00.003-05:00

Is work leaving you breathless?
All about work-related asthma and how to prevent it.

2012-02-01

Hamilton, ON - He never smoked, was in good physical shape, and had been healthy for most of his life. So when the coughing and wheezing began, and then worsened, Michel knew something was very wrong. His doctor questioned him about the years he had spent at a workplace without proper ventilation - breathing in harmful chemicals. After further investigation, many tests and examinations, Michel's doctor diagnosed him with occupational asthma. Read more about it in this new report from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety in Hamilton, ON.

Asthma is a common lung disease that creates narrowing of the air passages making it difficult to breathe. It can affect your overall quality of life and your ability to work, and when asthma is not managed, it can even threaten your life. If you are exposed to certain workplace chemicals or agents, you may be at risk for developing occupational asthma.

Often people with work-related asthma do not realize that their symptoms are related to their work because they are the same as those for regular asthma: attacks of difficult breathing, tightness of the chest, coughing, and wheezing. However, in work-related asthma, the symptoms are usually worse on working days, and improve when the person is away from the workplace - on the weekend, days off and during vacations.

There are two types of work-related asthma:

- occupational asthma or respiratory sensitization, which is caused by exposure to an agent in the workplace

- work-aggravated asthma where factors at work worsen the condition of someone who already has asthma

Agents that can cause occupational asthma

There are many agents used in workplaces that can cause asthma in people working with them. Examples include certain:

- chemicals including isocyanates

- metals and metal-working fluids

- dyes, drugs, and enzymes

- grains, flours, plants, and gums

- animal and shellfish proteins

- fungi

- wood dusts including red cedar.

Factors that can trigger work-aggravated asthma

Workplace respiratory irritants and certain workplace factors can trigger work-aggravated asthma. These could include:

- vapours, gases, dusts, mists, sprays or fumes from industrial materials and cleaning products

- dust mites or mould/fungal spores

- indoor air pollution resulting from poor ventilation

- outdoor air pollution and smog (for outdoor workers)

Prevention

Work-related asthma can be prevented by eliminating or reducing exposure to any agents that are known to cause it. Both employers and employees can help to prevent it.

WHAT EMPLOYERS CAN DO

- Eliminate the asthma-causing/aggravating agent from the workplace.

- Substitute a less hazardous agent if elimination is not possible.

- Apply administrative controls such as policies, procedures, safe work practices, and job rotation to minimize exposure time of workers.

- Control the exposure. Close off the work processes that release the agent into the air, or install ventilation systems to contain emissions, such as gases or vapours, at the source.

- Provide personal protective equipment (PPE) such as respirators as the last line of defence. PPE should not be used as the only method of exposure control when exposures are ongoing.

- Train employees on the proper use, storage and maintenance of PPE, proper handling procedures, avoidance of spills, and safe working and good housekeeping procedures.

- Monitor the exposure level of hazardous agents in the workplace to make sure that workers are not exposed to levels greater than recommended in regulations, standards, and guidelines.

WHAT EMPLOYEES CAN DO

- Learn about the hazards in your workplace by speaking to your employer, health and safety or union representative, or an occupational health professional.

- Attend training courses on work-related asthma and occupational health and safety.

- Be aware of the symptoms of work-related asthma.

- Follow safe work practices, policies, and procedures provided by your employer.

- Use the PPE provided.

- Report any problems with equipment, PPE, or ventilation systems to your supervisor.

- Participate in all health and safety programs in the workplace.

If you experience asthma-like symptoms, go to your doctor. If your doctor, or other health care professional, suspects that you may have work-related asthma, tell your supervisor, union representative, and joint health and safety committee immediately.

Work-related asthma is a serious illness that, if not recognized and treated early enough, and exposure is not reduced, can result in disability and job loss. It is important for employers and employees to work together to prevent work-related asthma so all may breathe easy at work.

For more information, visit The Asthma Society of Canada at http://www.asthma.ca/adults , or call the Allergy and Asthma Education Support Program at 1-866-787-4050.

Register for the free webinars - Work-Related Asthma: Breathe Easier - from the Ontario Lung Association in cooperation with CCOHS at http://www.ccohs.ca/products/webinars .

Download the free Work-Related Asthma in Higher Risk Industries Booklet from Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc (OHCOW) at http://lung.healthdiary.ca/Guest/Product.aspx?IDS=ibbI65NUEd8ZGgljfAjscg%3d%3d .

Read the OSH Answers Fact Sheet on Occupational Asthma from CCOHS for a detailed chart of causal agents and related occupations at risk at http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/diseases/asthma.html .

SOURCE: MRO Magazine http://www.mromagazine.com/news/is-work-leaving-you-breathless/1000868445/

Last Chance - Early Bird Registration - AllerGen's 7th Annual Research Conference - Register by end of the day and save

2012-01-06T10:09:00.003-05:00

Don’t Miss Out on the Savings - TODAY! Early Bird Registration Ends - Fees will go up January 7, 2012

Register Today for AllerGen’s Seventh Annual Conference: Innovation from cell to society

UPDATED: Preliminary Program – attached or online

Opening Keynote:
Dr. John Henderson, MD, ChB (Manc), FRCP, Professor of Paediatric , Respiratory Medicine, University of Bristol
“Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) Cohort - Key Findings and Lessons Learned from a Networked, Birth Cohort Approach to Research on Childhood Asthma and Allergy”

AllerGen Keynote Presentation:
Dr. Malcolm Sears, MB, ChB, FRACP, FRCPC, FAAAAI, Professor, Division of Respirology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University
“Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Study: Directions, Drivers and Destination”

Closing Keynote:
Roger L. Martin, MBA, Chairman, Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity and Dean, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
“Innovation In Canada: Opportunities and Challenges 2012 and Beyond”

Location: Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Toronto, ON
Dates: February 5-7, 2012

Register Online

AllerGen’s Seventh Annual Research Conference, Innovation from cell to society, will showcase all areas of Network research with a special emphasis on birth cohort research and its impact on policy, clinical practice, disease management, prevention and commercial innovation.

Hotel Accommodations:Book by TODAY January 6th for lower rates!
Book your room as soon as possible to ensure room availability and the best rates.
This Toronto hotel has the potential to be fully sold out if you do not book now and secure your room at the AllerGen conference rate!

The Fairmont Royal York has set aside rooms under AllerGen’s name at a rate of $185.00 per night.
Attendees must book their own rooms. The Fairmont Royal York has created a personal website to reserve rooms for the AllerGen conference. click here to access the Hotel page. Trainees’ rooms must be double occupancy in order to qualify for AllerGen’s travel reimbursement.

Sponsorship Opportunities:
click here to find out more

We look forward to seeing you in Toronto!

Discovery May Lead to Safer Treatments for Asthma, Allergies and Arthritis

2011-12-22T15:47:00.000-05:00

ScienceDaily (Dec. 19, 2011) — Scientists have discovered a missing link between the body's biological clock and sugar metabolism system, a finding that may help avoid the serious side effects of drugs used for treating asthma, allergies and arthritis.

In a paper published last week in Nature, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies report finding that proteins that control the body's biological rhythms, known as cryptochromes, also interact with metabolic switches that are targeted by certain anti-inflammatory drugs.

The finding suggests that side effects of current drugs might be avoided by considering patients' biological rhythms when administering drugs, or by developing new drugs that target the cryptochromes.

"We knew that our sleep and wake cycle are tied to when our bodies process nutrients, but how this happened at the genetic and molecular level was a complete mystery," says Ronald M. Evans, a professor in Salk's Gene Expression Laboratory, who led the research team. "Now we've found the link between these two important systems, which could serve as a model for how other cellular processes are linked and could hold promise for better therapies."

Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones that occur naturally in the body and help control the amount of sugar in a person's blood, so that nutrient levels rise in the morning to fuel daily activities and fall again at night. They function in cells by interacting with glucocorticoid receptors, molecular switches on the outside of the nucleus, which Evans first discovered in 1985.

Glucocorticoids also play a role in regulating inflammation and are used as anti-inflammatory drugs for diseases caused by an overactive immune system, such as allergies, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. They are also used to treat inflammation in cancer patients.

However, because of their role in sugar metabolism, the steroids can disrupt a person's normal metabolism, resulting in dangerous side effects, including excessively high blood sugar levels, insulin resistance and diabetic complications.

The Salk researchers may have found a way around these side effects by discovering a new function for cryptochromes 1 and 2, proteins that were previously known for their function in the biological clock.

The cryptochromes serve as breaks to slow the clock's activity, signaling our biological systems to wind down each evening. In the morning, they stop inhibiting the clock's activity, helping our physiology ramp up for the coming day.

In their new study on mouse cells, Evans and his colleagues made the surprising discovery that cryptochromes also interact with glucocorticoid receptors, helping to regulate how the body stores and uses sugar.

"We found that not only are the crytopchromes essential to the functioning of the circadian clock, they regulate glucocorticoid action, and thus are central to how the clock interacts with our daily metabolism of nutrients," says Katja A. Lamia, an assistant professor at The Scripps Research Institute and former post-doctoral researcher in Evan's laboratory at Salk.

Mouse cells function much like human cells, so the findings could have important implications for treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer. By taking into account the daily rise and fall of cryptochrome levels, the scientists say, doctors might be able to better time administration of glucocorticoid drugs to avoid certain side effects related to sugar metabolism.

The discovery also raises the possibility of developing new anti-inflammatory drugs that avoid some side effects by targeting cryptochromes instead of directly targeting the glucocorticoid switches.

More broadly, Evans says, the study may help explain the connection between sleep and nutrient metabolism in our bodies, including why people with jobs that require night work or erratic hours are at higher risk for obesity and diabetes.

"Disrupting the normal day-night cycle of activity may prevent a person's biological clock from synchronizing correctly with their daily patterns of nutrient http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmetabolism," Evans says. "As a result, the body might not store and process sugar normally, leading to metabolic disease."

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and the Life Sciences Research Foundation.

Source: http://htl.li/85jur

Asthma advocates welcome cat-in-cabin air travel ruling

2011-12-19T10:20:00.002-05:00

The Canadian Press

Date: Saturday Dec. 17, 2011 12:01 PM ET

OTTAWA — The Asthma Society of Canada is welcoming a tribunal's ruling that will require Air Canada and WestJet to restrict cats in their passenger cabins.

The Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled the two airlines must protect passengers who are allergic to cats.

It's suggesting either a ban on cats aboard flights carrying allergic passengers, or cat-free buffer zones and effective ventilation.

Society president Robert Oliphant calls it a victory for allergy and asthma sufferers.

The ruling follows complaints from three allergic passengers.

Both airlines now allow small pets to travel in the cabin on many flights, although not on some international routes.

The airlines are required to advise the agency within 30 days whether or not they intend to implement one of two proposed solutions.

They say they're studying the ruling.

source: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20111217/cat-in-passenger-cabin-air-travel-ruling-reaction-111217/

Allergies Count Too - ACT Now

2011-12-08T09:46:00.001-05:00

The Asthma Society of Canada expands programming to empower people with
respiratory allergies

In response to increasing public enquiries for information on respiratory allergies, the Asthma Society of Canada (ASC) operates Allergies Count Too, (ACT NOW) a program that will fill the gap in allergy education and provide critical information to Canadians.

Through the ACT NOW program, Certified Asthma/Respiratory Educators will offer support and education about asthma and respiratory allergies in English and French to people who reach out to the ASC’s Support Line via phone (1-866-787-4050) or email (info@asthma.ca). The free service will be available across Canada.

The program also includes a website (www.asthma.ca/allergies/) that provides further educational support, and contains information on how to manage respiratory allergies as well as an online questionnaire that helps visitors assess their allergy symptoms and the impact allergies might have on their quality of life.

Jo-Anna Gillespie, a Certified Asthma Educator from Vancouver, said, “I provide asthma and allergy-related education to people who are looking for non-urgent, non-medical advice. This program will make a big difference because they will have convenient access to current asthma and allergy information from the comfort of their homes.”

The ACT NOW program will provide education on asthma and respiratory allergies only. For information on food allergies and anaphylaxis, the Asthma Society recommends Anaphylaxis Canada as a key source in providing support and education for patients and the community.

AllerGen NCE Inc. supports the ACT NOW program and is hosting a media conference at its 6th annual research conference in Vancouver to publicize the program’s launch.

Dr. Susan Waserman, Chair of the Society’s Medical and Scientific Committee, said, “Research shows that 80 per cent of people with asthma also suffer from allergic rhinitis, and that not treating allergic rhinitis could lead to more symptomatic asthma. The program’s objective is to provide the best information possible so that people with both diseases can manage them appropriately.”

The Allergy and Asthma Education Support Program (ACT NOW) is made possible by a restricted educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline Inc.

Christmas Season Asthma Concerns

2011-12-07T09:58:00.000-05:00

Browsing today, we came across this short article about Christmas trees and related allergies.

One of the toughest decisions for the holiday season is usually whether to get a real tree, or an artificial one. As the article points out, there is a misconception about the asthma triggers surrounding Christmas trees. Most people believe it is the pollens from cut trees which trigger asthma symptoms. In reality, most trees are cut down months earlier, and the larger problem is mould spores which begin growing on the trees. To protect yourself while you use a real tree this year, hose off the tree outdoors, place the bottom in a bucket of water, and let it dry before.

Artificial trees are not automatically a safe option either. Improper storage can lead to dust and dander, and even mould, growing on your artificial trees which are only taken out of storage once per year. Thoroughly clean your artificial trees and wreaths with a damp wipe before use. Do the same thing with any lights and ornaments which you plan to hang from your tree as well.

More Christmas-season tips can be found from our tip sheet at 4seasonsofasthma.ca.

Super-inhaler is five to 10 years away, say Alberta researchers

2011-12-06T09:56:00.001-05:00

University of Alberta scientist Dr. Bernard Thébaud gives asthma sufferer Lexi Schwenk, 5, a tour of his lab where he uses stem cells to treat the respiratory condition. University of Alberta scientist Dr. Bernard Thébaud gives asthma sufferer Lexi Schwenk, 5, a tour of his lab where he uses stem cells to treat the respiratory condition.

A University of Alberta research team announced Thursday it believes stem cells can heal lungs inflamed by chronic and acute asthma.

The team has been studying the reaction of mice administered stem cell ‘juices.’

'It’s heartbreaking to watch my five-year-old daughter cope with asthma'—Rhonda Schwenk

“We were thrilled to see that the healing juices opened the airways, restored healthy breathing, and reduced inflammation in the lungs,” said lead researcher Dr. Bernard Thébaud.

“The most exciting aspect of this is, we do not have to use the stem cells themselves to repair the lungs,” he said.

“The powerful liquid that stem cells produce heals the lungs.”

Thébaud hopes the research will lead to the development of a “super-inhaler” that will heal inflammation and boost healthy cells.
Canada has higher rate of asthma

It’s a dream shared by Rhonda Schwenk of Lloydminster, Alta, who developed asthma as a teenager and now watches her child struggle with.

“It’s heartbreaking to watch my five-year-old daughter cope with asthma,” she said.

“Lexi had croup and bronchitis numerous times as a baby, and when she turned two, our doctor put her on daily doses of two different asthma medications,” said Schwenk.

Canada has one of the highest prevalence rates of clinical asthma in the world — about 14 per cent — but one of the lowest fatality rates from the disease, at 1.6 deaths per 100,000 asthmatics, according to the World Health Organization.

“I hope within five to 10 years, we can also reduce the number of people who die from asthma,” said Thébaud.

“Our focus is to take this research and create a new medication, not only for people with asthma but other lung diseases as well,” says Dr. Thébaud.

The scientific findings, published in the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, build upon years of previous research done by Thébaud’s team to find treatments for lung disease in premature babies.

CBC News
Posted: Dec 1, 2011 2:49 PM ET
Last Updated: Dec 1, 2011 5:31 PM ET

Even low pollen levels can trigger kids' asthma

2011-12-05T09:30:00.002-05:00

(Reuters Health) - Kids with asthma and pollen allergies were more likely to wheeze, cough and have shortness of breath and other asthma symptoms -- even when pollen levels were considered "low" -- in a new study that suggests parents need to be careful in all seasons.

Yale and Brown University researchers tracked more than 400 children with asthma, as well as the daily pollen levels near each child's home, over the course of five years. They found that despite daily maintenance medications, kids with pollen sensitivities were up to 37 percent more likely to have respiratory symptoms and to need rescue medication when pollen in the air was as low as six to nine grains per cubic meter -- a level the National Allergy Bureau calls low.

"In some respects, it's common sense that if a child is asthmatic and allergic to pollen, when they're exposed to pollen, they would bear some risk of asthmatic symptoms," said lead author Curt DellaValle, of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

"The biggest thing, though, is seeing these effects even with the lowest levels of pollen," he told Reuters Health. "It leads us to believe that parents of these asthmatic children should be aware that even when pollen levels are low, their children will experience asthmatic symptoms."

The researchers were surprised to find, though, that pollen-sensitive kids had fewer symptoms when ragweed pollen was at high levels. DellaValle said it may mean that the children's parents reacted to high pollen reports and took extra precautions.

"It suggested that they modified their children's behavior by keeping them inside, in air conditioning or by using air filters," DellaValle said.

Asthma affects more than 22 million Americans, nearly six million of them children, and the condition most often begins in childhood.

Symptoms can be exacerbated by irritants in the air, both outdoors and indoors, including air pollution, dust, dander and smoke. People with chronic or frequent symptoms may use so-called maintenance medications, taken daily or every other day, as preventives. Severe asthma attacks are usually treated with "rescue" medications, such as inhaled bronchodilators and corticosteroids in injected or pill form.

Previous research has yielded mixed answers about how much of an effect outdoor allergens have in provoking asthma symptoms, DellaValle's team writes in the journal Epidemiology. One problem, they say, is a lack of good data about local pollen levels over time.

DellaValle's team recruited 430 children with asthma between the ages of four and 12 in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts between 2000 and 2003. Each kid's mother kept a calendar tracking her child's asthma symptoms and use of asthma medications. The researchers also tested the children's blood for sensitivity to pollens from trees, grass and weeds.

To get a better picture of realistic pollen exposures, every year during the Northeast's pollen season -- generally from late March to early October -- the researchers used a model to analyze the amount of pollen within 1.2 miles (two kilometers) of each child's home. They also tracked daily and seasonal weather, foliage, when pollen seasons began and ended and peak pollen periods.

Among kids with sensitivities to particular types of pollen, even small amounts in the air could trigger asthma symptoms.

Children not on maintenance medication who were sensitive to grass pollen, for example, wheezed, coughed and had trouble breathing and other nighttime symptoms when they were exposed to more than two grains per cubic meter of grass pollen.

Kids on daily maintenance therapy and sensitive to weed pollen could have similar symptoms and a need for rescue medication at pollen levels above six to nine grains per cubic meter.

Among the kids sensitive to weed pollen, low-level exposures raised their risk of symptoms by 37 percent. That compared to a 23 percent rise in risk during the highest weed-pollen periods -- hinting that kids may have stayed indoors when pollen levels were known to be high, the researchers note.

Pollen levels were not tied to an increase in asthma symptoms in kids without allergies to specific pollens.

While the study expands understanding of how pollen can affect each individual, DellaValle says, more research is needed. Meanwhile, he advises parents to take necessary precautions to protect their asthmatic children who also are allergic to pollen.

"Be aware of the types of activities they are doing outside," he said. "Keep them inside when you know they are at increased risk."
By Kimberly Hayes Taylor

NEW YORK | Thu Dec 1, 2011 3:19pm EST
SOURCE: bit.ly/tWN9R8 Epidemiology, online November 11, 2011.

Influence your provincial politicians to act now on important asthma issues

2011-12-02T09:41:00.000-05:00

Send a Letter to your Provincial Member Today - Asthma Society of Canada launches brand new advocacy campaigns where you can influence your provincial politicians to act on important asthma issues.
Asthma: ACT NOW!

Last summer, NAPA members completed our largest-ever survey to tell us your priority asthma issues. Now is our chance to speak together with one huge voice, and ask our politicians for the things asthma patients need.

In Canada, the provinces are responsible for most healthcare decisions, including funding for chronic disease programs, hospital care, and the public funding of medications. This year we have a unique chance to make a difference in every province.

5 provinces and 2 territories have completed their fall elections and every province has urgent needs which your government could help address. When you visit www.asthma.ca/actnow you can find your province or territory, where we have listed the major issues that NAPA members have told us your government should fix.

We have set up some online letters which you can find once you type in your postal code. If your province is going to election, our software will allow you to e-mail all of your local candidates with a set of questions about asthma care. If your province is not going to election, we have a letter that you can send to your elected MLA or MNA.

With just three clicks, you can add your voice to the thousands of other Canadians, who are asking that people with asthma get the care they need. To visit the campaign page directly, please click Asthma: ACT NOW!>here. You are welcome to add your personal story to any of the letters you send.

The Asthma Society has already sent letters to each MLA/MNA about these issues. Now it's your turn - use your letters to "follow up" and make your politicians address the concerns of people affected by asthma. Thank you in advance for your support!

Checking your Garage before the weather turns too cold

2011-12-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

It's December, and you have less daylight in the evenings to work with. Take a few of those hours and make sure your garage is asthma-friendly before you spend significant indoor time around your house over the winter.

Make sure to visit www.4seasonsofasthma.ca for all your tips around the home in any season.

A garage is considered to be a polluted space around your home for a number of reasons:

car exhaust fumes
storage of paints and solvents
often unheated
damp and cool

This makes it a prime target for dust, mould, vapours and odours, in addition to crawling creatures, and things blown in from the outside such as leaves.

Here are some things you can do to make the garage a safer space for your and your family:

never have the car running when the door between your home and the garage is open
never have the car running when the exterior garage door is closed, to prevent carbon monoxide buildup
do not use a remote car starter when your car is inside the garage
clean up all leaks and spills immediately
in the winter, remove slush and ice from the back of your tires before parking in the garage
use weather-stripping on the door leading from the garage to your home to help keep all gases out
use an exhaust fan to vent the garage outdoors
make sure any ductwork that passes through your garage is well-sealed to prevent gas and vapours from circulating through your house
sweep out the garage regularly, including corners piled high with treasured items
remove garbage, recycling, and any food products regularly to avoid attracting animals
clean out any central vaccuum receptacles regularly
do not barbecue inside your garage, or any other area which is not exposed to outside air on at least three sides
do not store propane, gasoline, or other flammable, explosive or vaporous liquids inside your garage
check any containers which are used to hold propane, gasoline, or other vaporous liquids for any leaks or cracks

Above all, use common sense. Can you think of any more tips?

"The Way to Clean Air" and the Air Quality Health Index

2011-11-30T09:33:00.002-05:00

Poor air quality is associated with thousands of premature deaths and hospitalizations in Canada each year. Air pollution worsens heart problems and aggravates lung conditions, such as asthma and bronchitis. In people without respiratory conditions, air pollution reduces lung function and irritates the eyes nose and throat.

The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is a national tool available for people to help protect themselves from days of poor air quality. The AQHI measures air pollutants on a scale of 1 to 10+ (higher numbers mean worse air quality) on an hourly basis, and it also provides forecast maximums for your area. Use the AQHI to plan ahead for any outdoor physical or strenuous activities. The AQHI is now available in major cities in most provinces. Find out your local AQHI reading by visiting www.airhealth.ca.

One way to reduce the number of days with high AQHI readings is to become more environmentally friendly in your daily activities.

The “20/20 The Way to Clean Air” Campaign is designed to help individuals reduce both home energy use and vehicle use by 20 per cent, as well as reducing vehicle emissions when you do need to drive. By reducing your energy consumption and vehicle use, you are paving the way towards cleaner air, and fewer days of poor air quality.

This campaign provides you with practical tips, including adjusting your thermostat levels, using cold water for your laundry, cleaning your refrigerator coils, reducing “phantom power” in your electronics, keeping your car tires properly inflated, tele-working, trip-chaining, and carpooling.

To order a free 20/20 Planner with a step-by-step action plan to reduce your energy use call 1-866-583-2020 or visit www.cleanairpartnership.org/2020.

Managing Asthma in Seniors Needs an Integrative Approach

2011-11-29T09:33:00.001-05:00

November 21, 2011 (Boston, Massachusetts) — Depression, self-reported and that found on a validated screening tool, is associated with poorer quality of life and worse asthma control in seniors, according to a study presented here at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 2011 Annual Scientific Meeting.

"The number of asthmatics in the senior population is growing, and we really need to take into account their special needs," said lead author Jacqueline Ross, MD, a second-year fellow at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Other studies have found an association between quality of life and asthma control using objective measures such as forced expiratory volume in 1 second and the number of medications used; in this study, it was the comorbid depression that affected quality of life, she explained.

"It might be that older adults have more subjective complaints when they have comorbid depression," she said.

In the study, Dr. Jacqueline Ross and her team assessed the quality of life of 70 participants older than 65 years (mean age, 73.2 years) who had been diagnosed with asthma. Most (77.1%) were female, and the mean duration of asthma was 29 years.

Quality-of-life measures included the number of asthma attacks and the number of unscheduled physician visits in the previous 12 months, self-reported depression, body mass index, and patients' confidence in managing their asthma.

They found that lower quality-of-life scores were significantly associated with a greater severity of depression on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CESD8; P < .001), more attacks (P = .001), and more unscheduled visits to the doctor in the previous 12 months (P = .031).

Other factors associated with lower quality-of-life scores included being male (P = .021), less confidence in being able to self-manage asthma (P = .007), and a higher body mass index (P = .049).

The study also found that lower scores on the asthma control questionnaire (ACO7) were associated with increasing severity of depression on the CESD8 scale (P = .011), more asthma attacks in the previous 12 months (P = .017), more unscheduled visits to the doctor in the previous 12 months (P =.001), self-reported depression (P =.048), and repeated hospitalizations in the previous 12 months (P = .010).

There was no correlation between spirometric/fractional exhaled nitric oxide objective data and quality of life or asthma control, Dr. Ross reported.

"A more integrated approach appears to be needed in older adults with asthma. We should not only treat the physical aspects, we should also treat the psychological and social aspects. If we treat all of these together, we may find greater success in asthma control and improved quality of life in this growing population," she said.

Chitra Dinakar, MD, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Missouri, agrees.

"Depression has been reported in adolescents and young adults with asthma, and there is some evidence that it can be associated with nonadherence to medications and poor treatment options," Dr. Dinakar told Medscape Medical News.

The relation between depression and asthma might involve more than 1 causal pathway. It could be that a sense of hopelessness erodes adherence and other health-promoting behavior, or that depression affects asthma directly by altering the immune system, she suggested.

"This well-designed and thought-provoking study very nicely showcases that even older adults with asthma are vulnerable to comorbid depression and lower self-confidence, which impact adversely on their asthma control. Approaching the elderly patient as a whole, rather than merely looking at the numbers or test results alone, may translate into better asthma care," she said.

Dr. Ross has disclosed no relevant financial relationships. Dr. Dinakar reports financial relationships with AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline.

American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) 2011 Annual Scientific Meeting: Abstract 9. Presented November 18, 2011.

Lung Regeneration May Be A Reality Soon

2011-11-28T09:24:00.003-05:00

According to a report in the Oct. 28 issue of the journal Cell, investigators at Weill Cornell Medical College have made an important discovery in their mission to "turn on" lung regeneration. This finding could effectively treat millions of individuals who suffer with respiratory disorders.

The team has discovered the biochemical signals in mice that activate production of new lung alveoli - tiny, balloon-like sacs within the lung that inflate and deflate with inhalation and exhalation. These signals come from the specialized endothelial cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels in the lung.

Although investigators have long known that mice re able to regenerate and expand the capacity of one lung should the other be missing, they have now found the molecular triggers behind the process, which could also be relevant to humans.

Head researcher, Dr. Shahin Rafii, explained: "Several adult human organs have the potential upon injury to regenerate to a degree, and while we can readily monitor the pathways involved in the regeneration of liver and bone marrow, it is much more cumbersome to study the regeneration of other adult organs, such as the lung and heart."

It is speculated, but not proven, that humans have the potential to regenerate their lung alveoli until they can't anymore, due to smoking, cancer, or other extensive chronic damage. Our hope is to take these findings into the clinic and see if we can induce lung regeneration in patients who need it, such as those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)."

Co-author, Dr. Ronald G. Crystal, said: "There is no effective therapy for patients diagnosed with COPD. Based on this study, I envision a day when patients with COPD and other chronic lung diseases may benefit from treatment with factors derived from lung blood vessels that induce lung regeneration."

In a previous study, Dr. Rafii and his team discovered growth factors that control liver and bone marrow regeneration. They found that in both cases, the endothelial cells generate important inductive growth factors, which they described as "angiocrine factors." The same phenomenon (that blood vessel cells in the lungs triggers regeneration of alveoli) was discovered in the current investigation.

Dr. Rafii explained: "Blood vessels are not just the inert plumbing that carries blood. They actively instruct organ regeneration. This is a critical finding. Each organ uses different growth factors within its local vascular system to promote regeneration."

In this investigation the left lungs of mice were removed in order for Dr. Bi-Sen Ding to examine the biochemical process of subsequent regeneration of the remaining lung. According to a prior investigation by Dr. Crystal, when the left lungs of mice are removed, the right lungs regenerate by 80%, effectively replacing a majority of the lost alveoli.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/236928.php

The flu and asthma

2011-11-25T08:26:00.001-05:00

If you have asthma, it doesn't mean that you are more likely to catch the flu. However, you are at risk for flu complications and severe infection. This is because your airways are swollen and sensitive and the flu virus can cause more inflammation of the airways and lungs.

Having the flu can trigger asthma attacks and worsen asthma symptoms. Flu complications include pneumonia and other acute respiratory (breathing) problems.

People with asthma aren't the only ones who are at high risk for flu complications and severe infection. People with diabetes, heart disease, weakened immune systems, and many others with chronic medical conditions are also at risk. Are you at risk for flu complications?

There are a few steps you can take to protect yourself from the flu:

•Wash your hands properly (at least 20 seconds with soap and water) and frequently.
•Avoid crowds, and stay home if you think you have the flu.

•Cough and sneeze into your arm (not your hand!).

•Eat healthy foods and get regular exercise to keep your immune system strong.

•Get vaccinated. Your doctor may recommend you get the yearly flu vaccine and the pneumococcal vaccine.

•Manage your asthma. Take your prescribed medicine, avoid your potential triggers., and follow your asthma action plan. as recommended by your health care provider.

From: http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_health_features_details.asp?channel_id=2113&relation_id=95985&health_feature_id=677&article_id=1672

Smog: Not an Allergen, but an Irritant

2011-11-24T10:27:00.000-05:00

For people with allergies and asthma, sometimes the very air they breathe can be bad for their health. That’s because a variety of pollutants in our air -- collectively called smog -- can aggravate asthma and allergy symptoms, leaving people with these conditions struggling to breathe.

What is Smog?

Smog is a type of air pollution that results from a mix of gases and particulates reacting with sunlight. The gases in smog include carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NO2), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as well as ozone. The particulates found in smog can include smoke, dust, sand, and pollen.

In recent years, air pollution has declined somewhat, but a 2010 report from the American Lung Association says that more than 175 million people -- about 58% of the population -- still live where pollution levels frequently make it difficult for some people to breathe.

The Particle Problem

Particulate pollution is created by mechanical processes, like construction and mining, and by chemical processes, like burning fossil fuels. Coal, natural gas, and petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel are common types of fossil fuels used in the United States.

Fumes from cars with gas engines are often thought of as the only major source for smog, but particulates from diesel engines that power trains, large trucks, and some busses also contribute to air quality problems. "In recent years, we’ve been able to get CO2 emissions down, but we’ve become increasingly concerned about smaller particulates, especially those from diesel," says James Sublett, MD, managing partner with Family Allergy and Immunology, based in Louisville, Ky.

In addition to engine emissions, particle pollution can come from other sources, depending on where you live. For example, if you live near a coal-fired power plant, the smog in your area may include sulfur particles generated by the plant.

No matter what the source is, the smaller the particle, the bigger the risk. That’s because particles less than 10 micrometers in diameter, about one quarter the diameter of a human hair, can be inhaled into the lungs and get into the bloodstream, affecting your breathing, and in some cases, your heart function.

Particle pollution has many serious negative health effects, but it’s especially bad for people with asthma, children in particular. Studies have shown that increases in particulates in the air lead to more hospitalizations for children who have asthma.

O is for Ozone

Ground-level ozone is another big contributor to the smog problem. This isn’t the "good" ozone layer found high in the atmosphere that protects us from UV rays of the sun. Ground-level ozone is a pollutant produced when sunlight reacts with the chemical fumes our cars and industrial plants churn out. It aggravates asthma, irritates the lungs, and makes it difficult to breathe. Long-term inflammation from breathing in too much ground-level ozone can permanently scar lung tissue.

Smog with high levels of ozone is also particularly damaging for people with asthma. Researchers found that during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, peak morning traffic decreased by 23% and peak ozone levels also went down, by 28%. What else went down? Emergency room visits for kids with asthma, by a whopping 42%.

Air pollution from high-ozone smog can make existing asthma symptoms worse as well as triggering the onset of the condition in the first place, Sublett says. And the closer you get to it, the worse your symptoms are likely to be. "There have been studies showing that children who live near high-traffic areas, such as expressways, have higher rates of asthma. And the increasing rate of asthma appears to directly correlate with the closer you live to high traffic levels."

Staying Safe from Smog

So what can you do to protect yourself or your child from smog if you have asthma or allergies? Since it’s usually not practical for most people to just move to a less-polluted area, here are some tips to try:
Air Quality Health Index - Keep track of the daily air quality index in your area by checking local news reports so you'll know how high the pollution levels will be that day. When the color-coded alert level reaches the orange level, the air is considered to be unhealthy for sensitive groups. People with respiratory conditions such as asthma, especially children, should take precautions. Stay indoors. If you must go outside, keep activity low and take frequent breaks.

When the air quality index goes past orange and up to the red alert level, the air quality is rated "unhealthy." People with asthma or severe allergies should stay indoors as much as possible and avoid outdoor activity.

If you must go outside when the air quality index is poor, do it in the morning, before the heat of the day generates more smog and ozone, and avoid exercising outdoors.
Wear a mask to cover your mouth and nose when you go outside. It can help filter out irritants that aggravate allergy and asthma symptoms.

Outdoor air pollution can also get inside. Make sure your heat and air conditioning system has a MERV 11 or 12-level filter to screen out particulates. During the spring months, when you’re tempted to open the windows, check air quality levels first. If they’re high, resist the spring air and use a circulating fan instead.

By Gina Shaw
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

Kitchener family with asthma & allergies builds LEED Platinum home

2011-11-23T09:20:00.001-05:00

Today's blog post comes from The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo) about a family who has the first LEED Platinum home in Waterloo Region.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a third-party sustainability organization which sets out criteria for the efficiency and environmental friendliness of a home. Platinum is the highest category.

From using far less energy due to design, and materials which produce less harmful gases, Derek Satnik's home offers other benefits for his family - 2 of his 4 children have asthma, all 4 have allergies.

The dwelling is so green it rivals Kermit the Frog — and like the Muppet said, it’s not always easy. From shingles and carpet made from recycled materials to an “all-off” switch at the front door that kills power to any non-essential outlets, it’s a lot of little things that combine to create a remarkably energy-efficient home. Even the $1,200 water softener is low-energy and uses half the average amount of salt.

...

“It’s not that it’s that expensive, it’s just different,” Woolner said, adding that what costs $30,000 today would have cost $150,000 five years ago. If the market keeps growing, prices will continue dropping, but Woolner says it requires a paradigm shift and people like Satnik to demonstrate that you can live green and live well.

“For a coffee a day … we would rather put the money in the house and our kids’ health,” said Satnik. Two of his four-going-on-five children have asthma and they all have mild allergies.

He explained that many of his environmentally friendly choices also make for a friendlier environment. For example, the kitchen cabinetry is real wood and naturally treated; the custom-made kitchen island is even coated with beeswax. Normal new cabinets emit an off-gas — think new-car smell — that’s carcinogenic and can exacerbate allergies and asthma.

If you're looking for ideas on how to eliminate or reduce your asthma triggers around the home, visit www.4seasonsofasthma.ca or www.asthma.ca, and you can call our helpline with any asthma or allergy questions you may have, at 1-866-787-4050.

Alcohol and Smoke Can Worsen Asthma and Allergies

2011-11-22T10:53:00.001-05:00

Drinking just one glass of wine can trigger allergic reactions in some people, and being exposed to smoke can worsen asthma and affect seasonal allergy sufferers, experts say.

"Although it's rare, allergies to alcohol can cause symptoms such as red, itchy eyes, nasal congestion, upset stomach and difficulty breathing," said allergist Dr. Sami Bahna, past president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) and chief of allergy and immunology at Louisiana State University Medical School.

Allergic reactions to alcohol can be mild, such as temporarily developing a skin rash, or severe and even life-threatening, said Bahna, who presented his research at the ACAAI annual meeting in Boston on Sunday (Nov. 6). After drinking an alcoholic beverage, some people experience asthma attacks and anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening, whole-body allergic reaction.

Naturally occurring ingredients in beer and wine — such as barley, ethanol, hops, malt, yeast, wheat, grapes and oats — can trigger immune system reactions. Other potential allergens can also be introduced into alcoholic drinks during processing, such as when egg whites are used as a filtering agent.

Sulfites, which occur naturally in wine but are sometimes also added as a preservative, can bring on allergies or worsen asthma symptoms. And some wines contain chemicals called tyramines, which often cause headaches shortly after being ingested, according to Bahna.

"Individuals can be allergic to the alcohol itself, or an added ingredient, but even when people are not allergic, they may not realize that alcohol can worsen existing allergy symptoms, particularly food allergies," Bahna said.

Consulting an allergist can help pinpoint which allergens cause negative reactions to certain alcoholic beverages. "In most cases, simply understanding what triggers the allergic reaction will help the person find an alternative drink to enjoy," Bahna said.

Tobacco smoke can aggravate the symptoms of seasonal allergies because smoke can enhance people's sensitivity to naturally occurring airborne substances, such as pollen and mold spores, which are especially prominent during the spring and fall allergy seasons.

"The health risks of tobacco smoke are widespread, whether your exposure is a result of active smoking, passive exposure through secondhand smoke, or indirect exposure from pregnant mother to her unborn child," Bahna said. "People with allergies and asthma should be especially careful to avoid any exposure to tobacco smoke."

Pass it on: Just one glass of wine can trigger allergic reactions in some people, and being exposed to smoke can worsen asthma and affect seasonal allergy sufferers.

By Remy Melina | LiveScience.com – Wed, Nov 9, 2011
Follow Remy Melina on Twitter @remymelina

Jackie Joyner-Kersee: Living with Asthma

2011-11-21T08:53:00.001-05:00

Olympic triple Gold Medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee became the world’s top woman athlete in the heptathlon and long-jump competitions, despite severe asthma.

While she was a top student-athlete at UCLA in the early 1980s, Jackie Joyner-Kersee was diagnosed with asthma. But she hid that fact from her coaches, afraid they would make her stop running.

“I was always told as a young girl that if you had asthma there was no way you could run, jump, or do the things I was doing athletically. So, I just knew it was impossible for me to have it. It took me a while to accept that I was asthmatic. It took me a while to even start taking my medication properly, to do the things that the doctor was asking me to do. I just didn’t want to believe that I was an asthmatic.

“But once I stopped living in denial, I got my asthma under control, and I realized that it is a disease that can be controlled. But there were things I had to do to get it under control.”

In 1984, Joyner-Kersee won the Olympic Silver Medal in the 7-event Heptathlon. In 1986, she was the first American woman to set a world record in a multi-event competition. In 1987, she was voted the Associated Press Athlete of the Year. In 1988, she won two Olympic Gold Medals. And in 1992, she won Olympic Gold and Bronze medals. Sports Illustrated voted Joyner-Kersee “The Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th Century.”

“The most important thing is to be able to run, jump, and get up in the morning and see my family and do different things,” she says. “And to do that, I have to take my medicines regularly. This disease can be controlled.”

Since her days as an athlete, Joyner-Kersee has accomplished much as a philanthropist and tireless advocate for children’s education and health issues (including asthma), among other areas of interest. She was also featured in the National Library of Medicine’s Breath of Life exhibition on the history of asthma which can be viewed at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/breath/breathhome.html

'Build Smart, Breathe Easier' Houses with Asthma-Healthy Features Dedicated in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, healthy building

2011-11-18T08:46:00.002-05:00

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., Nov. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Two of four Habitat for Humanity houses built as part of the Build Smart, Breathe Easier national asthma education program were dedicated this past week. In Philadelphia, the house built in partnership with the Johnson family was dedicated on Saturday, November 12; and in Los Angeles, the house built in partnership with the Partida family was dedicated on Tuesday, November 15. Merck, Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) and HGTV's Carter Oosterhouse hosted ceremonies, at which each family received keys and toured their completed houses with asthma-healthy features for the first time.

To view the multimedia content associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/49320-Merck-Asthma-Awareness/

In Philadelphia, Anna Johnson and her 18-year-old daughter Tatiana are ready to live in a house that doesn't have roof and water damage, moldy carpets and poor electrical wiring, which exist in their current home. A house with asthma-healthy features is important to Tatiana, who struggles with asthma, physical limitations and cognitive impairment. Tatiana, who uses a wheelchair, also is looking forward to a single-level house with wheelchair-accessible features.

"My family and I are excited to start our lives in our new house with asthma-healthy features," said Anna Johnson. "Asthma is a reality for Tatiana because sometimes the slightest thing can trigger her symptoms. I am hopeful that the additional modifications to this house can have a positive impact on Tatiana's asthma and her ability to use her wheelchair. I 'm grateful to everyone who helped build our house as part of the Build Smart, Breathe Easier program."

In Los Angeles, Martha Partida and her family have also struggled with difficult living conditions in their current home, including poor insulation and mold. Some of these issues have become health hazards for two of Martha's children, Johnathan (6) and Cindy (15), due to their struggles with asthma. Although the family faces numerous challenges in their home life, all of the children excel in school. Martha works as a pediatric service technician caring for children with long-term healthcare issues.

"I am sincerely thankful to have been a part of the Build Smart, Breathe Easier program and am thrilled to move my family into a four-bedroom house after living so long in a cramped space," said Martha Partida. "The asthma-healthy features of my new home will benefit my whole family, particularly my two children who have asthma."

Based on principles from AAFA's asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program, these houses incorporate asthma-healthy features using specific building techniques, materials and ventilation systems. Some of these elements include:

Hard-surface flooring, including wood, linoleum and ceramic tile

Paint with a volatile organic compound (VOC)-free, antimicrobial finish, which helps prevent the adherence of mold or bacteria and has no lingering odor

Cabinetry, counter tops and vanities designed to minimize the emission of VOCs

Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) filters with high Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) ratings, which capture more and smaller-sized air particles than filters with lower MERV ratings

A washing machine that reaches water temperatures high enough to kill dust mites and their eggs

Advanced framing techniques that allow for heavy insulation of the exterior walls and reduce the amount of air and moisture infiltration. Expanding foam is also used around the exterior doors, windows and foundation wall to help reduce moisture flow and outside air that may contain additional asthma triggers from entering the house

Additionally, the Partida's house features blinds in all of the windows, as an alternative to fabric window treatments that can collect allergens, and a synthetic grass lawn and low pollinating plants to help reduce exposure to pollen and other outside allergens

Merck also donated modest, AAFA-certified products to the families to help them maintain asthma-healthy houses. These include: asthma & allergy friendly® bedding for everyone in the family, asthma & allergy friendly® toys for the children; and a vacuum with a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter suitable for cleaning hard-surface flooring and area rugs.

The first house built with asthma-healthy features as part of the Build Smart, Breathe Easier program was dedicated in Detroit in July, and the final house in Atlanta will be dedicated in December.

"Build Smart, Breathe Easier goes beyond building new houses by teaching families affected by asthma ways to address common triggers in order to help minimize the impact of the disease," said Dr. Reynold Panettieri, asthma researcher and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. "It's also important for people with asthma to work with their doctors to determine an appropriate, individualized asthma action plan that fits their needs."

Learn More and Get Involved

If you, a family member or a friend is suffering from asthma, please visit Build Smart, Breathe Easier at www.buildsmartbreatheeasier.com to learn how to reduce exposure to asthma triggers in the home and to access tools that can help manage the disease. There, you can also stay up-to-date on the builds, including information about the families and progress on each of the houses.

About Asthma

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America's 2011 Asthma Capitals report, Philadelphia is ranked 9 out of 100 large cities that are challenging for individuals with asthma, and Los Angeles is ranked 57.

More than 1 million adults and children in Pennsylvania had asthma in 2009, with nearly 25,000 hospitalizations in the state attributed to the disease.

In Los Angeles County, nearly 1.2 million adults and children have asthma, according to the Asthma Coalition of Los Angeles County. This represents 14.2 percent of children and 11.1 percent of adults in the county.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by inflammation of the air passages, resulting in the episodic narrowing of the airways. Asthma symptoms can be triggered by allergens or irritants and symptoms can include difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and chest tightness. With more than 24 million people living with asthma in the United States, it is one of the most common and costly chronic diseases. Annually, this disease leads to almost two million asthma-related emergency room visits and close to 4,000 asthma-related deaths in the United States.

Build Smart, Breathe Easier Partners

Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built, rehabilitated, repaired or improved more than 400,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 2 million people. For more information, or to donate or volunteer, visit Habitat.org.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA) strives to eliminate substandard housing through advocacy, education and partnership with families and individuals in need to build simple, sustainable and affordable housing. Since 1990, HFH GLA has built and renovated more than 700 homes locally and worldwide, transforming the lives of hundreds of individuals. HFH GLA is a GuideStar® Valued Partner. For more information, please visit http://www.habitatla.org or call 310-323-4663. Visit our blog at http://buildingagreaterla.blogspot.com .

Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia

Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia is an independently chartered affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), a nonprofit organization that seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Locally, Habitat Philadelphia is on a mission to transform lives and our city by building quality homes in partnership with families in need, and uniting all Philadelphians around the cause of affordable housing. For more information, or to donate or volunteer, visit http://www.habitatphiladelphia.org/ .

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1953, is the leading patient organization for people with asthma and allergies, and the oldest asthma and allergy patient group in the world. AAFA is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with asthma and allergic diseases through education, advocacy and research. AAFA provides practical information, community based services and support to people through a network of regional chapters, support groups and other local partners around the United States. For more information, visit www.aafa.org .

Carter Oosterhouse

Carter Oosterhouse is an authority in eco-living and one of America's most recognized lifestyle experts. As host of HGTV's "Carter Can" and "Red, Hot & Green," Carter uses his design and carpentry expertise to help homeowners improve their surroundings, often incorporating green building solutions as well as design alternatives that promote healthier living.

The youngest of four children, Carter was born and raised in Traverse City, MI, where he started acquiring his carpentry skills and respect for the environment at an early age. From Carter's first television appearance on TLC's "Trading Spaces," audiences have adored his down-to-earth personality and craftsman skills. He was voted People magazine's "Sexiest Man on TV" in 2003 and has also become a go-to home improvement expert for many national media, including Rachael Ray, The Today Show, Oprah and The View.

Carter is also the founder of Carter's Kids, an organization dedicated to building and developing community parks and playgrounds in low-income areas in an effort to promote healthy living. For more information about Carter, visit www.carteroosterhouse.com .

Asthma, Exercise and Cold Air

2011-11-17T09:35:00.000-05:00

Winter can be a difficult season for people with asthma. Respiratory viruses, such as the common cold, and the flu, can trigger asthma symptoms. Later the flu or cold may evolve into bronchitis or pneumonia. Add to that, the typical Canadian cold winter air and a variety of indoor irritants that come with the holiday season, and you have the potential for a miserable few month.

As November creeps along and snow begins to fall in many cities and towns across the country, you'll be exposed to cold air frequently. Take a look at the tips below to help you this winter, whether you're an avid hockey player, or simply shovelling your driveway.

Wear a scarf or mask around your mouth and nose to help warm the air you breathe. Breathe in through your nose insted of your mouth.
If you have asthma symptoms when you are active outdoors, stop and go indoors to rest. Use your reliever inhaler and only re-start exercise when your symptoms are gone.
Continue use of your controller medication at all times. If your symptoms increase despite controller medication, speak to your doctor
About 10% of the Canadian Olympic Team has asthma. They make sure their asthma is under control before exercising.
Regular exercise is encouraged. If it is too cold outside, try a gym, local swimming pool, or step-aerobics in your home
If you repeatedly find yourself experiencing symptoms while exercising, many doctors prescribe use of your reliever medication 10-20 minutes before exercise. Speak to your doctor about this option
Take extra care while recovering from the cold or flu. These respiratory infections can be powerful asthma triggers
Do not overload yourself, whether it's carrying too many groceries, or putting too much snow on your shovel. Treat any activities which involve carrying, pushing, or throwing as exercise
Avoid outdoor exercise in the extreme cold and when you don't have appropriate clothing
Be cautious of garages and other partial-shelters for the buildup of fumes and odours. The places where you might go for a wind-break might be the same place that exhaust fumes have built up. Avoid all the air pollutants that you would also avoid in the summertime

For more tips about coping with your asthma in the winter, please visit http://www.4seasonsofasthma.ca/winter_index.php

Concerned about Steroids?

2011-11-16T14:02:00.000-05:00

We hear it all the time. People who are afraid to visit their doctor and be diagnosed with asthma. Or even worse, people who know they have asthma, but refuse to fill any of their prescriptions because they are worried about the "S" word.

Steroids.

In Canada, this word often conjures up images of Ben Johnson, the sprinter who won the 100m race in the 1988 Olympics, but was stripped of his gold medal after testing positive for stanozolol. To others, steroids may lead you to picture a bodybuilder or weightlifter with bulging muscles that look too big to be human. Other people may think of the side-effects they hear in the news, including high blood pressure, infertility, liver damage, baldness, and premature death.

We have some good news for you. Inhaled steroids for asthma, known as corticosteroids, are NOT the same as the anabolic steroids taken by cheating athletes. Corticosteroids do not build muscle or enhance performance. These are natural steroids that your body already produces, and your doctor prescribes a very small amount to help your lungs.

Inhaled corticosteroids at the level prescribed for asthma treatment have not been shown to improve muscle mass, decrease bone strength, or suppress growth. Some people may experience minor side effects which include a cough or sore throat, which is why doctors recommend rinsing out the mouth and gargling with water after taking your medication.

You can find out more about the difference between corticosteroids and anabolic steroids by visiting this page or this page for answers from the Asthma Society of Canada.

An important notice for all amateur and professional athletes: Some asthma medications are on the banned substance list for intercollegiate and provincial/national programs which test for drugs. As an athlete with asthma, you will likely be able to obtain an exemption with medical documentation, but you should check with your governing body and your doctor to determine what medication is appropriate for you.

Statins’ effect on asthma

2011-11-15T09:32:00.000-05:00

Asthma patients who start taking drugs to lower their cholesterol may find that their breathing problems worsen, according to the results of a small but provocative study.

The research was lead by Safa Nsouli, the director of the Danville Asthma and Allergy Clinic in California. He has been treating patients for more than two decades. In recent years, Dr. Nsouli has noticed the condition of some asthma patients seems to deteriorate soon after they are prescribed cholesterol medications, known as statins.

“I decided to do a study from baseline to see if statins were involved in the worsening of their asthma,” he said in a telephone interview. Dr. Nsouli, and his research colleagues, recruited 40 volunteers who had mild but persistent asthma for at least five years.

At the start of the trial, half the patients began popping statins as part of their regular medications, while the other half remained statin-free.

After a year of observation, patients on statins had significantly more airway inflammation and breathing problems than the other patients, according to the study presented this week in Boston at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

“The research showed patients taking statins more frequently used their rescue medication, had increased nighttime awakenings and had increased asthma symptoms throughout the day,” reported Dr. Nsouli.

He readily acknowledges that the results of his small trial will be controversial. In fact, at least one earlier study indicated statins have anti-inflammatory properties, which make asthma patients better not worse. Even so, he believes that statins could still lead to an imbalance of the immune system, producing a surge in a particular type of immune cell that aggravates the airways.

“It is of great important to have a large-scale study,” he said, noting that millions of people take statin drugs and an untold number of them also have asthma. “These are among the most widely prescribed medications in history.”

Paul Taylor
Globe and Mail Update
Published Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011 3:33PM EST

'In Flanders Fields' Author suffered from Asthma: Remembrance Day

2011-11-11T11:11:00.003-05:00

Canadian Doctor and Soldier Lt Col. John McCrae wrote the WWI Poem In Flanders Fields in 1915. The poem was adopted by Canada and several Allied countries as part of the Remembrance Day ceremonies. The poppy, also mentioned in the poem, has also become a standard of Remembrance Day.

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row.

They mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch, be yours to hold it high,

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

Written in May 1915 on the battlefield in Ypres, Belgium, the day after a friend's death, 'In Flanders Fields' describes the anguish and faith of soldiers mired in war

During the First World War, Lieutenant Colonel John Alexander McCrae found himself tending to the wounded, the dying and the dead in the midst of the gory Battle of Ypres. The young doctor was born on November 12, 1872 in Guelph, Ontario. He graduated from high school at age 16 and received a scholarship for the University of Toronto. He participated in the Highfield Cadet Corps and at 17, joined the Militia field battery. Attending university for three years, his schedule was interrupted for a year when he was struck down with severe asthma, said Veterans Affairs Canada.

Feeling the call to serve again when World War One broke out in 1914, McCrae re-joined the military as a Major in the First Brigade of the Canadian Forces Artillery. The good doctor did not go to Europe alone – he took his horse, Bonfire, with him. McCrae was promoted to the position of brigade-surgeon. It was there, a year later, that McCrae was serving in the field, surrounded by all the bloody, terrifying misery that that war produced; it was also there that his friend and fellow officer, Alexis Helmer, was killed in a German shell attack. A day later, May 13, 1915, McCrae wrote In Flanders Fields.

Advanced to the post of Chief Medical Officer at the No. 3 Canadian General Hospital in France, asthma continued to bother McCrae. In 1917, he suffered severe attacks and bronchitis, which gradually lead to pneumonia and then meningitis. McCrae died at age 45 on January 8, 1918 in Europe; his horse Bonfire lead the funeral procession. Lieutenant Colonel McCrae was buried with military honours at Wimereaux Cemetery in France, according to the Guelph Museum.

In Flanders Fields struck the heart-chords of civilians and soldiers alike when it was published in the December 8, 1915 issue of Punch Magazine in England. It was viewed as representing the aching voices of soldiers killed in battle.

May we never forget.

Nov 2, 2008
Susanna McLeod
Read more at Suite101: 'In Flanders Fields': Remembrance Day: Canadian Doctor and Soldier Lt Col. John McCrae Wrote WWI Poem | Suite101.com http://susanna-mcleod.suite101.com/in-flanders-fields-remembrance-day-verse-a76177#ixzz1d35ajiMW

November is COPD Awareness Month

2011-11-10T09:55:00.002-05:00

Are Your Lungs Trying to Tell You Something?
Take the First Step to Breathing Better, Learn More about COPD
Early diagnosis can improve daily living

Are you always stopping and resting because you're short of breath, wheezing or coughing? Do you find that you have trouble with simple, daily tasks like climbing stairs, carrying groceries or doing laundry? If this sounds like you, your lungs could be trying to tell you something. You could be experiencing symptoms of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), a serious lung disease that over time makes it hard to breathe. This November, as part of National COPD Awareness Month, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is asking people who may be exhibiting symptoms of COPD to listen to their lungs.

COPD, also known as emphysema or chronic bronchitis, recently surpassed stroke as the third leading cause of death in the United States. In people who have COPD, the airways or tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs—are partially blocked, which makes it hard to get air in and out. The disease develops slowly and can worsen over time. COPD affects as many as 24 million Americans — yet half of them go undiagnosed. While one in five adults over the age of 45 have COPD, many dismiss their symptoms as a normal consequence of aging or being out of shape.

Symptoms of COPD can include:

•Constant cough
•Wheezing
•Shortness of breath while doing everyday activities
•Excess production of sputum (or phlegm)
•Inability to take a deep breath
•Chest tightness
•Feeling like you can't breathe

COPD occurs most frequently in current and former smokers age 40 and up. However, as many as one out of six people with COPD have never smoked. People who have had long-term exposure to things that can irritate the lungs, such as certain chemicals, secondhand smoke, dust or fumes in the workplace, may also be at risk for developing COPD. Additionally, COPD can also be caused by a genetic condition known as alpha-1 antitrypsin, or AAT, deficiency.

"COPD is more common than many people realize. That is why it is so important for people to know whether they may be at risk, recognize their symptoms and seek treatment from a doctor or health care provider," said James P. Kiley, Ph.D. director, Division of Lung Diseases, at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. "There is no cure for COPD — but early diagnosis and treatment can really make a difference in a person's chances at improving their quality of life."

COPD can be diagnosed with a simple breathing test called spirometry. If you are at risk for COPD, don't ignore the symptoms, your lungs might be trying to tell you something. Take the first step now to breathing better by scheduling an appointment to talk with your doctor or other health care provider and learn more about COPD. You can find more information at COPD.nhlbi.nih.gov. This educational web site is part of the COPD Learn More Breathe Better® awareness campaign from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

Source: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/copd/event-listing/awareness-month/awareness-month-article.htm

Exercise-Induced Asthma – Get the Scoop

2011-11-09T10:11:00.001-05:00

Certainly you’ve heard of asthma, but have you ever heard anyone mention Exercise-Induced Asthma (EIA)?

If not, you’ve come to the right place to get the scoop. When exercising, you breathe faster and typically through your mouth; breathing through your mouth causes the air to be dryer and cooler than if you were to breathe normally – through your nose. The dry and cool air makes the conditions just right for experiencing EIA. Interestingly, 80-90% of individuals with allergic asthma face symptoms of EIA when engaging in vigorous exercise. Symptoms of EIA may be observed during exercise and worsen 5-10 minutes after stopping exercise – they’ll typically cease 20-30 minutes later.

Such Exercise-Induced Asthma symptoms include:
•Coughing (most common)
•Wheezing
•Chest tightness
•Shortness of breath

Sports that involve intermittent period of exercise are normally better tolerated by individuals with EIA. Some examples include:
•Walking
•Volleyball
•Gymnastics
•Baseball
•Swimming (the humid air is a plus)

Some sports that could easily cause a “flare-up” are:
•Distance running
•Basketball
•Soccer
•Ice-hockey/ice-skating (because of having to breathe in cold air)

TIP: If you suspect that you or your child may be affected by exercise-induced asthma, it’s important to contact a healthcare provider before engaging in any exercise regimen. The good news is that having this condition does not mean that you cannot be a successful athlete. In fact, many Olympians have exercise-induced asthma yet are very distinguished in their sport.

Posted In: Fitness: 10/24/2011
Author: Shannon Miller
Source: “Exercise-Induced Asthma”, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Will You Be an Asthma Ambassador?

2011-11-08T09:17:00.001-05:00

Asthma Ambassadors are a volunteer team of Canadians who have committed to providing peer-to-peer support around asthma for friends, family, co-workers, and others in their community whom they interact with on a regular basis. Asthma Ambassadors are provided with training, support and resources from the Asthma Society of Canada, and access to Certified Asthma/Respiratory Educators.

The Asthma Ambassadors program was formally launched just under one year ago, in our November 2010 newsletter. So what is it?

Asthma Ambassadors spend their normal amount of time with friends, family, co-workers, teammates, and more; and if the topic of asthma arises, they are equipped with information about asthma management, the Asthma Society of Canada, and other resources. We expect that each interaction should take approximately 10 minutes, and will provide everyday Canadians a better understanding of asthma, the leading chronic disease in Canada.

A growing amount of research has shown that community-based, peer-to-peer support plays a critical role in chronic disease management. Many people with asthma are symptom-free due to proper care and management, and those suffering from poorly controlled asthma are unable to identify people who may be able to offer them support. Furthermore, many people with recurring (even daily) symptoms mistakenly believe that they have done “all they can do”, without realizing it may be possible to live symptom-free. These individuals are unlikely to search for information unless it is provided by a direct contact. Asthma Ambassadors have received extra training and information to help them provide asthma information to their friends and their communities.

NAPA does not expect that becoming an Asthma Ambassador will be an extra burden on you, nor do you need to “budget” any time to assist us with this program. Instead, most of the activities surrounding Asthma Ambassadors will take place as part of your normal routine. When asthma topics come up in normal conversation, you will be able to provide the knowledge and information you have been given.

If you've already been convinced, or you need any more information, please visit www.asthma.ca/ambassadors to have all your questions answered.

Even if you sign up just to educate yourself through our interactive e-learning module, we're happy to have you! Our mission is to educate Canadians about their asthma. We would love your support, and your ability to spread asthma information through the cities and towns you visit.

Asthma: Air Cleaners Help, But It’s Better to Quit Smoking

2011-11-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Asthma is the most common chronic illness of children, affecting about 1 in 11 of our kids. It causes chronic coughing, especially at night and during exercise. Some children with asthma have more severe symptoms that cause many missed days of school, missed opportunities for sports, and a significant risk of hospitalization and death. Though there is effective medicine to treat and control asthma, there is currently no cure.

One significant trigger of asthma is exposure to tobacco smoke. Mothers exposed to smokers during pregnancy are more likely to have a child with asthma; children who grow up in homes with smokers are more likely to develop asthma; and children with asthma who are exposed to smoke are more likely to have severe disease and require more intense therapy to control their symptoms. At every step in the life cycle, tobacco smoke is bad news for lungs.

Air filters can pull at least some of tobacco’s pollution out of the air, but is that enough to help kids with asthma? Researchers published a study to find out. They worked with 115 children with asthma, all from homes that included at least one smoker. About two thirds of the homes were supplied with two air filtration systems each (one in the child’s bedroom, the other in the living room.) These were relatively inexpensive, home-use HEPA filters that cost about $100-150 each. For six months, the health of the children along with the air quality of the homes was monitored.

The good news: kids in homes with air filters had much-improved asthma symptoms, on average gaining about 33 symptom-free days per year. Unfortunately, however, the air quality in the filtered-homes, though improved, was still poorer than the air quality in the homes of non-smokers. And the kids who lived in homes with smokers, even with filtered air, still had plenty of nicotine products in the blood. In other words, the air filters helped, but quitting smoking would have helped more.

Tobacco smoke exposure doesn’t just harm kids with asthma. But certainly children with any kind of lung disease need to live in a smoke-free environment. Quitting is best. Smoking outside—always, and far outside—is second best. Air filters are at least a start.

Dr. Roy Benaroch is a general pediatrician, author, and educator at Emory University. He has written two books for parents and contributes to several parenting and medical web sites and print journals.

The study is published online in the Journal of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Montreal Study - Obesity Might Be a Risk Factor for Asthma

2011-11-04T10:06:00.000-04:00

FROM THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CHEST PHYSICIANS, HONOLULU – A large, long-term study suggests that obesity is significantly associated with airway hyperresponsiveness, and therefore it might be a risk factor for asthma.

"There is definitely a relationship between obesity and the risk of having airway hyperresponsiveness, and maybe asthma," lead investigator Dr. Manon Labrecque said during an interview in advance of annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, where the study was presented during a poster session.

"But how is it mediated? What is the explanation? It seems to be related to the mechanical effect of obesity on the volume of the lungs, [but] some other analysis of the data will permit us to better understand," Dr. Labrecque said.

The investigators reviewed the medical records of 17,195 patients with a mean age of 48 years who were referred to the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Canada, for confirmation of an asthma diagnosis between 1980 and 2000.

They then analyzed the data in order to classify patients as having obesity class 1 (body mass index of 30-34.9 kg/m2), class 2 (BMI of 35-39.9 kg/m2), or class 3 (BMI more than 40 kg/m2), and compared them with normal-weight patients (those with a BMI between 18.5 and 25 kg/m2). To define airway hyperresponsiveness, the study used a standard criterion: methacholine challenge cutoff of less than 8 mg/mL for causing a 20% fall in FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second).

Of the 17,195 patients, 5,623 (33%) demonstrated airway hyperresponsiveness. The relationship between BMI and airway hyperresponsiveness increased in stepwise fashion, from an odds ratio (OR) of 1.15 for obesity class 1 to an OR of 1.46 for obesity class 2 and an OR of 1.50 for obesity class 3.

"We need more analysis to see if the effect of obesity on airway hyperresponsiveness is still there when we correct for lung volume [measures] like the FEV1," said Dr. Labrecque, a pulmonologist at the hospital who is also affiliated with the department of medicine at the University of Montreal. "If the relation between BMI and airway hyperresponsiveness disappears after this correction, that could mean that it is not the fat itself that is responsible for the risk of asthma, but its mechanical effect on the lung’s volume."

In their poster, the researchers stated that if asthma is added to the list of conditions related to obesity, "then reducing the prevalence of obesity could be expected to produce even greater public health benefits than are currently estimated."

Dr. Labrecque said that she had no relevant financial conflicts to disclose.
10/24/11
By: DOUG BRUNK, Family Practice News Digital Network
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Source: http://www.familypracticenews.com/news/more-top-news/single-view/obesity-might-be-a-risk-factor-for-asthma/1218ff7574.html

City cyclists breathe in twice as much soot

2011-11-03T09:13:00.000-04:00

Urban cyclists may be exposed to more than twice as much black carbon from vehicle exhaust as pedestrians, a small new study suggests.

By examining airway cells in sputum samples from ten people, researchers in London found black carbon levels were 2.3 times higher in the five cyclists compared to the five pedestrians.

Black carbon, a byproduct of gasoline and diesel fuel combustion, is associated with decreased heart rate variability, heart disease and asthma, among other adverse effects.

"We know that exercise provides a health benefit, but exercise in less polluted areas would be preferable," researcher Dr. Chin Nwokoro from Barts and the London School of Medicine told Reuters Health by email.

"There is still uncertainty whether at-risk individuals, for example those recovering from a heart attack, should regularly cycle on heavily used roads," Nwokoro said. "We will have more certainty about recommendations for this when our full study is published."

Nwokoro and his colleagues presented their data at the European Respiratory Society's annual congress in Amsterdam on September 25.

There was no statistically significant difference between cyclists and pedestrians in any other factor, including average age, distance from home to major roads, lung function or even the amount of time spent exercising.

The researchers' working theory to explain the soot increase is that cyclists breathe more deeply and faster than pedestrians while they are riding in traffic.

"This is an interesting study," said Dr. Daisy Janssen, a clinical researcher at Proteion Thuis in Haelen, the Netherlands, who was not involved in Nwokoro's project. "Further studies are needed to identify the consequences of this finding and the need for low-pollution cycling routes."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/city-cyclists-breathe-in-twice-as-much-soot-20111011-1lisj.html#ixzz1cTVTYv3V

Depressive Symptoms May Make Asthma Control More Difficult

2011-11-02T11:01:00.000-04:00

Newswise — People with asthma are more likely to have symptoms of depression. A new study suggests these symptoms are linked to a host of other negative health risks that may lead to a worsening of asthma symptoms and an overall decline in health.

“People who are depressed are more likely to ... have a harder time doing things that help maintain good health,” said Aviva Goral of the Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research in Israel, the corresponding author of a study appearing online in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry.

Results of Goral’s study, which surveyed 9,509 Israeli adults, suggest that even mild depressive symptoms—with no accompanying diagnosis of clinical depression—may be associated with such health-related risk factors as smoking, physical inactivity and insufficient sleep. The findings are consistent with other studies that found that negative health-related risk factors lead to poor asthma control and may contribute to the link between asthma and depression.

Adequate sleep is vital to good health. Yet, Goral’s study found that 56 percent of asthmatic people with depressive symptoms slept for 6 hours or less compared with 38 percent of people with asthma and no depressive symptoms. Asthma symptoms and certain asthma medications can be associated with poor sleep, which depressive symptoms may make even worse. Similarly, depressive symptoms were associated with a 70 percent increased likelihood of smoking. Smoking is associated with poor asthma control and worsening symptoms.

Carole Madeley RRT, CRE, MASc, director of respiratory health programs at the Ontario Lung Association, confirms that depression can lead to sub-optimal asthma self-management.

“Depression is more common in people with asthma than in the general public,” she said, “and goes undiagnosed more often. It is associated with worse asthma-related quality of life and self-management. Asthma patients—especially those with severe asthma—should be assessed for depression, which should be treated as part of the overall asthma management.”

Nonetheless, Madeley points out that research findings related to asthma and depression are not generally conclusive, and further studies are needed.

Key Points:
• Symptoms of depression are more prevalent among people with asthma than among the general population, according to a new study.
• Depressive symptoms in people with asthma are associated with health risks like physical inactivity, smoking and insufficient sleep.
• Physical inactivity, smoking and insufficient sleep in people with asthma and depressive symptoms may lead to worsening asthma symptoms and poor general health.

For More Information:

Reach the Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health, at hbns-editor@cfah.org or (202) 387-2829.

General Hospital Psychiatry is a peer-reviewed research journal published bimonthly by Elsevier Inc. For information about the journal, contact Wayne Katon, M.D., at (206) 543-7177.

Goral, A., et al. Depressive symptoms, risk factors and sleep in asthma: Results from a national Israeli Health Survey. In Press. General Hospital Psychiatry.

Released:10/25/2011 10:00 AM EDT
Source:Health Behavior News Service
By Sylviane Duval, Contributing Writer
Health Behavior News Service

Asthma sufferer Cathy dreams of completing the London Marathon

2011-11-01T11:01:00.000-04:00

Cathy Thomson, 21, is on a daily routine of medication to control her asthma and uses an inhaler every day. Her asthma is so bad it has left doctors at Addenbrooke’s Hospital baffled – but Cathy is determined her condition will not prevent her from fulfilling a lifelong dream.

She said: “For the past four years I have been working as a teaching assistant in a school for children with special needs but I have gone back to university so that I can become a teacher.

“I got to know a little girl called Chelsey quite well while I worked at the school but she died at the start of the year. She has been my inspiration really; she inspired me to go back to university and has inspired me to do the London Marathon. She had cerebral palsy and a degenerative lung disease. I looked after her at home as well as at school. I first met her when I was 15 and she was the first child with special needs that I had had contact with. We just had a massive connection.”

Cathy has been a member of the St Ives Swimming Club for three years.

“I have always wanted to do the London Marathon. I remember watching the runners on TV and saying ‘One day I’m going to do the marathon’ but I never did anything about it. I have decided to raise money for the hospice where Chelsey died because they did so much for her and her family.

“I swim regularly so my fitness is quite good but I am on a daily routine of medication, which I take every morning and night, to try and control my asthma although I do struggle with it. Every two to three months I will have a serious attack which means I need an overnight stay in hospital. I’m under the care of Addenbrooke’s Hospital but I’m a bit of a medical mystery. They think I have four types of asthma: allergen-induced, infection-induced, exercise-induced and non-allergen induced asthma so it is difficult to control.”

Cathy was diagnosed with asthma when she was just five weeks old but is hoping the condition will not affect her dream of completing the world famous road race.

She said: “I’m going to discuss it properly with my doctors at my next appointment but I think they are more worried about the training – in case I have a serious attack while I am out on my own.”

Cathy is currently studying for a degree in disability studies at Bedford University, which she hopes to convert into a teaching degree.

http://www.elystandard.co.uk/news/asthma_sufferer_cathy_dreams_of_completing_the_london_marathon_1_1109754

Don’t Let Allergies, Asthma Haunt Halloween Fun - Hidden Triggers to Avoid

2011-10-31T09:03:00.001-04:00

“Halloween is a fun time for children of all ages. Unfortunately, it may become a time when children forget to be careful. All kids must work at staying safe especially those who are allergic and asthmatic. Please remind all children, especially ones with special dietary restrictions to have their "trick and treat" bags checked by an adult for foods which need to be avoided. All package labels should be read to ensure treats are safe to eat. If the package does not have a label and you are not sure what is in the treat, DO NOT EAT IT! Most importantly, on this fun, exciting evening children who have a history of being anaphylactic need to carry their auto injector and asthmatic children should carry their reliever medication,” states Jo-Anna Gillespie, Asthma Educator.

Watch out for these triggers to keep Halloween sneeze-, wheeze- and reaction-free.

1. Tricky treats – Food allergy triggers abound on this candy-filled holiday, and it’s not just the usual suspects such as chocolate that can hide triggers. An article published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology shows gummy bears and other seemingly innocent candies may contain gelatin, a potential allergen which is a less common trigger. Your best bet? Consider taking your child to an allergist for allergy testing and help in developing a food allergy treatment plan. For Halloween night, have some non-candy treats for your child such as stickers, pencils and small toys to swap for sweets.

2. Devilish costume details – Watch out for nickel in costume accessories, from cowboy belts and pirate swords to tiaras and magic wands. Nickel is one of the most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis, which can make skin itchy and spoil trick-or-treating fun.

3. Haunted hand-me-downs – Halloween costumes packed away in a box for months can be laden with dust mites, which trigger asthma and allergies. So unless you want your little one sneezing or wheezing from house to house, wash the hand-me-down costumes in hot water. Or consider visiting the store for a new costume.

4. Menacing makeup – Cheap Halloween makeup may include preservatives that can cause allergic reactions. Instead, opt for higher quality theater makeup. Because it can take a few days for a rash, swelling or other reaction to appear, test the makeup on a small area of skin well in advance of Halloween.

5. Frightful fog – If you’re considering renting a fog machine to make your house extra spooky, think again. Fog – real or man-made – can trigger asthma in some sufferers.

6. Perilous pumpkins –Beware of pumpkin carving and pumpkin pie if you think you might be allergic. Pumpkin allergies, though rare, can cause everything from itching to chest tightness and can pop up quite suddenly, even if you haven’t had a problem before. And keep in mind that pumpkin patches are often moldy and dusty, allergy and asthma triggers for some. Consider buying a pumpkin from a grocery or discount store.

7. Scented Candles - Avoid aromatic candles. If you do use a scented candle make sure the fragrance
used was specifically formulated for candle use. Avoid wax that contains volatile aromatic hydrocarbons.

Concerned that you or your child might have allergies or asthma? For more information on asthma triggers order your copy of the booklet from the Asthma Society of Canada.

Rural Students Research Air Toxics via Multi-State Program

2011-10-28T09:44:00.000-04:00

One student's interest in studying air pollution has led to a research program involving more than 1,200 mostly rural students from 18 schools in three states.

The program, Air Toxics Under the Big Sky, is designed to "bring student-based scientific inquiry into the classroom, give students real-world experience on problems relevant to their communities, and encourage young people to seek further education and careers in environmental and biomedical sciences."

It started seven years ago with a Big Sky High School chemistry class, with support from University of Montana researchers, as a year-long science project to study indoor air quality in the homes of 16 students. The program now involves students in Montana, Idaho, and Alaska. Apart from schools in the Montana cities of Missoula and Butte, the majority of the schools involved are in remote or rural areas and include two Native tribal colleges.

The program provides mentoring opportunities for students to study components of air pollution. They measure those pollutants indoors and outdoors, how the pollutants vary seasonally and geographically, and the pollutants' potential effects on human health. Students also develop and conduct independent projects and share their findings at the end of the school year in a capstone-like experience, a symposium held at the University of Montana.

The program recently caught the attention of The Rural Educator, which featured the program in an article in its spring edition, "The Power of the Symposium: Impacts from Students' Perspectives." Researchers found the annual symposium to be a critical component of the program, and a valuable learning experience for students.

The effectiveness of the overall program previously has been documented, so the point of this study was to look at students' perceptions of the program relative to the culminating symposium. A total of 448 surveys were collected from 2006-07 through 2008-09, mostly from high school juniors.

Students were asked to describe the most important things they learned. The most frequent response—from nearly 30 percent of the former students—was "general awareness of air quality and particulate matter." Less than 1 percent said they "learned nothing."

The vast majority—85 percent—rated their overall experience at the University of Montana symposium as either "good" or "excellent," while only 2 percent said it was either "not so good" or "really bad."

Students also were asked whether the program changed their interest in science or in pursuing a science career. Thirty-six percent of students said they were more interested in science, and 24 percent said they were more interested in it as a career.

"Any reported career interest increases by these students suggest that the Air Toxics Under the Big Sky program, with its culminating symposium, is a powerful way to have an impact on those who already have a high level of science interest," according to the report.

Air Toxics Under the Big Sky is a different kind of program that seemed worth sharing, particularly because it's helping to increase rural students' interest in science. Exposing students to these kinds of opportunities is a first step toward engaging them.

By Diette Courrege on September 29, 2011

Asthma can’t stop Monsignor Doyle student

2011-10-27T08:44:00.000-04:00

WATERLOO — Taya Ambrose finished the race, talked with friends and posed for several pictures.

Some 10 minutes later, she went for her puffer.

The Monsignor Doyle student and K-W Track and Field Club member didn’t let asthma slow her down on Wednesday during the District 8 cross-country championship at Bechtel Park. She simply went out and won the 3,000-metre midget girls race in a time of 12:54.0 to edge Breanne Steven of St. David, who finished second in 13:00.7. Tess Wittman of St. Benedict was third in 13:14.6.

The weather at race-time was about 8C under cloudy skies, which for Ambrose is just about ideal.

“I can do much better running in this weather because it’s harder for me to breathe when it’s sunny and warm,” said Ambrose, who in August competed at the International Children’s Games in Scotland.

“I’m excited for CWOSSA and I hope it’s like this next week.”

The Central Western Ontario championship will be held next Thursday in Brantford and Ambrose will be part of a large local contingent taking part. Each school from Waterloo Region is allowed to send a maximum of 48 runners to the regional championship.

Ambrose’s victory was particularly sweet after she was swallowed by a massive puddle near the end of last week’s Laurel Creek race and had to settle for second.

“I got stuck in that puddle and just couldn’t get out so I really wanted to do better at this race,” said Ambrose.

The Waterloo County Secondary School Athletics Association championship will be held Thursday at Bechtel Park.

Mathew McCarthy/Record staff mbryson@therecord.com

Diwali Greetings - Happy Deepavali 2011 !

2011-10-26T09:01:00.000-04:00

There is no training or fellowship offered in India for studying allergies, said R.Sridharan, Consultant Allergist – Asthma Specialist. “Many doctors approach asthma as a respiratory condition but I approach it as an expression of an allergy in the respiratory system,” he added.

Addressing asthma as an allergy helps find the root cause of the problem, said Dr.Sridharan, who was speaking at an awareness programme at P.S. Senior Secondary School on Tuesday. The event was ‘Breathe Free', a public service initiative by Cipla which was an appeal to schoolchildren to avoid or reduce bursting firecrackers and instead light candles this Deepavali.

“The smoke from the crackers emit harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide which irritates the delicate airways of the lungs and aggravates the condition of people with Asthma,” he said. The students were also shown videos on global warming, increasing air pollution, passive smoking and the importance of preserving trees.

For eleventh-standard student, M.Sivarangan, who suffers from wheezing, such initiatives are relevant. “I have difficulty breathing during Deepavali and I ask my friends to avoid bursting crackers. Also, some of them get hurt while bursting crackers,” he said.

Dr.Sridharan also spoke about the conditions in factories in which fireworks are manufactured and said it was not just for health reasons, but also social reasons that change needs to be brought about. This awareness was voiced by students such as M.K.Udayakumar who said children his age are employed to make fireworks in factories.

S.Jayanthi, a biology teacher, said the children will take home the message to their parents about the ill-effects of fireworks. “After such awareness programmes, the craze for purchasing crackers will come down,” she said. However, while students from younger classes understood the reasons for not bursting crackers they were reluctant to give it up. “I have already bought crackers for this year, I will stop from next year,” said a little boy.

But those in the higher classes recognised the need for such changes. “When we were younger, we used to find it very exciting to burst crackers but now we understand how it affects not only us but the people around us,” said S.Jagadeesan, a student in class XI.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Chennai/article2550883.ece

Four Health Tips for an Athlete with Asthma

2011-10-25T09:29:00.000-04:00

Asthma is a common illness that people suffer from, but that does not mean you have to give up your love of sports. There are a lot of athletes with asthma performing well on the field, while maintaining their health at the same time.

Here are four health tips for an athlete participating in sports, if he or she is also dealing with asthma.

Always Take Asthma Medication As Directed

This might sound like an obvious tip, but taking your asthma medication as directed, is important for an athlete suffering from asthma. Sometimes it might be challenging to take your medications, especially if you are on the go a lot, but it is crucial for your health. An athlete should be taking asthma medication as directed, so that he or she can remain competitive on the field, while also staying safe during times of high physical exertion. Controlling your asthma is a huge part in being able to participate in sports, and the only way this can be done is through taking the required medications as prescribed.

Be Cautious of All Potential Triggers in Indoor and Outdoor Environments

Asthma is often triggered by indoor and outdoor environments, such as pollen count, so be cautious of this before you participate in a sport. For example, if you are a runner and are going outdoors for a meet, watch the pollen count levels that day if you are sensitive to the pollen. Asthma seems to flare up more when the person is in an environment that serves as the trigger, so an athlete needs to be aware of his or her surroundings. If you know the environment will be harmful to your asthma, then maybe you should just not participate that day, or limit the amount of time you spend engaged in the sport.

Warm Up and Cool Down Properly

Warming up and cooling down are essential if you are an athlete suffering from asthma, especially in cold weather environments. An athlete should not just jump into a sport before warming up, because this could exacerbate asthma symptoms, which could lead to a medical emergency. Cooling down is also crucial because it allows the lungs to gradually change temperatures, which also helps lessen the chances of an asthma attack. Whenever you are involved in sports and suffer from asthma, you need to gradually change the temperature of the lungs to ensure an asthma attack does not occur. The easiest way to warm up and cool down is to stretch, or perform light exercises to get your lung temperatures up, and then back down at the end of the sport.

Breathe Through the Nose While Playing Sports

It is important for an athlete to breathe through his or her nose during a physical activity, especially if he or she suffers from asthma. Breathing through the nose will help warm up the air, and moistens it, so that it is less irritating to the lungs. If you are in a cold environment this is essential, since a lot of cold air aggravates the lungs, and could send you into an asthma attack. Breathing through the nose is vital for an athlete suffering from asthma, since it will help the temperature of the lungs remain constant, and also can lessen the chances of airway constriction. When you are engaged in a sport, the number of times the heart beats increases, so breathing more is commonplace, which can set off asthma symptoms if an athlete is breathing through the mouth only. You should keep your lips closed if you are breathing through the mouth, since leaving the mouth open will still allow the airway and lungs to become irritated.

By Jeanne Rose, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Oct 20, 2:06 am EDT

Disclaimer - NAPA blog columnists are not medical experts, but everyday people living with asthma and sharing their personal experiences. While their method of asthma management may work for them, everyone is different. Please consult with your health care team to find out what will work best for you

Lessons from Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2011-10-24T09:32:00.000-04:00

This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and you'll be seeing pink everywhere. While some of us have mixed feelings about the pink aspects of the breast cancer campaigns, no one quarrels with the message — more funds and more research are needed to end this disease. But since this is a blog about asthma, I want to focus on a different idea that when faced with an immediately life threatening illness, we tend to act quickly and decisively, as opposed to a chronic illness like asthma which at times can lead to procrastination, burnout, and — on occasion — outright denial.

Why is this? Part of it is the nature of having a chronic disease; it doesn't go away. For another, asthma is insidious, and often symptoms don't show up in very obvious ways. You might be more wheezy in the cold or have the flu turn into bronchitis every year, but sometimes that doesn't line up in your head with the long-term damage asthma can be doing to your lungs. Sometimes, there aren't any symptoms at all, and it's hard to think urgently about the idea that asthma is causing damage that will occur in the future. It's not like a broken leg where the pain is immediately apparant, or a lump that has to come out today.

All of which made me think of a famous marketing dictum, to "make your own emergency." This is not asking you to push the panic button. But by thinking of asthma as a serious disease that demands daily care, you might be able to push yourself into paying closer attention to it on a daily basis and responding to it with the same attention you might to another, more urgently pressing medical diagnosis, like breast cancer.

So when you begin to see all of those pink ribbons during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, think of it as a call to improve your own health as well. Sometimes we need to be shocked into taking first rate care of ourselves every day. It isn't easy and good care takes a variety of forms. It means regular check-ups, taking your prescribed medicine, avoiding your potential triggers., and following your asthma action plan. as recommended by your health care provider.

It might mean lobbying for more access to medications or making sure that your personal health team is responsive to your needs. It might mean changing your eating and physical exercise habits or stopping smoking. It might mean admitting you have asthma once and for all, with all that implies.

But, without a doubt, it will mean a better quality of life and a longer life. Which is an outcome worth fighting for.

Disclaimer - NAPA blog columnists are not medical experts, but everyday people living with asthma and sharing their personal experiences. While their method of asthma management may work for them, everyone is different. Please consult with your health care team to find out what will work best for you

Respiratory Therapists Week, October 23-29, 2011

2011-10-23T11:21:00.002-04:00

The Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists (CSRT) celebrates Respiratory Therapists Week, October 23-29, 2011. This week-long celebration serves to recognize respiratory therapists (RTs); educate the public about the varied roles of respiratory care and responsibilities of RTs; and to increase the recognition of the significant contribution made by RTs who are responsible for the well-being of individuals who suffer from asthma, COPD (emphysema) and other respiratory illnesses within the community and in hospital settings.

Respiratory therapists are specialists in airway management, and the treatment of respiratory related conditions, educating patients and their families regarding their respiratory condition and associated treatments. RTs are instrumental in saving lives. They work in a variety of high risk areas including intensive care units, emergency departments, operating rooms, neonatal nurseries and home care.

Respiratory therapists are responsible for among other things, the treatment of patients who have experienced trauma or are in surgery or intensive care units; assisting in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); stabilization high-risk patients being moved by air or ground; providing support in high risk deliveries of babies who experience difficulty breathing.

Asthma: It's not just for kids

2011-10-20T09:45:00.000-04:00

Adult Asthma: Sure, asthma is more common in kids, but symptoms can start at any age. Recent government reports show one in 12 adults in the US, and 8.4% of Canadians over the age of 12 are now diagnosed with the disease.

Canada has the 5th highest rate of Asthma in the World according to the Fall 2011 edition of Allergic Living magazine which details Asthma by the Numbers. Did you know that 2.7 million Canadians have asthma? Public Health Agency of Canada: Life and Breath Report 2007.

You can’t shake that cough, maybe you’re having a tougher time breathing, or you feel a little pressure in your chest. It could be a bunch of things: bronchitis, the start of pneumonia, a sign of emphysema ... or it could be asthma.

Sure, asthma is more common in kids, but symptoms can start at any age. In fact, recent government reports show asthma rates are on the rise. Although scientists don’t know exactly why some adults develop asthma and others don’t, they believe genetics and environmental factors may play a role, they know women are more vulnerable than men, particularly women in Canada ages 35 to 44, rates are up 60% since 2005, and for women aged 45 to 64 rates are up an astounding 80% from 2005!

Obesity, allergies and respiratory infections are potential triggers. There’s no cure for asthma, but you can take these steps to minimize symptoms and breathe easier:

Stick to your prescribed medicine.

Most adults need two kinds: rescue medications, for immediate relief of symptoms, and daily long-term medication to help control inflammation in the airways and prevent attacks. Inhaled corticosteroids are the most common and most effective anti-inflammatory medications for asthma — when they’re doing their job, you shouldn’t need the quick-relief inhaler very often. If you find yourself puffing on it more than normal, talk to your doctor; he may need to adjust your long-term medicine.

Avoid the potential triggers.

A recent survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that almost half of adults don’t take steps to avoid triggers, but that’s a key part to managing asthma. Some of the most common triggers include allergens (such as pet dander, dust mites and mold), irritants (such as tobacco smoke) and viral infections (cold and sinusitis).

To take control, keep windows closed or turn on your air conditioning to help cut down the airborne pollen and mold spores that find their way indoors; the AC also lowers indoor humidity and can reduce your exposure to dust mites. You might want to encase pillows in dust-proof covers and wash sheets and blankets in hot water every week. To reduce dander, keep pets out of the bedroom and have them bathed or groomed regularly. And wash your hands often—it’s the best way to prevent sickness.

Develop an action plan.

It’s a step-by-step guide — created with your doctor, tailored to you and designed to help you monitor whether your treatment plan is working and tell you what to do when it isn’t. About 70% of adults did not have an asthma management plan in place, according to the CDC survey, but especially if you have moderate to severe asthma, you need one. A proper action plan includes customizing information on medications and triggers, tracking symptoms and using peak flow meters, recognizing and treating an attack and knowing when it’s time to seek emergency care.

Top 10 Houseplants to Purify the Air

2011-10-19T09:40:00.000-04:00

In these cooler months we spend more time indoors than we do in the summertime - an average of 2 more hours each day! With modern building technologies, more homes and offices are tightly sealed to prevent heat loss and this means you breathe in much more indoor air.

This may not be a bad thing, but most homes and offices are full of VOC's - gases which are emitted by chemicals in our cleaning products, appliances, and furniture finishings. Enough buildup of these chemicals in the air can cause sluggishness or health problems for you and your family.

The good news, is that some houseplants can help clean the air, and are easy to maintain too! For people with asthma, houseplants may not always be the perfect solution. You need to determine methods to protect against dust buildup on plant leaves, and how to avoid mould growing in damp rooms. Visit asthma.ca for indoor asthma tips.

But if houseplants are an option for you, NASA (yes, the American Space Agency) has actually done research into the best houseplants for your home! The study referenced above looks at 50 plants and how effective they are at removing chemicals from the air. This page can help you summarize the results for the best-performing plants overall, but the same NASA study also ranked plants for us on how easy they are to care for in the home.

That said, thanks to mnn.com, here are the Top 10 Houseplants that are Easy To Maintain and Purify Your Air.

1. Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)
The best performer at removing airborne toxins, it also releases moisture into the air to regulate humidity, and is attractive to look at. It's also effective at removing salt from soil. It is easy to take care of and very resistant to pests. Enjoys semi-sun, temperatures between 65-75 degrees (18-24 C).

2. Lady Palm (Rhapsis excelsa)
The lady palm is easy to care for as it is very resistant to pests and grows slowly. Enjoys semi-sun and 60-70 degrees (16-21 C), and not less than 50 degrees (10 C) during winter.

3. Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)
The bamboo palm can grow to 6 ft. and is more resistant to pests than the areca palm. It is also even more effective than both the areca and the lady palm at removing airborne chemicals. Also an excellent humidifier. Enjoys semi-sun and 60-75 degree temperatures (16-24 C), and not less than 50 degrees (10 C).

4. Rubber Plant (Ficus robusta)
The rubber plant, named for the appearance of its leaves, is known for being a plant which requires little light and can tolerate lower temperatures than the previously mentioned plants. It is especially effective at removing the ubiquitous chemical formaldehyde from the air. It can grow to 8 ft. Enjoys semi-sun to semi-shade and 60-80 degree temperatures (16-27), and as low as 40 degrees (4 C!) for short periods.

5. Dracaena “Janet Craig” (Dracaena deremensis “Janet Craig”)
This plant is one of the most effective at removing trichloroethylene from the air, which is a chemical commonly emitted by photocopiers and similar devices. While the standard variety can grow to 10 ft., the smaller “Compacta” variety reaches only 1-3 ft. and requires less maintenance. Enjoys semi-shade (even poorly lit areas) and 60-75 degree temperatures (16-24 C), and not less than 50 degrees (10 C).

6. English Ivy (Hedera helix)
English Ivy grows well in hanging baskets. It can benefit from some time spent outdoors in the spring or summer. It is especially good at removing formaldehyde from the air. Enjoys semi-sun to semi-shade and 60-70 degrees (16-21 C) temperatures, 50-60 degrees (10-15 C) at night.

7. Dwarf Date Palm (Phoenix roebelenii)
The dwarf date palm can reach a maximum height of about 6 ft. and grows slowly. It thrives without much light and can survive for decades. It is very effective at removing xylene from the air, which can come from caulking, adhesives, floor coverings, wall coverings, paints, and particle board. Enjoys 60-75 degrees (16-24 C)) temperatures, but not below 50 degrees (10 C).

8. Ficus Alii (Ficus macleilandii)
You can find ficus alii grown three ways: one solitary plant, a bush (with multiple stems from one pot), and braided (with multiple stems intertwined). These plants may molt some of their leaves until they adapt to a new space. Enjoys 60-75 degree temperatures (16-24 C), and 55-68 at nights (13-20 C).

9. Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata “Bostoniensis”)
The Boston fern grows lush foliage but does not flower. They are best grown in a hanging basket or on a pedestal. It is highly effective at removing chemicals and humidifying, but requires a bit more attention than the previous plants. It should be misted regularly. Enjoys 65-75 degrees (18-24 C), and 50-65 at night (10-18 C).

10. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum sp.)
I know, cute name, right? It boasts white shell-like flowers reminscent of the more common calla lilly and is one of a handful of plants that successfully bloom indoors. Aesthetically pleasing, easy to take care of, and excellent at removing chemicals... what more could you ask for? Enjoys 60-75 degrees (16-24 C) temperatures, and 55-68 at night (13-20).

Canadian research: asthma action plans are effective

2011-10-18T12:59:00.001-04:00

A study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine indicates over 65% of children are not using their medication effectively, according to Dr. Francine Ducharme from the University of Montreal.

219 children and teens were discharged from emergency rooms after an asthma attack - all were given a medication prescription, and half were given a written asthma action plan as well.

At 2 weeks after their discharge, both groups had similar rates of non-compliance. However, after 4 weeks, the group without an asthma action plan was only taking 21% of their medication as prescribed! The group with the asthma action plan was taking their medication at 56% of prescribed. This is still far less than the ideal 100%, but a very significant statistical difference.

There continues to exist many misunderstandings about what controller medications are actually for. An asthma action plan can help a child and their parent understand what the medication is for, and how it can help prevent future asthma attacks. Controllers help prevent the inflammation from building up in the airways. This in turn results in fewer symptoms, or the decreased severity of asthma attacks when someone with asthma encounters one of their triggers. It also helps overall quality of life, making everyday activities more enjoyable and decreasing the frequency that someone will need rescue medication.

If you need a sample Asthma Action Plan to take to your doctor, please click here to download yours today.

Cold, flu season poses risks for kids with asthma

2011-10-17T10:18:00.001-04:00

SATURDAY, Oct. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Symptoms of asthma can be worsened by a cold or the flu, creating a potentially dangerous situation for children, according to experts at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

In fact, 30 percent of kids who are admitted to the hospital with the flu have asthma, putting them at risk for also developing pneumonia, Dr. Beth Allen, a physician of pulmonary medicine, said in a hospital news release.

"All it takes is one trigger -- a common cold, a change in the weather, allergens that kids are exposed to, cigarette smoke -- any of those things might trigger already irritated airways to become even more agitated," said Allen, who is also a faculty member at Ohio State University College of Medicine.

"Actually, colds are the number one thing that land kids with asthma in the hospital. They'll come down with a cold, start having a cough on day two, and by day three, they're pretty sick and can experience a severe asthma flare-up," she said.

There's a surge in the number of children who visit the emergency room during cold and flu season at Nationwide Children's Hospital, experts there pointed out.

"We suspect that this spike is due to a variety of factors," explained Allen. "During the summer, asthma tends to be less severe, and some families may not always regularly use controller therapies for their children. But with allergens that come into play during the fall, the weather changing, and kids catching more colds as they're back in the classroom, it all combines for a perfect storm of asthma flare-ups."

To reduce the number of asthmatic kids who end up in the emergency room, there are several steps parents can take to protect their children from severe flare-ups, including:
•Children should get a flu shot to give their immune system a head start against any viruses.
•Kids should get a check up in the fall to assess their condition ahead of flu season.
•Children who are prescribed a daily asthma controller should be monitored to make sure they are taking their medication -- even when they are feeling well.
•Parents should work with their child's doctor to develop a written asthma action plan to help prepare for different situations that could affect kids' health.

"Parents should be able to recognize the symptoms, know which medicines to use if they develop, and know when to call the doctor if that medicine is failing," added Allen. "Ideally, they should walk away from a doctor's visit with this all written down in what we call an asthma action plan."

Run alongside Canada's best athletes this Weekend - Go Team Asthma!

2011-10-14T13:30:00.000-04:00

Coming up this weekend, Sunday October 16th to be exact, is the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. This event isn't just a marathon - there's also half-marathon and 5km divisions - and it's also a great chance to get outdoors and run along some of Toronto's most scenic streets, without the traffic.

For the third year, Team Asthma will be out at this event in full force. Through the Charity Challenge, runners can register for the race and fundraise for any one of their favourite charities. This allows us at the Asthma Society to focus on our programming and education, and let the professionals manage the details of the race.

On October 16th, Team Asthma may be rubbing elbows with Canada's top runners. This Toronto Star article features Reid Coolsaet, who set the record at last year's event for the fastest marathon by a Canadian in Canada. This year, he's gunning for the qualifying time needed to get into the London 2012 Olympics. Alongside him will be Simon Bairu, Eric Gillis, Rob Watson and Dylan Wykes, all pushing for a blistering pace of less than 2 hours and 13 minutes over 42.2km.

So maybe you'll be rubbing elbows at the finish line and not on the course. But it's still an amazing day which attracts runners and walkers of all talents and abilities. Get into the active spirit and help prove that Canadians with asthma can do anything we set our minds to!

The implications of smoking on asthma

2011-10-13T10:31:00.000-04:00

St Cloud State University has introduced a campus smoking policy which would totally take effect on Aug. 1, 2012. Meanwhile the University created a few designated areas on the campus in an effort to slowly implement the policy. While we would all agree that smoking could exacerbate asthma, surprisingly enough, the smoking habits of asthmatics and non-asthmatics are similar. A study performed in a few European countries in 2007 took upon the duty to establish a relationship between smoking habits and asthma symptoms and to see how that plays into the quality of life of asthmatics.

There are many studies that have summoned the tobacco industry since the 1960's. There were various incentives behind all of these studies, but interestingly enough, they all seemed to deal with the effects of tobacco on a totally healthy human being. This study emerges as one that explored a different side effect of tobacco; one that is never written on any tobacco label; that is the effects of tobacco on a person with asthma.

For the purpose of the study, a stratified random sample of participants was taken from Germany France, and the United Kingdom. Health data of participants were obtained from their respective national health associations as the team needed a medical opinion on their health in order to interpret the results properly. The participants were given surveys to fill from 2001-2003 with another survey in 2004. These surveys assessed the degree of their smoking habits coupled with the types of treatments they sought if they happened to have asthma.

The results indicated some important information to take into account:

First, the data indicated that smoking increased asthma symptoms, but the results could not specifically determine whether it contributed to the severity of asthma attacks in general. This could have been probably due to the similarity in smoking habits between people with asthma and people without asthma that we outlined earlier.

Second, it has been found that in the sample studied, the combination of asthma and smoking was significantly affecting lung function. The degree of lung inflammation significantly increased with the two combined together than either alone.

Third, subjects with nighttime asthma attacks were more prevalent in subjects who smoke than in subjects who don't.

Finally, the effects of asthma medications seemed to have slightly declined in the case of smokers. The results inferred that people with asthma who smoked were avoiding medical attention as they feared a confrontation regarding their smoking habits.

Quality of life (QoL) is what we all seek whether we have the right resources or not. This study proves that the extent to which a patient diagnosed with asthma smokes is undoubtedly worsening his condition. Among all the conclusions they reached, it is clear that smoking while being asthmatic is not recommended and might compromise the overall quality of life of the patient. Although this study incites some important questions about its reliability, the results are worthy, and we should encourage this type of specific research and choose to do some similar ones in the future.

..
Loris Azo, Minneapolis Asthma Examiner
October 4, 2011 - The implications of smoking on asthma
Continue reading on http://www.examiner.com/asthma-in-minneapolis/the-implications-of-smoking-on-asthma-review#ixzz1aVQSnQvL

Workplace pollutants tied to kids' asthma risk

2011-10-12T10:30:00.000-04:00

Oct 7 (Reuters) - A mother's exposure to airborne pollutants at work during her pregnancy may increase the likelihood that her unborn child will later develop asthma, a Danish study said.

The review of registry data on 45,658 seven-year-old children and their mothers found that 18.6 percent of children of mothers who were exposed to low-molecular-weight particles at work during pregnancy developed asthma, compared to 16.1 percent of the general population.

"This is the first large-scale study which has shown an association between maternal exposures during work and asthma in children," said study leader Berit Christensen, at the School of Public Health in Denmark, in a statement.

For the study, which was presented at the European Respiratory Society's recent annual congress in Amsterdam, Christensen and colleagues used mothers' job titles to estimate their exposure to workplace pollutants, with categories for either low- or high-molecular-weight particles, mixed, farmers, "unclassifiable" and students, as well as a reference group of office workers for comparison.

After adjusting for age, body mass index, allergy and hypersensitivities, smoking, medication and pets, there was a slightly higher risk -- about 11 percent -- for asthma in children when their pregnant mothers were exposed to particles of both low molecular weight and high molecular weight.

The researchers found no asthma associations in the other exposure groups.

Experts greeted the results warily.

"Results like these should always be interpreted with caution since they may be caused by confounding from other lifestyle factors that are not easily adjusted for," said Klaus Bonnelykke, of the Danish Pediatric Asthma Center, who was not involved in the research.

"However, thee is increasing evidence that the prenatal period may be a critical period affecting the offspring's risk for later development of asthma and other (allergic) diseases," he told Reuters Health by email.

Christensen agreed that more work is needed.

"Whilst a link has been found, our results at this stage are modest and further research is needed into specific chemicals and substances to determine those that could be most harmful," Christensen added. (Reporting from New York by Rob Goodier at Reuters Health; editing by Elaine Lies)

Hospital Asthma Grades Not Linked to Healthier Kids

2011-10-11T10:14:00.004-04:00

Hospitals that meet performance standards for treating kids with asthma aren't any better at keeping those kids from showing up in the emergency room with asthma problems in the future, according to new research.

The results call into question whether the standards, used to grade the hospitals on their asthma care, are helpful if they don't translate into real patient improvements, researchers said.

Specifically, hospitals following so-called process measures that encourage sending young asthma patients home with a plan for managing their condition did not result in the kids having fewer hospitalizations and ER trips.

The problem, researchers said, may be that there's no way to make sure those asthma management plans were explained in a way that families understood, or that they followed doctors' recommendations at discharge.

"Intuitively having a home management plan of care... that makes perfect sense and that should improve their outcomes," said lead study author Dr. Rustin Morse, from Phoenix Children's Hospital in Arizona.

However, "simply giving the patient a paper, which is really what they were able to measure, doesn't necessarily mean that it was explained in a thorough way, that the family understood it (and) that they were able to get the medications they were prescribed," added Dr. Charles Homer, of the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality and Children's Hospital Boston, who wrote a commentary on the study.

The Joint Commission, an organization that accredits and certifies hospitals, uses the children's asthma care measures to grade those hospitals based on how often they give kids certain kinds of asthma medications while in the hospital and provide a discharge plan for when they leave.

That plan is supposed to include arrangements for follow-up care and to teach families how they can limit asthma triggers and what they should do during an asthma attack.

To see how hospital performance by those standards affects patients down the road, Morse and his colleagues collected data from 30 U.S. children's hospitals during 2008 to 2010. More than 37,000 kids were admitted to those hospitals with asthma.

Almost all of the hospitals treated kids with recommended drugs including albuterol and steroids while they were admitted.

And over the course of the study, hospitals generally got better at giving families a discharge plan. According to hospital records, about 40 percent of kids got a plan at the beginning of the study, compared to 73 percent by the end.

But it's unclear how much those asthma-control plans did to help prevent problems. Increasing the number of kids who got the discharge plans wasn't linked to any change in how many of them ended up back in the hospital or in the ER for asthma over the next three months.

And there was no difference in later hospital admissions or ER trips between the hospitals that were best at giving discharge plans and those that were worst.

In total, about eight percent of kids were hospitalized again for asthma problems in the three months after their last visit, and 11 percent went to the ER, the researchers report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Morse and his colleagues say that it's possible individual kids benefited from having an asthma plan -- for example, by having fewer asthma symptoms or missing fewer days of school because of asthma -- but that was something they couldn't examine in this study.

Homer said it's very important to have quality measures for children's health care.

Still, the researchers agreed that current measures could use tweaking to get more "meaningful" information about the quality and clarity of discharge plans given to families, to solidify the link between how the care provided ends up benefiting patients.

Sharon Sprenger from the Joint Commission's performance measurement group said many factors could be involved in whether or not a kid with asthma ends up back in the ER or hospital after getting a discharge plan, even if it's a well-written plan.

She said the Joint Commission is always looking for opportunities to improve its grading measures.

With the new study, she told Reuters Health, the organization will "see if there are opportunities for us to improve this measure, or if there are other opportunities for us for some additional education" to make sure families are sent home with all the information they need to prevent asthma-related problems.

Published October 05, 2011| Reuters
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/10/05/hospital-asthma-grades-not-linked-to-health

Managing childhood asthma

2011-10-07T10:15:00.004-04:00

Make sure your child sees a primary-care doctor regularly.

Take preventative medication as prescribed. Anti-inflammatory medication is meant to be taken on a daily basis to prevent asthma attacks. This medication is an inhaler but it is different from a rescue inhaler that is used if an asthma attack occurs.

Get all immunizations when scheduled.

Eliminate or reduce exposure to asthma triggers, including smoking, cockroaches, dust mites and indoor mold.

Replace mattresses every five to six years.

Avoid fumes and odors.

Watch for high ozone days. On red- or orange-level days, keep your child indoors.

Communicate with your child's school and organizations.

As a baby, Rylan Shobe had frequent bouts with a croupy cough that led to lots of visits to his doctor's office.

Then at 21/2, his oxygen rate dropped so low that he was rushed by ambulance to the hospital, where he spent the next two weeks.

"It was very, very scary," said his mom, Tina Shobe. "It was his worst episode of asthma."

The toddler's vague symptoms made it tough to know exactly what was wrong, said his dad, Ryan Shobe.

"We were both under the assumption that an asthma attack or exacerbation would be somewhat obvious when it happened, like gasping for air," he said. "Now, we both realize that asthma can take on many different appearances, both in onset and severity."

Rylan, 11, is doing much better. The fifth-grader at Argyle Intermediate School plays various sports, including football.

"He takes preventative medicine every day, and he has a rescue inhaler -- luckily, we have never really had to use that," Tina Shobe said. "Now that we know the signs and symptoms to look for, his asthma is managed very well."

Today 1 in 5 children in North Texas -- an estimated 111,000 under the age of 14 -- is affected by asthma, according to Cook Children's Community-wide Children's Health Assessment and Planning Survey, or CCHAPS. The survey of more than 7,400 parents in six counties -- Denton, Tarrant, Johnson, Hood, Parker and Wise -- provided an in-depth look at asthma and revealed, among other things, that among those ages 8 and 9, asthma affects 1 in 4.

"Today, you won't find a classroom without a kid in it who has asthma," said Dr. Nancy Dambro, medical director of pulmonary medicine at Cook Children's Home Health.

Children in North Texas ages 6 to 9 are three times more likely to have asthma than their peers at the statewide level.

However, despite the high incidence of asthma reported by the survey, the region might not be any harder hit than other communities.

"I don't see anything in Tarrant County that should make asthma any worse here," Dambro said. "It's just that we measure it."

Leading indicators

School nurses don't need a meteorologist to tell them when the weather is changing or when ragweed has blown into town.

In the days after weather changes, they often see plenty of coughing and sneezing kids.

Asthma is the most common reason for student absences in Denton, Tarrant, Johnson, Hood, Parker and Wise counties, according to the survey. In this region, children with asthma are twice as likely to miss four or more days of school than their peers.

School districts have responded by looking for ways to reduce absences and improve the overall health of area children, especially those with asthma.

Among those leading the charge is the Keller school district, which in 2006 developed an indoor air quality program to address health concerns.

"The program has an impact on the health of the district's 34,000 kids, but of course, the biggest impact is on those with asthma," said Frank DiNella, director of operations and distributions for the Keller school district. "The kids with asthma are like the canaries in the mine shaft -- they tell us where the problems are."

The team started by removing carpeting from hallways and classrooms. It also removed deodorizers and candles that could trigger asthma attacks and switched to green cleaning products.

It also began locating water leaks -- whether from the roof or a plumbing problem -- and getting them fixed within 24 hours so mold didn't have a chance to set in. Food was removed quickly to mitigate cockroaches.

The team also worked with school nurses, who worked closely with students, to monitor symptoms and identify asthma triggers.

The district's efforts won it the 2010 EPA National Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Excellence Award.

Communication is the key to the program's success, DiNella said. Everyone works together to identify the source of problems and fixing them. The approach has paid off.

"Each year since we started, we have seen our daily attendance increase as a result of kids not being too sick to stay at home," he said.

Other school districts have taken different approaches.

In August, the Crowley school district began participating in a research study with Baylor University to find the connection between environmental pollutants and asthma.

Dr. Erica Bruce, assistant professor of environmental sciences at Baylor University, is looking at how contaminants in the environment affect human health, specifically asthma.

This region has asthma rates that are double the national average of about 9 percent. For example, the asthma rate is 18.6 percent in Tarrant County, Bruce said.

Monitoring stations track pollutants in the air, while school nurses collect medical data on students with asthma as well as their siblings, to look for genetic connections. School nurses also watch for other clues such as when a student experiences asthma symptoms or whether he or she uses an inhaler regularly.

"One of the goals is to collect data to make a connection between asthma and the days when we might have high contaminants in the area," Bruce said. "Are we seeing more children in the clinic on the days when we have a high concentration pollutants, or are we seeing them a day later?"

One of the goals is to make a connection between asthma and pollutants from various sources, such as traffic or crops being harvested.

"There are lots of theories and studies that attribute this childhood illness to genetics, environmental exposure of the mother prenatally and diet," Bruce said. "Making the connection scientifically will definitely help us say [that environmental pollutants are] a contributor to higher rates of asthma."

Looking for causes

When orange ozone alert days stack up, it is no surprise that plenty of people blame the environment for the high rate of asthma in North Texas.

But the list of triggers is long and includes vehicle emissions, smoke, roach droppings, animal dander, dust mites, allergens, cold air and mold.

A 2010 study of the state's 39 biggest school districts found children in Texas are more likely to miss school on days when carbon-monoxide levels were the highest. When the pollution levels decreased, absences did, too.

But on orange alert days, students in the Keller school district and other districts stay indoors to exercise instead of heading outside, where they could be exposed to pollutants, DiNella noted.

By Jan Jarvis
jjarvis@star-telegram.com
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/09/30/3410225/life-with-asthma-isnt-easy-for.html#tvg#ixzz1a6b7GOKz

Québec must recognize environmental sensitivities

2011-10-06T10:47:00.001-04:00

200,000 Québécois denied services available in other provinces

September 22, 2011, Montreal - The Environmental Health Association of Québec (ASEQ-EHAQ) asks the Minister of Health and Social Services to declare May as the month of awareness and education on Environmental Sensitivities in Québec and to declare May 12 as Environmental Sensitivities Day. The Association will be present at the National Assembly of Quebec today for a day of awareness when MNA Pierre Marsan reads out a Declaration and Petition concerning environmental sensitivities, which is a disabling medical condition which has a major impact on sufferers and their families.

In Quebec, around 200,000 people have received a medical diagnosis of this condition. More Québécois are impacted by environmental sensitivities than those suffering from many other better-known conditions such as Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's and HIV/AIDS. All of these conditions have a day and / or month of awareness.

Despite the number of people diagnosed with environmental sensitivities, there are no adequate health and social services provided to help people with this condition in Quebec. Many, who are already disabled, are left to fend for themselves and often seek treatment at their own cost in Ontario or Nova Scotia. This is financially devastating for the patient who has often been reduced to poverty due to an inability to work.

Both Ontario and Nova Scotia have medical clinics funded by their respective Provincial governments. Quebec must at the very least follow these standards and strive to go beyond so as to reach the level of care offered in countries such as Germany, Japan and Austria who provide care, support, health and social services to people suffering from this medical condition.

The experience of our members across Quebec is that denial of their medical condition, environmental sensitivities, translates into denial of patients' basic Human Rights. Patients are subjected to discrimination at work and in public places, and are vulnerable because of a lack of adequate health care and support services. This denial also spills over into lack of support from the family and the community, leaving the individual susceptible to neglect and abuse. However, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, 2007, recognizes Environmental Sensitivities as a disability and that 'Like others with a disability, those with environmental sensitivities are required by law to be accommodated'.

On the other hand, timely and proper diagnosis and treatment can lead to better health outcomes. Evidence from the Nova Scotia Environmental Health Centre (NSEHC) shows that health care utilization for referred patients diagnosed with this medical condition was almost twice the provincial average, but decreased to normal after treatment in the NSEHC, which uses a multidisciplinary model of care.[i] Thus both economic and health benefits ensue from providing adequate, appropriate and timely medical care for people suffering from Environmental Sensitivities.
To assist physicians with diagnosis, the Ontario College of Family Physicians has published 'Diagnostic Checklists' and 'Taking an Exposure History' on their website.[ii]

Our members in Quebec have noted that people with the same medical condition have more health and social support services in Ontario and Nova Scotia. Should people in Quebec not receive at least the same support? This includes access to environmentally trained doctors and clinics, increased revenue for people on welfare to cover some treatments, and appropriate housing for people with this medical condition.

For more information: http://www.aseq-ehaq.ca/ma_es/es.php

-30-

________________________________________

[i] Fox RA, Joffres MR, Sampalli T, Casey J. The impact of a multidisciplinary, holistic approach to management of patients diagnosed with multiple chemical sensitivity on health care utilization costs: An observational study, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2007; 13(2):223-9
[ii]www.ocfp.ca; go to Environmental Health Committee and scroll down
________________________________________

Contact: Michel Gaudet
Vice-President & Spokesperson
ASEQ-EHAQ
Tel: 514.683.5701
Cell: 514.795.5701
office@aseq-ehaq.ca
www.aseq-ehaq.ca

Asthma not an issue says four-times world and twice Olympic 10,000m champion

2011-10-05T10:23:00.002-04:00

Haile Gebrselassie's asthma, which brought a premature end to his Berlin Marathon, is unlikely to hamper his efforts to crown his glittering career with gold at London 2012, the athlete said today.

The four-times world and twice Olympic 10,000m champion was forced to retire from Sunday's race after 35 kms, suffering from exercise-induced asthma.

The seasonal condition has prevented him from running London's annual springtime road race since 2007, but the 38-year-old Ethiopian is not expecting it to flare up at next year's showpiece event later in the season.

"It shouldn't have happened in Berlin," Gebrselassie told Reuters in an interview in London's Hyde Park.

"Previously it was true that I could not run the London Marathon because of the pollen but I don't understand what happened on Sunday.

"It is nice here in London in July and August. I have been here on many an occasions for Grands Prix and at that time of the year it is perfect. I am not worried about that."

The men's marathon at the London Olympics is scheduled for Aug. 12, 2012.

Gebrselassie, whose four-year reign as marathon world record holder was ended by Kenyan Patrick Makau in Berlin, still needs to set a fast time in order to secure his place in the Ethiopian team for London 2012.

After suffering disappointment in the German capital, he will turn his attention to trying to secure qualification in January in Dubai, where he has won three times and set a course record of 2:04:53 in 2008, or in Tokyo a month later.

"It is very difficult to be top three as the Ethiopians are getting stronger," he said as he relaxed in a cafe following a sun-drenched morning run on the banks of Hyde Park's Serpentine lake.

"I have to do a proper job and try to do at least two marathons in the next five to six months and we'll see and hope it will be okay.

"Athletes have to be confident and I am thinking like that. Dubai in January has good weather and you can run a good time. So I will run either Dubai or Tokyo, I haven't decided yet."

Gebrselassie will be 39 at the start of the London Games and has now failed to finish his last two marathon attempts after dropping out of the 2010 New York race through injury.

That performance prompted him to announce his retirement but the appeal of ending his career on a golden high in London led him to rescind his decision.

He believes his experience could give him an advantage in London, where, deprived of pacemakers, the challenge is to win a gold medal rather than scorch a mark in the record books.

"In the marathon a crazy athlete can just keep pushing from the beginning, at a championship you don't need a time just to win the race," he said.

"The more you are getting older, you lose a little something. Of course there is another advantage, because of your long experience you can use it."

Gebrselassie first broke the marathon world record in Berlin in 2007 before improving his time a year later when he ran 2:03:59 at the same event.

He was dethroned in spectacular style on Sunday, however, when the 26-year-old Makau shaved 21 seconds of his time.

Despite his advancing years, Gebrselassie is convinced he could yet go faster still and said he had set out to lower the bar himself in Berlin.

"Sure," he said when asked if he could regain his world record crown in the future.

"With serious training and serious discipline. By the way, I was training just for the 2:03:30.

"I talked to the pacemakers (in Berlin) about this pace. Maybe I was a bit too ambitious that day."

Despite the disappointment in Berlin, the Ethiopian, who is dubbed the Emperor in his home country, has put all thoughts of retirement to one side.

"In 2007 when I dropped out from London marathon it looked like the end of my career," he said. "Six months later I broke the world record."

Published: 7:48AM Friday September 30, 2011 Source: Reuters

Vitamin D deficiency seemingly elevates asthma symptoms in kids

2011-10-04T11:26:00.003-04:00

Vitamin D is surfacing out as a crucial component in terms of tackling lung conditions. Now, experts from King’s College London have found that severe therapy-resistant asthma (STRA) may be more acute and show bad symptoms apparently due to low proportions of Vitamin D in the blood as compared to moderate asthma.

The finding showed that lower levels of vitamin D seemingly causes structural alterations in the airway smooth muscles of kids suffering from STRA, that tends to make breathing more difficult.Most of the children with moderate asthma respond well to low doses of corticosteroids but those with STRA, that is nearly 5 to 10% of them, seem to develop resistance to it. They also experience more severe symptoms and asthma related problems.

As part of the study, 86 children out of which 36 children had STRA, 26 had moderate asthma and 24 in the control group were examined. The scientists then gauged the link between vitamin D, lung function, medicinal utility and symptom exacerbations. Some children also underwent complex bronchoscopies and the tissue samples from the airways of kids with STRA were also analyzed. This helped them determine the structural alterations in the airways smooth muscle.

The outcomes showed that children with STRA supposedly had lower levels of vitamin D along with more exacerbations, more medicine use and weaker lung function when pitted against those with moderate asthma and the control group participants. The STRA group also seemed to have greater airway muscle tissue mass.

Lead author, Dr Atul Gupta, commented, “This study clearly demonstrates that low levels of vitamin D are associated with poorer lung function, increased use of medication, worse symptoms and an increase in the mass of airway smooth muscle in children with STRA. It is therefore plausible that the link between airway smooth muscle mass and lung function in severe asthma may be partly explained by low levels of vitamin D.”

She adds that identifying vitamin D deficiency in children with STRA and treating it will help reduce the structural alterations taking place in the airway smooth muscle. This will help decreasing asthma-related symptoms and enhance the lung function. However, the analysts caution that children should not be given vitamin D supplements without reference from a physician. Also larger trials are required to affirm the results, they conclude.

The study is published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Time to take asthma more seriously !

2011-10-03T09:52:00.004-04:00

Just reading the story about Aaron Pointer, the seven-year-old Matteson boy who died during an asthma attack last year while being shuffled between hospitals, was enough to bring back an old familiar tightness in my chest.

It’s the feeling that an asthma sufferer experiences when they’re trying to breathe but the oxygen isn’t getting through to the lungs.

You might have seen that ad at the bus stops with a young boy saying that when he has an asthma attack he feels like a fish trying to breathe out of water.

I’ve always thought that described it perfectly: capturing both the sense of helplessness and the growing desperation that occurs as one’s breathing spirals out of control.

Maybe the biggest difference is the fish knows he’ll be OK if he can get back in the water, while the person having an asthma attack isn’t always sure what he can do for relief.

For some reason, our society thinks it’s OK to make fun of asthma sufferers. People who use asthma inhalers are often the butt of jokes in movies and television, portrayed as wimpy neurotics.

While there obviously are people for whom the inhalers are a psychological crutch, asthma is very real and nothing to take lightly.

Aaron Pointer’s parents can attest to that, as could Rashidi Wheeler’s family a decade earlier. While it’s been that long since the Northwestern football player died from an asthma attack during practice, health officials estimate that more than 3,000 Americans die each year from asthma.

Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the airways. Various irritants can cause the lining of the airways to swell. The narrowed airways make it difficult to breathe.

If you’ve ever seen a child truly gulping for air, then you know it’s not a funny sight.

There’s a medical term called retracting.

When a child is having retractions, their skin goes taut around the ribs and neck until they have almost a skeletal quality, like a starving kid in Africa. When an asthma attack gets to that point, you’ve got a serious problem on your hands.

I’ve seen that appearance in a mirror many times when I was Aaron Pointer’s age, and I’ve seen it in a hospital emergency room late at night with my own children (because as every parent knows, these problems never seem to reach that stage during the doctor’s normal office hours.)

Lucky for me, those crises always had a happy ending. My own asthma is well under control with current medications, and my boys don’t seem to be having issues any more, knock on wood. I always played sports as a kid, as did they. I still do. You try to keep it from limiting your life.

Aaron Pointer’s death is now the subject of a lawsuit. His family is suing the three hospitals and medical personnel that treated him during an 11-hour period, transferring him from one to the next as his condition worsened. I’ll leave that for the lawyers to sort out.

All I want to do is get people to take asthma seriously.

“No child should die from asthma.”

I was already thinking that, but the person saying it was Michael Mark, vice president of the American Lung Association’s HELPLINE Services.

Mark, a nurse and respiratory therapist, wasn’t passing judgment on Aaron Pointer’s case, with which he was unfamiliar.

He was just saying that enough is known about asthma these days and enough effective treatment options are available that it shouldn’t ever reach that point.

“There are plenty of warning signs out there,” Mark said.

Yet an asthma attack doesn’t always follow a predictable path.

“You can get really bad in a big hurry,” Mark said. “There aren’t logical incremental steps.”

What we really need, Mark said, is for people to be better educated about asthma: their patients, their families, schools.

Patients and families need to be able to spot the “triggers” that can lead to an asthma episode. These can be anything from allergies to exercise to illness or stress.

They need to learn how to effectively use devices called peak-flow meters to measure their breathing capacity and spot an episode before it spirals out of control and into an emergency room visit.

School personnel need to be alert to the warning signs of asthma and how to handle a child in distress.

“There should not be a school in the country that does not have training for its teachers on these issues,” Mark said.
MARK BROWN markbrown@suntimes.com September 26, 2011 8:50PM

For those looking to get started, there’s the Asthma Society of Canada’s website - Asthma.ca

Tackling the global clean air challenge - Over 2 million people die annually from indoor and outdoor air pollution

2011-09-30T12:46:00.002-04:00

In many cities air pollution is reaching levels that threaten people's health according to an unprecedented compilation of air quality data released 26 September 2011 in Geneva by the World Health Organization (WHO). The information includes data from 1100 cities across 91 countries, including cities with more than 100 000 residents.

Over 2 million people die annually from indoor and outdoor air pollution

WHO estimates more than 2 million people die every year from breathing in tiny particles present in indoor and outdoor air pollution. PM10 particles, which are particles of 10 micrometers or less, which can penetrate into the lungs and may enter the bloodstream, can cause heart disease, lung cancer, asthma, and acute lower respiratory infections. The WHO air quality guidelines for PM10 is 20 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) as an annual average, but the data released today shows that average PM10 in some cities has reached up to 300 µg/m3.

Main findings

The main findings contained in the new compilation are:
* Persistently elevated levels of fine particle pollution are common across many urban areas. Fine particle pollution often originates from combustion sources such as power plants and motor vehicles.
* The great majority of urban populations have an average annual exposure to PM10 particles in excess of the WHO Air Quality guideline recommended maximum level of 20 µg/m3. On average, only a few cities currently meet the WHO guideline values.
For 2008, the estimated mortality attributable to outdoor air pollution in cities amounts to 1.34 million premature deaths. If the WHO guidelines had been universally met, an estimated 1.09 million deaths could have been prevented in 2008.
* The number of deaths attributable to air pollution in cities has increased from the previous estimation of 1.15 million deaths in 2004. The increase in the mortality estimated to be attributable to urban air pollution is linked to recent increases in air pollution concentrations and in urban population size, as well as improved data availability and methods employed.

"Air pollution is a major environmental health issue and it is vital that we increase efforts to reduce the health burden it creates," said Dr Maria Neira, WHO Director for Public Health and Environment. "If we monitor and manage the environment properly we can significantly reduce the number of people suffering from respiratory and heart disease, and lung cancer. Across the world, city air is often thick with exhaust fumes, factory smoke or soot from coal burning power plants. In many countries there are no air quality regulations and, where they do exist, national standards and their enforcement vary markedly. "

Greater awareness of health risks

WHO is calling for greater awareness of health risks caused by urban air pollution, implementation of effective policies and close monitoring of the situation in cities. A reduction from an average of 70 µg/m3 of PM10 to an annual average of 20 µg/m3 of PM10 is expected to yield a 15% reduction in mortality - considered a major public health gain. At higher levels of pollution, similar reductions would have less impact on reducing mortality, but will nevertheless still bring important health benefits.

"Solutions to outdoor air pollution problems in a city will differ depending on the relative contribution of pollution sources, its stage of development, as well as its local geography," said Dr Carlos Dora, WHO Coordinator for Interventions for Health Environments in the Department of Public Health and Environment. "The most powerful way that the information from the WHO database can be used is for a city to monitor its own trends in air pollution over time, so as to identify, improve and scale-up effective interventions."

Largest contributors to urban outdoor air pollution

In both developed and developing countries, the largest contributors to urban outdoor air pollution include motor transport, small-scale manufacturers and other industries, burning of biomass and coal for cooking and heating, as well as coal-fired power plants. Residential wood and coal burning for space heating is an important contributor to air pollution, especially in rural areas during colder months.

“Local actions, national policies and international agreements are all needed to curb pollution and reduce its widespread health effects" said Dr Michal Krzyzanowski, Head of the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health in Bonn, Germany. "Data from air quality monitoring that is released today, identify regions where action is most needed and allows us to assess the effectiveness of implemented policies and actions.”

Air quality data are compiled from publicly available national or city-specific sources, which are based on results of air quality monitoring conducted by individual cities. The measurements used in the database are taken from monitoring sites in cities, including roadside, but excluding industrial and other recognized 'hot spots' that are not representative of the exposure of many people (e.g. crossings at highways) in order to avoid overestimates.

Measurements as applied in the database, including reported PM10 levels, represent annual averages. PM10 is an important indicator of urban air pollution, and the health risks associated with the complex mixtures of pollutants typically found in cities. The smaller PM10 particles are able to penetrate deep into the lungs, and also to cross into the blood, causing damage in many organ systems. In some cities, measurements of even smaller particles such PM2.5 are available, and these are also included in the database.

The data are based on measurements from 2003 to 2010, with the great majority being reported for the period 2008-2009. Data are presented for individual cities, urban populations of countries (as available), and for WHO regions.

News release
26 September 2011 | Geneva
For more information, please contact:

Ms Nada Osseiran
Communications Officer
WHO
E-mail: osseirann@who.int

Gregory Hartl
Communications Advisor
WHO
E-mail: hartlg@who.int

Asthma Fails to Slow Hillside 5K Winner

2011-09-29T08:27:00.001-04:00

Austin Biggus has asthma, which means running, especially for long distances, could be a problem for him.

But it was hardly the case on Saturday, when the 34-year-old Hanover resident won the Hillside 5K Run/Walk for Muscular Dystrophy at the Hillside Medical Center in Hanover.

"It's funny as it ends where, the first couple of miles, it's extremely hard for me until my breathing and my body gets under control," he said after he ran 17 minutes, 30 seconds for the 3.1-mile race. "Then I can run forever.

"I always carry my inhaler with me and usually within the first two miles, same here, I'll have to use it. After I use it, get out of my way."

Biggus, who works at SKF in Hanover, was joined in victory by Hanover High student Sofia Murillo, whose time of 23:03 beat women's runner-up Elizabeth Hodrum by nine seconds.

Biggus enjoyed a bigger margin as he topped Nick Nace by 42 seconds for the overall championship.

Biggus completed, in effect, a sprint. Training between 40 and 65 miles per week, Biggus is working toward a marathon next month in September.

"When you say 26.2 (miles), and then you say, 'Hey, you want to run 3.1?' You say, 'Sure,' he said, noting the defending race winner, whom he considered his principal competition, e-mailed him at 6 a.m. to tell him he couldn't compete on Saturday.

That eased Biggus' concern, but victory still didn't come easily.

"The guy that came in second was on my butt pretty close all the way until we hit a little bit of a hill," Biggus said. "That's when I pulled away from him a little bit. He was hanging in there. I heard breathing right on my neck and I thought, 'He's going to catch me.'"

Meanwhile, Murillo never had that problem. A member of the Hawkette field hockey team, she focused less upon those around her and instead upon the music emanating from her I-Pod.

"I just like running. I just kind of tune out when I run," she said, "I had the music on, so I couldn't hear anything."

However, while listening to the music of Enrique Iglesias, she was the first of three consecutive women to cross the finish line.

"I used to run every day, but since I do field hockey, we run there. So I don't run," she said, adding, "Well, I'm going to do track. In my freshman year when I did track, I made districts, so I'm going to try to make the same goal this year."

The top three male and female runners overall received awards. Awards in 12 age groups also were distributed.

The ninth annual event, which extends through the industrial park in Penn Township, raised funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Sept. 17, 2011, 4:57 p.m. EDT
The Evening Sun

Tools to manage Asthma exist,but not reaching many: Report

2011-09-28T13:55:00.004-04:00

(CNS): The Global Asthma Report 2011 shows the tools to manage asthma exist but are not reaching many of the 235 million people affected. Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children and also affects adults. "The tools to treat asthma are already available – there is no reason to delay", says Dr Nils E Billo, Executive Director of The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union). "Moreover, when asthma is not diagnosed, not treated or poorly managed, and when people can not access or afford treatment, they regularly end up having to miss school or work, they are unable to contribute fully to their families, communities and societies, they may require expensive emergency care, and everyone loses. The obstacles to well-managed asthma can be overcome. Asthma is a public health problem that can – and should be addressed now” added Dr Billo.

Worldwide, 235 million people have asthma. For these people, asthma can mean struggling for breath when they have an asthma attack, a diminished quality of life, disability and even death. Although effective treatment is available, many people with asthma, especially in low- and middle-income countries, are unable to access or afford it.

To highlight the issues surrounding this major non-communicable disease, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) and the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) have collaborated to produce the Global Asthma Report 2011, which will be launched at an event sponsored by the Non-Communicable Disease Alliance on Saturday, 17 September 2011, at the New York Academy of Medicine. Release of the report coincides with the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs taking place on 19–20 September.

Designed for stakeholders from government ministers and policy-makers to health workers and people with asthma, the Global Asthma Report 2011 is a richly illustrated “atlas” that provides an overview of what is known about the causes and triggers of the disease, the global prevalence, the progress being made and the significant challenges today and for the future.

Key findings in the Global Asthma Report 2011:

- ISAAC data show that asthma in children is increasing in low- and middle-income countries, where it is more severe than in high-income countries.

- The World Health Survey found an 8.2% prevalence of diagnosed asthma among adults in low-income countries and 9.4% in the richest countries. Middle-income countries had the lowest prevalence at 5.2%.

- Smoking and secondhand smoke are two of the strongest risk factors - and triggers - for asthma.

- Although asthma is frequently thought of as an allergic disease, this does not apply to all cases, and the non-allergic mechanisms need to be the focus of more research.

- Surveys around the world found asthma treatment falling short, with few patients consistently using the inhaled corticosteroids that effectively manage the disease. For example, the Asthma in America survey found only 26.2% of patients with persistent asthma used these medicines.

- While many countries now have asthma management guidelines, many health workers do not know how to diagnose or treat asthma and health systems are not organised to handle this type of long-term, chronic disease.

- A 2011 Union survey of the pricing, affordability and availability of essential asthma medicines in 50 countries found dramatic variations. For example, one generic Beclometasone 100μg inhaler in a private pharmacy cost the equivalent of nearly 14 days' wages - and a patient with severe asthma requires about 16 of these inhalers per year.

- The Asthma Drug Facility established by The Union has been able to bring down the cost of treating a patient with severe asthma to approximately US$ 40 per year.

- When people do not have access to ongoing care, they often end up in emergency rooms and hospitals — a costly and unnecessarily disruptive process for all involved.

- Although economic data are unavailable for almost all low-income countries, a 2009 systematic review found annual national costs (in 2008 US dollars) ranging from $8,256 million in the United States to $4,430 million in Germany.

- Success stories from five high- and low-income countries that have implemented asthma management activities show that well-managed asthma saves money – and enables people to get on with their active lives. For example, in Finland, the mortality, number of hospital days and disability due to asthma fell 70–90% between 1994 and 2010 and a conservative estimate of the savings was $300 million in 2007 alone. (CNS)

Bobby Ramakant - CNS
http://www.modernghana.com/news/351250/1/tools-to-manage-asthma-existbut-not-reaching-many-.html

Low-Fat Yogurt Consumption Tied to Asthma and Hay Fever Risk in Kids, Says Study

2011-09-27T13:33:00.005-04:00

A new study suggests a link between women's eating low-fat yogurt during pregnancy to an increased risk that their children will develop asthma and hay fever.

The research, which will be presented at a meeting of the European Respiratory Society, drew on Danish birth and health records to study the dairy intake of more than 61,000 women and found that the children born to women who ate one or more low-fat fruit yogurts a day were more likely to develop asthma and hay fever than the children of women who didn't eat low-fat yogurt.

They also found that children of women who drank whole milk were at lower risk for developing asthma and hay fever than children of women who drank low-fat or skim milk.

Lead researcher Ekaterina Maslova at the Harvard School of Public Health said one reason for the association could be that certain fatty acids present in whole milk could offer a protective effect.

"[Some studies] have suggested that these fatty acids may be important for allergic disease development in humans," Maslova said in an email. Low-fat yogurt may not contain certain fatty acids believed to protect against asthma, she explained.

Despite the strong association, Maslova emphasized that the findings were only preliminary and didn't take other possible factors into account.

The study didn't account for the different types of dairy, so other active ingredients could be involved.

"We are also looking into the possibility that intake of low-fat yogurt may be a marker of other behaviors or lifestyle choices that may be driving these associations," said Maslova.

Experts say other studies have looked at the role of fatty acids on immune system function.

"Giving omega-3 fatty acids to pregnant women seems to reduce the risk of asthma in children," said Dr. Erick Forno, a pediatric pulmonologist at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for the body's metabolism, but the human body doesn't make them. Common sources are fish oils and certain plant oils.

Conjugated linoleic acids, or CLAs, are fatty acids found in dairy products such as yogurt. Forno said research has found that CLAs are similar to omega-3 fatty acids in terms of their ability to protect against asthma.

"Fatty acids get metabolized and inhibit the production of another acid that gets converted into inflammatory molecules," he said.

Other experts also stress that these findings merely suggest an association and are very preliminary.

"There are a lot of unanswered questions. For example, we don't know if the women were taking omega-3 fatty acids or if they were eating highly processed yogurt," said Dr. Jana Klauer, a New York physician specializing in nutrition. Klauer explained these and other factors could account for the findings.

This research also does not change nutritional advice for pregnant women.

"It's recommended that pregnant women keep down the amount of calories and fat. They don't want to gain too much weight," said Klauer. "The current recommendation is low-fat dairy."

Sisters celebrate rappelling 278 feet down theWit Hotel

2011-09-26T13:19:00.001-04:00

Rina Campbell, of Evanston, and Amy Campbell-Brissette, of Chicago, were among 135 participants in Skyline Plunge! this past weekend. Courageous participants rappelled 28 stories down the Wit Hotel in Chicago to raise more than $160,000 for Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago’s local lung health research and programs.

The sisters had a special connection to this cause. Amy’s daughters, Quetzalli and Atzi, were diagnosed with asthma when they were 1 year old. She gives them Pulmicort steroid treatments twice daily for about 15 to 20 minutes with a nebulizer, a machine that administers the medication directly into their lungs in a mist form through a respiratory mask. This summer their asthma flare-ups required Pulmicort treatments three times a day and albuterol treatments every four hours.

Rina participated in Plunge! to honor her nieces, her favorite uncle and grandfather who passed away from lung disease, and to teach her children that sometimes they must put aside their fears to do something good.

The sisters were able to rappel theWit Hotel at the same time and were greeted at the bottom by their families. Amy's husband, Justin Brissette, said he was proud of his wife and would love to be the next to rappel.

“The thrill of the event, combined with the deeply personal connection that participants have to the cause of lung health, creates a wonderful energy and sense of community. It’s inspiring to see so many people committed to making a difference for people living with lung disease,” said Gina Schwieger, senior director of special events for Respiratory Health Association.

Skyline Plunge! will be back in Chicago again on May 6, 2012. Register, donate or learn more at www.lungchicago.org/skyline-plunge. By Respiratory Health Assoc. of Metropolitan Chicago Community Member Sep. 19 at 12:29 p.m.

ACT NOW! on important asthma issues

2011-09-23T11:30:00.000-04:00

Send a Letter to your Provincial Member or Election Candidates Today - Asthma Society of Canada launches brand new advocacy campaigns where you can influence your provincial politicians to act on important asthma issues.
Asthma: ACT NOW!

Last summer, NAPA members completed our largest-ever survey to tell us your priority asthma issues. Now is our chance to speak together with one huge voice, and ask our politicians for the things asthma patients need.

In Canada, the provinces are responsible for most healthcare decisions, including funding for chronic disease programs, hospital care, and the public funding of medications. This year we have a unique chance to make a difference in every province.

5 provinces and 2 territories are heading to election, but every province has urgent needs which your government could help address. When you visit www.asthma.ca/actnow you can find your province, where we have listed the major issues that NAPA members have told us your government should fix.

We have set up some online letters which you can find once you type in your postal code. If your province is going to election, our software will allow you to e-mail all of your local candidates with a set of questions about asthma care. If your province is not going to election, we have a letter that you can send to your elected MLA or MNA.

With just three clicks, you can add your voice to the thousands of other Canadians, who are asking that people with asthma get the care they need. To visit the campaign page directly, please click Asthma: ACT NOW!>here. You are welcome to add your personal story to any of the letters you send.

The Asthma Society has already sent letters to each MLA/MNA (if you are not having an election), or your party leaders (if you are having an election) about these issues. Now it's your turn - use your letters to "follow up" and make your politicians address the concerns of people affected by asthma. Thank you in advance for your support!

BOTH LUNG HEALTH AND THE ECONOMY NEED TO BE A PRIORITY

2011-09-23T11:12:00.004-04:00

New Poll of 1,000 Ontario adults conducted by Leger Marketing on behalf of the Ontario Lung Association in August 2011 shows 9 out of 10 Ontarians Would Support an Investment in Lung Health

Based on recent life and economic burden research and consultations with allied healthcare partners, the Ontario Lung Association has calculated that for every $1 invested in lung health, $3 could be saved in future healthcare costs. This is in addition to the hundreds of thousands of lives that would be saved by such investments.

The Ontario Lung Association is using this evidence to urgently call on the province’s next government to make lung health a priority and to establish a province-wide Ontario Lung Health Action Plan. In collaboration with more than 40 lung health stakeholders, the Ontario Lung Association is encouraging voters to talk to their candidates about lung health and the necessity for the Ontario Government to commit to a coordinated cross-cabinet effort to mitigate costs of lung health to taxpayers and Ontario families.

What is an Ontario Lung Health Action Plan?
The primary goals of a comprehensive, cross-cabinet initiative would be to improve lung health and prevent lung disease among Ontarians while saving the province the associated costs. The plan should: Promote respiratory health among Ontarians Accelerate investment in all areas of lung health research Recognize the importance of prevention, detection and early intervention Improve indoor and outdoor air quality in Ontario Ensure fair and equitable patient access to all proven and effective classes of medication, devices and evidence-based supports.

Key Research Results Your Lungs, Your Life: Insights and Solutions to Lung Health in Ontario is a life and economic burden report undertaken by the Ontario Lung Association to gain a better understanding of the current and future state of lung health in Ontario. It paints a picture of lung disease today and into the future, by outlining the extent and scope of three significant diseases: lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma. Today, more than 2.4 million people are living with lung disease, a number that is expected to escalate by 50 per cent over the next 30 years to 3.6 million.

When you count the caregivers, families, friends, colleagues and employers of the 2.4 million Ontarians, the number of Ontarians directly or indirectly affected by lung disease is astounding 1.7 million Ontarians have asthma; by 2041 the number is expected to be more than 2.5 million with nearly half a million being children under 15 780,000 Ontarians have COPD; by 2041 this number will climb to 1.2 million Nearly 33,000 Ontarians have lung cancer; this number will almost double to 63,000 by 2041 In 2011, the direct and indirect healthcare costs associated with lung cancer, asthma and COPD are $3.9 billion, $1.8 billion and $293.9 million respectively.

These costs are predicted to grow over the next 30 years to: $310 billion for COPD; $96 billion for asthma; and, $33 billion for lung cancer Practical intervention, based on the expertise and infrastructure that already existing within the Ontario healthcare system can save millions if not billions of dollars in direct and indirect healthcare costs

If all Ontarians had access to behavioural counselling and medications that would help them quit smoking, in 30 years we would see:
62,200 fewer cases of lung cancer
162,900 fewer cases of COPD
$36.3 billion in gross savings If all Ontarians with asthma or COPD were diagnosed and treated with a comprehensive evidence-based care model, in 30 years we would see:
70 per cent fewer children going to the ER due to asthma
A reduction in COPD hospitalizations and ER visits by about 40 per cent
$129 billion in gross savings If pulmonary rehabilitation were available to all people with moderate or severe COPD, in 30 years we would see:
24 per cent fewer COPD-related ER visits
22 per cent fewer hospital admissions
Length of hospital stay cut by 50 per cent
$76.2 billion in gross savings

If all people at risk of COPD had a simple breathing test, called spirometry, in 30 years we would see:
140,600 fewer people living with severe COPD
58,700 fewer people living with very severe COPD
$19.3 billion in gross savings

“Your Lungs, Your Life: Insights and Solutions to Lung Health in Ontario” was produced by the Ontario Lung Association, based on data from: Smetanin, P., Stiff, D., Briante, C., Ahmad, S., Ler, A., Wonge, L. Life and Economic Burden of Lung Disease in Ontario: 2011 to 2041. RiskAnalytica. on behalf of the Ontario Lung Association, 2011. The full report and research is available for download at www.on.lung.ca/actionplan.

Fall Seasonal Asthma

2011-09-22T09:59:00.001-04:00

People who live with asthma should prepare for the fall season when asthma symptoms are often exacerbated. With cooler temperatures, changing leaves, and football overtaking most TVs during the weekend, fall also brings an increase in asthma issues. The rise in asthma problems can be caused by respiratory infections, changing weather patterns, and for children, being exposed to more viruses during the school year.

The Asthma Society of Canada issues tips for asthma patients based on the season, as it believes each season presents unique issues. On the website, 4seasonsofasthma.ca, the society states, “asthma symptoms often vary over time, due to different environmental triggers such as mold or pollen spores. Just like the leaves on a tree change, these triggers can be different throughout the four seasons of the year.”

Pertaining specifically to fall, the website states, “Not only do the fall months bring discomfort to many allergy and asthma sufferers but it is compounded by the outdoor molds thriving in the damp environment created by falling and decaying leaves. Those who are allergic to both mold and fall pollen, such as ragweed, should monitor their symptoms closely and take preventative action.”

The society encourages all patients to get a flu shot each fall, continue using controller medication and be aware of elevating allergen levels that may trigger an attack. It also suggests review of the patient’s asthma action plan. The Centers for Disease Control has an asthma action plan template that works for both adults and children and can help anyone prepare for emergency situations.

A way to possibly help control seasonal asthma symptoms in the future is a drug specifically tested to give children relief from fall asthma triggers.

Asthma sufferers should prepare for seasonal changes in their disease this fall and make sure they are informed and ready for any increase in symptoms.

Survival Strategies for Early Fall Allergy and Asthma Symptoms

Allergy and asthma symptoms may worsen during the early fall and late summer days. The follow survival strategies will help to avoid and reduce suffering this year if you have a child with these conditions.

1. If you are traveling, going to a new school, or if your school nurse is not familiar with your son/daughter’s allergies and asthma, have an action plan ready (prepared by your child’s allergist or family doctor). This is particularly important if your child is involved in school sports and may require pre-treatment before exercise.

2. Indoor allergies may flare, particularly, at home as the bedroom is the number one allergy hotspot. Try and avoid “dust collectors” in the child’s bedroom and consider allergy protective bedding, especially if your child has indoor allergies. If you place a stuffed toy in a freezer bag for 5 hours a week it will kill house dust mites, a frequent indoor allergen responsible for allergy and asthma symptoms.

3. Some children may have food allergies that can provoke reactions such as asthma (5 percent of individuals may present with asthma or respiratory symptoms if they are sensitive to a specific food), hives, worsening allergies. Get tested and identify if your child is at risk by ingestion, contact or inhalation of a food allergen. Most likely suspects are peanuts, nuts, egg, milk among others.

4. Consider allergen friendly wood floors, tile and linoleum in lieu of carpeted floors for easier cleaning and help reduce dust mite population as well as a reservoir for pet dander. Washable window shades are easier to clean than horizontal blinds. Try non aerosol cleaning products to reduce irritant effects to those with allergies and asthma.

5. Get tested and make sure your child is not one of the 20 million individuals with allergies to pets. If so, you will need to see an allergist for an individual avoidance and treatment for pet allergies, including HEPA air filters, pet free bedrooms, medications and allergy shots to get rid of the condition.

Bottom line get tested, be prepared for an allergy free fall season for your child.
http://www.mommymatter.com/fall-seasonal-asthma/

Car Heaven rewards Canadians for thinking of the environment and recycling their older vehicles properly

2011-09-21T10:33:00.002-04:00

TORONTO – September 19, 2011 – Car Heaven is challenging Canadians to consider the age of their cars and the effects they have on the environment and their wallets. Summerhill Impact’s national Car Heaven program is Canada’s only end-of-life vehicle program, dedicated to rewarding and enabling car owners to get their 2003 and
older, polluting vehicles permanently off the road.

When Canadians send their old, higher polluting vehicles to Car Heaven and adopt a lower-impact transportation mix into their daily lives, they can make a huge impact by supporting a Canadian charity like the Asthma Society of Canada, reducing their impact on the environment, saving money, and supporting local green businesses.

“Most people don’t realize that 2003 model year and older vehicles can produce up to 39 times more smog-forming pollutants than cars manufactured today,” said Fatima Crerar, Summerhill Impact. “That’s why we are encouraging Canadians to retire these cars early and permanently remove them from our roads by offering Car Heaven: a rewarding, free and convenient program to participate in.”

The program benefits Canadians not just by protecting the environment; it also supports charities across the country. Canadians who participate will receive a suite of rewards that includes a charitable tax receipt from their selected Car
Heaven charity partner, an alternative transportation incentive (where available), the guarantee that their vehicle will be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner, and a free tow (valued at up to $200).

Since its launch in 2000, Car Heaven and its program partners have retired more than 123,500 vehicles, resulting in a reduction of almost 5,000 tonnes of smog-forming emissions and generating more than $3,600,000 for its affiliated charities. Car Heaven is constantly adding rewards and incentives for Canadian participants and encourages all sustainable transportation providers – including transit authorities, bike retailers, car-share providers, and vehicle manufacturers and retailers – to join us in this initiative.

“Car Heaven is supporting green business growth in the Canadian economy and dedicated to using only auto recyclers who comply with the environmental process guidelines, “ said Steve Fletcher, Managing Director of the Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) “Environment Canada and ARC developed the Canadian Auto Recyclers’
Environmental Code that all recyclers participating in the program must follow.”

By sending vehicles to Car Heaven, Canadians will ensure their cars will be recycled responsibly through the Canadian Auto Recyclers’ Environmental Code, a process ensures that materials such as oil, gasoline, refrigerants, mercury switches and tires are removed from vehicles prior to scrappage. Recyclers that work with Car Heaven reuse and recycle over 80% of vehicles and ensure the remaining materials are responsibly disposed of.

To learn more about the program visit www.carheaven.ca.

Nina Kalos, Optimum Public Relations, 416-306-6624, nina.kalos@cossette.com

Health choirs: let's have singing on prescription

2011-09-20T12:05:00.003-04:00

Joining a choir may help those suffering from a range of chronic illnesses.

Members of Breathing Space, a specialist 'breathing' choir
Once the domain of the blue-rinse brigade, choirs are certainly on-trend. The Choir of the Year competition, the UK’s largest amateur choral contest, last year saw entries increase by a third, while the TV show Glee (series 3 starts next week) has even made singing cool for teens.

There are all-gay choirs, cappella groups for doctors and choruses for lawyers. But while the feel-good effects of singing are well-documented, experts now believe that joining a choir could improve the symptoms of a range of health problems including Parkinson’s, depression and lung disease.

At a conference of the Royal Society for Public Health in London last week, Grenville Hancox, professor of music at The Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health, Canterbury, described the changes that can take place through singing together as “extraordinary”.

He told how he and colleagues have witnessed people with respiratory problems learning to breathe more easily, those with depression beating the blues and patients with Parkinson’s disease standing tall and singing loudly.

Prof Hancox is the founder of Skylarks, a new choir for people with Parkinson’s. This disorder of the central nervous system makes normal movements difficult and weakens the voice as the muscles in the face and vocal chords deteriorate.

Prof Hancox and his colleague Stephen Clift, the centre’s professor of health education, are undertaking research to find out if choral singing can help with Parkinson’s symptoms, especially those affecting the voice, with choir members undergoing computer-assisted acoustical voice analysis at the start and finish of the study.

Although the formal research is in the early stages, one patient is convinced he has benefited from being in the choir. Roger Clayton, 65, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s five years ago. The disease had left his voice feeble, but he says singing has made it stronger.

“I think the improvement arises from deeper breathing, and the extended use of the vocal cords,” says the retired university manager.

Ian MacDonald, voice specialist with the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine, says it is logical that singing can help in this way. “The vocal cords are muscles,” he says. “By exercising them, you increase tone and restrict tremor, and the voice is less jittery. Singing warms the muscles up – just as athletes warm up theirs.” Being required to stand tall when performing may also improve core strength and benefit these patients.

A choir for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has also been set up by the Research Centre, with the aim of improving the breathlessness associated with this condition.

Recruits to a 10-month trial, starting this month, will sing a repertoire of spirituals, folk songs and world music while changes in lung function will be monitored.

Although the evidence so far is anecdotal, Sonia Page, the specialist respiratory nurse who is leading the current Singing for Breathing choir, says it has helped people with COPD “gain greater control of their breathlessness instead of being at the mercy of it.”

Patients have also reported improved respiratory stamina, reduced impact of chest infections and improvements in sleep apnoea (a condition that causes interrupted breathing during sleep).

As yet, researchers can only speculate about the physiological changes singing might bring about and how these might impact on disease. Dr Nicholas Hopkinson, a consultant chest physician at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, notes that singing cannot reverse the lung damage caused by COPD, but it can still be of benefit.

COPD patients have difficulty emptying the air from their lungs (known as gas trapping), he says, which is why they suffer from shortness of breath – a problem made worse if they panic and start to hyperventilate.

“Singing may help these patients to improve their posture and learn techniques to help control their breathing. In particular, by breathing out more slowly they give their lungs more time to empty, reducing gas trapping,” says Dr Hopkinson.

That singing is uplifting and can help improve mood is so far its best documented health benefit. A recent Swedish study published in the journal Integrative Physiological and Behavioural Science suggested that it not only increases oxygen levels in the blood but triggers the release of “happy” hormones such as oxytocin, which is thought to help lower stress levels and blood pressure.

Meanwhile results of research by Prof Clift on a choir for people with mental health problems, published in Mental Health and Social Inclusion this summer, showed some 60 per cent of participants had less mental distress when retested a year after joining, with some people no longer fulfilling diagnostic criteria for clinical depression.

Prof Clift and Prof Hancox believe the health benefits of belonging to a choir, for some chronic conditions will become indisputable. “There are examples of arts on prescription and gym on prescription,” argues Prof Hancox. “How about singing on prescription, too?”

For further details about health choirs, call Prof Clift on 01303 220870.

Prognosis: Doubts on Adenoid Surgery as Prevention

2011-09-19T10:10:00.004-04:00

Children with recurrent upper respiratory infections often undergo surgery to remove their adenoids, but new research suggests that surgery is no more effective than waiting to see if the frequency of infections decreases on its own.

In a randomized trial, published online last week in the medical journal BMJ, Dutch researchers studied 111 children ages 1 to 6 with chronic infections, assigning half of them to surgery and half to watchful waiting.

During a two-year follow-up, parents kept a diary recording specific symptoms of infection — cold, cough, sinusitis and others — and took temperatures daily with a device that recorded the readings.

Children in the group who had surgery averaged 7.9 upper respiratory infections per year, compared with 7.8 infections in the watchful waiting group — an insignificant difference. Nor did the researchers find any difference in the duration of the infections, number of middle-ear complaints or health-related quality of life. Over time, the prevalence of infections declined in both groups.

The senior author, Dr. Anne G. M. Schilder of the University Medical Center Utrecht, said it was important for parents to discuss the options with their doctors. It should be “an open conversation,” she said, “and parents should be better informed. Together, they should weigh the benefits and harms of antibiotics, surgery and watchful waiting.”

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR Published: September 12, 2011 A version of this article appeared in the New York Times on September 13, 2011, on page D6 of the New York edition with the headline: Prognosis: Doubts on Adenoid Surgery as Prevention.

Allergic Rhinitis Affects 40% of Children Worldwide and Prevalence Is Increasing

2011-09-16T10:50:00.003-04:00

Allergic rhinitis is a complex disease involving several associated disorders and is a risk factor for asthma, requiring treatment of multiple conditions. It affects 10% to 30% of adults and 40% of children worldwide, estimated at 400 million people by the World Health Organization.

New online resource on Allergic Rhinitis from the World Allergy Organization provides globally relevant information on the disease.

The World Health Organization has estimated that 400 million people in the world suffer from allergic rhinitis, which is a risk factor for asthma and is associated with other allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, conjunctivitis, sinusitis, and nasal polyposis and requires concomitant treatment.

“Allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis already have a high prevalence rate globally that is rising along with the burden to patient, family and society. It is essential that health practitioners everywhere have access to the most up-to-date information about symptoms, diagnostic measures and treatment methods including patient education,” said Richard F. Lockey, MD, President of the World Allergy Organization. “WAO assembled a group of experts to develop a repository of information that can be conveniently and freely accessed by all those who care for patients with allergic rhinitis or are affected by the burden of the disease.”

According to Sandra González Díaz, MD, the Chair of the WAO Allergic Rhinitis Working Group, “The burden of allergic rhinitis is far-reaching. Physical symptoms, psychological effects, sleep disturbances, and interference with social interaction, among others, significantly impact the quality of life of patients and families. The financial and economic burden is high, with increased medication costs and visits to health practitioners as well as absenteeism and decreased productivity at work. In the United States alone, direct costs for allergic rhinitis increased from $2.7 billion in 1995 to $7.3 billion in 2002. We hope that our outreach will lead to a greater understanding of allergic rhinitis and improved disease management and patient quality of life.”

Access to a broad range of information on allergic rhinitis is available in the online repository such as online lectures, interactive case reports, slide presentations, audio interviews with experts, and educational synopses. Reports of findings from the “Landmark Surveys of Nasal Allergy Sufferers,”(1) which are based on telephone interviews conducted with allergic rhinitis patients in various regions of the world, are accessible in the repository. The working group is also developing two new online learning modules for release in 2012 based on case histories. In a self-paced interactive program, visitors will be able to move through the case histories and follow links to a number of resources available online on the topic of allergic rhinitis. For more information, visit http://www.worldallergy.org/allergic_rhinitis.

Note:
(1)The Landmark Surveys, including Allergies in Latin America, Allergies in Asia Pacific, Allergies in America, and Allergies in Canada, were conducted by public opinion research organizations and supported by Nycomed.

About the World Allergy Organization
The World Allergy Organization (WAO) is an international federation whose members consist of 89 regional and national allergy, asthma and clinical immunology societies from around the world. By collaborating with member societies, WAO provides direct educational outreach programs, symposia and lectureships to members in 92 countries. The organization was founded in 1951 and has successfully organized 21 major congresses. WAO also sponsors scientific symposia in developing areas throughout the world and jointly sponsors postgraduate programs on allergy and clinical immunology during professional, non-allergy association congresses. online repository such as online lectures, interactive case reports, slide presentations, audio interviews with experts, and educational synopses. Reports of findings from the “Landmark Surveys of Nasal Allergy Sufferers,”(1) which are based on telephone interviews conducted with allergic rhinitis patients in various regions of the world, are accessible in the repository. The working group is also developing two new online learning modules for release in 2012 based on case histories. In a self-paced interactive program, visitors will be able to move through the case histories and follow links to a number of resources available online on the topic of allergic rhinitis. For more information, visit http://www.worldallergy.org/allergic_rhinitis.

Electronic Patient Education System - there's an app for that!

2011-09-15T11:54:00.000-04:00

Medical practice management
And now for something completely different
By Rosie Lombardi

EMRs get a lot of attention, but there are other types of systems that can help simplify practice management for doctors. iMD Health, a patient education system launched last year that provides touchscreen terminals, is adding a number of useful new features. “It's evolving into a combined office management and patient education system,” says Dr. Vasia Stefou, a Toronto-based solo practitioner.

Stefou was an early test adopter of the iMD system two years ago when it was first being developed. “It wasn't as elaborate as it is now – they’ve added so many features, it's unbelievable.”

iMD is essentially an electronic encyclopedia of patient education literature (vetted by iMD’s medical boards comprised of primary care and specialist doctors, and various associations), which is provided on interactive terminals via iMD’s proprietary software.

It helps doctors provide detailed explanations of their patients’ conditions and the associated treatments, drug regimens and required health forms. Imagery is used extensively to convey concepts clearly, and videos are also available for certain conditions. Educational materials and videos can be emailed to patients along with instructions so they can get a complete understanding of all the factors.

Explaining an ear infection to a patient, for example, is easier with iMD, says Stefou. “You can scribble around on the ear to show the patient where the problem is exactly, as opposed to just pointing at a chart. You can pull up an image, write on the screen, put in arrows, and so on,” says Stefou.

He says it’s particularly useful in dealing with patients who are elderly or have chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes and others that involve complex instructions covering medication, diet and exercise.

Since the system is interactive, patient instructions can be easily tailored, says Stefou. “If there's a whole list of things that need to be done, some may be pertinent, some may not. So you can add or delete things right there, you do it on the screen, and then you can e-mail it to the patient or a relative.”

And it’s also a boon in reassuring patients who need to undergo medical procedures and surgery. “Someone who’s going in for colonoscopy and is afraid will want to know what will happen. I say ‘Take it easy, let me show you – there’s an app for that.’ iMD shows them exactly what’s involved and how far in the colonoscopy will go.”

iMD provides patient literature in various languages, which Stefou says is very useful, as his primary ethnic group is Italian. The Toronto-based company provides much of its content in languages spoken by key ethnic groups in Canada. Currently, modules for diabetes, asthma and eczema modules are available in Italian, Punjabi, Arabic, Spanish, and Polish, and the company is working on more translations.

The company also offers the eCPS (Compendium of Pharmaceuticals) online via a live link, which can replace the large paper-based tome found in all doctors’ offices. “I have two offices with three rooms each, so I would need six volumes. Instead, it’s right there online for me to look at. And it’s updated on a regular basis with new medications,” says Stefou.

Beyond patient education, iMD is also planning to offer new features in the near future such as listings of drug discount plans, and online ordering of drug samples and other office supplies. “Right now we have to fax or mail our requests for drug samples, but we’ll be able to do it directly on the terminal. And instead of getting a huge box with two little samples inside, I will be able to order many at one time.”

He says iMD is also negotiating with medical supply companies to allow centralized online ordering of cotton balls, medical paper and other items needed in a doctor’s office. “iMD is evolving its system to combine all this inventory stuff into one system.”

Setting up an iMD system is straightforward, as the company provides the hardware and software. The only requirement is an Internet connection, and subscription fees are $50.00 per month per iMD terminal.

iMD is now available in BC, AB, ON, QC and NS, and has plans to expand to other provinces, United States and Europe.

For more information, visit www.imdhealth.ca

Posted September 15, 2011

Asthma: sustaining a life beyond the inhaler

2011-09-13T09:50:00.000-04:00

Taylor Hadlock has been living with an inhaler in her pocket for the past 11 years. She always has to be prepared for an asthma attack.

“It’s just scary, if you don’t have your inhaler and you don’t know what to do,” the 15-year-old said. “As a little kid especially you get really scared and then it makes it worse. You get worked up.”

Hadlock was crowned Uintah County Miss Outstanding Teen this summer, and because of her platform — Living with Asthma — she attended a recent town hall meeting in Vernal to find out more about the condition in the Uintah Basin.

Doctors, researchers and officials with the TriCounty Health Department gathered in a conference room at the health department offices Aug. 24 to discuss what should be added to the five-year plan for Utah’s Asthma Task Force. Kara Glaubitz, a research associate with the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Utah, was on hand as a moderator and to take notes to return to Salt Lake City.

Some of the ideas included education for parents, young children and school teachers; air quality research; analyzing the Uintah Basin’s transitioning population; preparing information for easier distribution; more public meetings; and more communication among health specialists.

TriCounty Health Director Joseph B. Shaffer said he was born with asthma and knows it inside and out. It has never held him back, he said. Shaffer said he’s participated activities ranging from the military special forces to scuba diving, all things most people wouldn’t suggest for someone who has asthma.

Shaffer agreed with others at the meeting that more information needs to be given to the public, considering the tri-county area has significantly higher hospitalizations for asthma for all age groups compared to other areas in Utah.

More than half of adults in the Uintah Basin who have ever been diagnosed with asthma were diagnosed by age 10, and two-thirds by age 17, according to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

One of the biggest issues for many years was the ban on inhalers at schools, Shaffer said. After working for about a decade, the state law was changed to allow a student to carry an inhaler into the classroom, he said.

“There’s so much mystery, and what we need to do is break that mystery,” Shaffer said.

Dr. Daniel J. Kwak of Dinosaurland Pediatrics said he’s has been working with school nurses in the area and wants to create an asthma action program “to help families and patients become more uniform in the way that we treat it, more uniform in the way we test for it and education to help the families realize that the way to treat asthma affected children is not limit their activities.”

Ideally the program would extend through different doctors offices, schools and families, Kwak said.

He also suggested the community rally together to help treat those with asthma the same as it would those with diabetes or eyeglasses.

Hadlock also wants to teach other kids that they don’t need to be scared to tell others they have asthma.

“Just let people know and I think they’ll be more caring than you think,” she said.

Hadlock knows what that’s like to have a panic attack when she realizes she’s lost her inhaler. It’s happened on several occasions and led to an asthma attack.

Once when she was 6 years old and on a hike with her family, she lost her inhaler. She was already allergic to everything around her. Her eyes swelled shut from allergies and her throat was closing off, making it so she couldn’t breathe. Her family took her to the hospital where she was able to recover.

Because of situations like this at a young age, Hadlock thought she would be limited in the activities she could take part in.

“I didn’t think I could do sports like all the other kids and I didn’t think that I could do everything,” she said. “But now, seeing that you can get rid of it going to the doctor, it’s not as bad.”

Hadlock has learned from visits with Kwak that a daily routine of a pill, a puff from a special inhaler and nasal spray make it so her asthma is manageable and she can participate in sports.

She wants to teach kids that they can do whatever they want to do in life even if they have asthma.

“It’s invasive in your life because you have to remember to take the pill everyday,” Hadlock said. “But looking at the long run, it’s a lot better to take a pill a day and not have asthma than to not be able to play sports or hang out with friends because of your asthma.”

The teenager plays on an all-star softball team as catcher, a very cardio-intense position for the sport, as well as basketball and soccer. Because she’s been open about her asthma with her teammates and classmates she’s realized other people also have asthma and they can help her.

Hadlock said one time during a one-mile run at school she had an asthma attack. Since she had previously told her classmates about her condition they already knew the combination to her locker to retrieve her spare inhaler.

“If they wouldn’t have known I don’t think that I would’ve been able to tell anybody, because it gets so bad that all you can do is focus on breathing,” she said.

During her year in service as Uintah County royalty, Hadlock hopes to hold assemblies in schools to spread the word. She also wants to celebrate a day of asthma awareness in May, and hold a balloon release.

“Even if I could just change one person, it would be a big accomplishment knowing I helped,” she said.
Asthma: sustaining a life beyond the inhaler - Vernal.com - The Vernal Express

Canadian Health and Family Asthma Special - Watch Today

2011-09-12T10:00:00.001-04:00

The nationally syndicated show Canadian Health and Family aired an Asthma special on Saturday, September 10th at 10:30am EST. The 30 minute show was shown on CTV across Canada.

The show highlighted a family dealing with the diagnosis of their child with asthma and featured Dr. Allan Kaplan, MD, the Chair of the Family Physician Airways Group of Canada speaking about asthma and allergic rhinitis.

Asthma.ca, the website of the Asthma Society of Canada will be showing the video on its website starting next week.Watch the Canadian Health and Family episode here

Fundraising exceeds goal for Asthma Society

2011-09-09T10:24:00.002-04:00

From the Drumheller Online.com.
This past Sunday Mitchell Dawson’s memory was honoured by a run/walk to promote the awareness for asthma.

Mitchell Dawson suddenly passed away last August from a severe asthma attack at the age of 15 years.
The event was organized by Mitchell’s best friend Cody Bryant and Mitchell’s mom Lindy Dawson, with a goal of raising money for the Asthma Society of Canada.
The event was held at Drumheller Valley Secondary School and approximately 65 people from all ages participated.
Family members and friends volunteered by providing their help where needed.
“Our goal was $700 and I can’t believe we have raised $4600 and are still receiving donations,” Cody Bryant told The Mail.
Marlin Travel hosted a hotdog barbecue for the event on August 26 with the proceeds of $480 going to the Asthma Society.
Bryant said, “I was shocked how much the barbecue had raised, it was so great.
“If we decide to do it again next year and make it an annual event, I would do everything the same way as this year,” commented Cody.
“Its very nice to see people really do care,” he said.

Vitamin C may help children with asthma study says

2011-09-08T15:57:00.000-04:00

TANTA, Egypt, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Depending on a child's age, exposure to molds or dampness and asthma severity, vitamin C shows varying degrees benefits, researchers in Egypt say.

Drs. Mohammed Al-Biltagi of the Tanta University in Egypt and Harri Hemila of the University of Helsinki in Finland analyzed the effect of 0.2 grams per day of vitamin C on 60 asthmatic children ages 7-10.

The effect of vitamin C on the forced expiratory volume per 1 second was modified by age and exposure to molds or dampness.

In the younger children, ages 7-8.2, with no exposure to molds or dampness, vitamin C administration increased the forced expiratory volume per 1 second level by 37 percent. In the older children, ages 8.3-10, with exposure to molds or dampness in their bedroom more than one year before the study, vitamin C increased the forced expiratory volume per 1 second level by 21 percent.

The effect of vitamin C on the asthma symptoms was modified by age and the severity of asthma symptoms. In the younger children, ages 7-8.2, with mild asthma symptoms, the benefit of vitamin C was greatest, but in the older children, ages 8.3-10, who had severe asthma symptoms, the benefit of vitamin C was smallest.

The researchers say they consider it is important to carry out further research to confirm their findings and to identify more accurately the groups of children who would receive the greatest benefit from vitamin C supplementation.

The findings are published in the Clinical and Translational Allergy

Read more: Clinical and Translational Allergy.

Asthma Nation - details from Allergic Living Magazine

2011-09-07T14:35:00.000-04:00

If you want to read a fascinating article about the current state of Asthma in Canada get a copy of Fall 2011 issue (Vol 7, Issue 3, pages 22 to 29) Allergic Living magazine. It details Asthma by the Numbers: Did you know that 2.7 million Canadians have asthma? Public Health Agency of Canada: Life and Breath Report 2007.

Over 50,000 hospitalizations due to asthma were reported in Ontario in 2009 by the Canadian Institute for Health.

This blog and the National Asthma Patient Alliance's website www.Asthma.ca/NAPA are mentioned as good discussion forums for support in managing asthma.

If you need more encouragement to read this Issue of Allergic Living magazine, turn to page 55 of the Fall 2011 volume 7, Issue 3 and you will see our intrepid fundraisers from Team Asthma.

2011-09-06T13:47:00.002-04:00

New school year can trigger asthma

Sharon Lem Toronto Sun, and in SunMedia papers across Ontario:
¨ North Bay Nugget
¨ Timmins Daily Press
¨ Welland Tribune
¨ Peterborough Examiner
¨ Niagara Falls Review
¨ Sudbury Star
¨ St. Catharines Standard
¨ Sarnia Observer
¨ Woodstock Sentinel-Review
¨ Kingston Whig-Standard

Saturday, August 27, 2011, 1:37 PM

Joshua Nieuwland, 10, taking a breath from a puffer, has suffered from asthma since he was eight-months-old. Every September as kids go back to school, there’s been a spike in asthma hospitalizations. (Supplied photo)

Pam Nieuwland gets knots in her stomach each September as the new school year begins.

Nieuwland’s 10-year-old son Joshua somehow manages to catch a cold from someone at his school each fall.

A common cold for most children is harmless, but for Joshua, who has suffered from severe asthma since he was eight months old, it’s worrisome.

“When kids are back at school, germs get traded, but for a child with asthma it’s a bigger worry because a cold might turn into something worse,” Nieuwland, 47, says.

Statistics show with each new school year comes the annual September spike in asthma symptoms. In Canada about 20% to 25% of children’s hospital admissions for asthma occur in September.

Experts believe the reason for the September spike could be the interplay of cold viruses, allergen exposure and poor asthma management.

Dr. Sharon Dell, pediatric respirologist at The Hospital for Sick Children, says 90% of hospital and Emergency Room visits by asthma patients are avoidable with good asthma control.

“Asthma is a very modifiable condition...we shouldn’t see a spike if there was a better handle on the management of asthma,” Dell, an associate professor at University of Toronto, says. “You can avoid a spike, studies show it is possible.”

Data shows the use of asthma prevention medicine, inhaled corticosteroids, drops by 60% in the summer and prescriptions for asthma prevention medication is at its lowest in August.

When kids return to school in September, cold germs spread and can contribute to asthma flare-ups.

Dell says when asthma patients don’t use their regular asthma medicine, their airways can become inflamed and when they’re confronted by a cold virus, it puts them over the edge and they are not able to fight the cold virus off and can end up in the emergency room.

“Sometimes colds are unavoidable, but you can remember to frequently and properly wash your hands and protect yourself with asthma medication to avoid allergic triggers,” Dell says.

She says it’s important for parents of kids with asthma to speak to their doctors about an Asthma Action Plan for their kids. An Asthma Action plan is individually created for each asthma patient with their family doctor on how best to manage their asthma.

Christine Hampson, president and CEO of the Asthma Society of Canada, says the asthma spike happens annually during the third week of September in Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and Australia.

“People with asthma already have tight airways, so when they get a cold and their airways fill with mucus, the airways become blocked,” Hampson says.

There are 146,000 emergency room visits each year due to asthma attacks. Asthma has a direct cost of $705.4 million per year on the Canadian healthcare system.

Obesity Complicates Asthma Diagnosis

2011-09-02T11:33:00.000-04:00

Obesity may be associated with asthma-like symptoms, such as breathlessness and impaired health-related quality of life, which may lead to misdiagnosis of asthma. This study demonstrates that while obesity is a risk factor for self-reported asthma, obese participants are at a lower risk for airflow obstruction.

From the UK, research published in CHEST, the journal of the American College of Chest physicians, warns of the common misdiagnosis of asthma in obese patients. The study highlights the asthma-like symptoms that obese patients present with, such as breathlessness and laboured breathing. The researchers found that at the site of the study nearly 40% of obese patients had experienced a misdiagnosis of asthma.

Many more obese than nonobese participants were using bronchodilators despite a lack of objective evidence for airflow obstruction. These data suggest that mechanisms other than airflow obstruction are responsible for dyspnea genesis in obesity and that asthma might be overdiagnosed in the obese population.

The prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma continues to increase, in part, because of an association between obesity and asthma. Obese patients often exhibit asthma-like symptoms, arising from the effects of increased BMI on lung volumes, increased effort to breathe, and increased release of adipokines, the authors noted in their introduction.

This study suggests that misdiagnosis of asthma in obese patients, as indicated by absence of bronchial hyper-responsiveness, is a significant problem and should be taken into account when evaluating obese patients presenting with breathlessness.

Breathlessness is a common finding in both asthma and obesity, creating a potential for misdiagnosis. For example, a Canadian study showed that a third of patients with physician-diagnosed asthma had no evidence of asthma by symptoms, lung function, or bronchial challenge testing Canadian Medical Association Journal.

What's a Team Asthma Race Like?

2011-09-01T11:35:00.001-04:00

For today's blog, we are embedding one of the promotional videos from the 2010 Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

For 2012, Team Asthma will have a presence at the following 'Scotiabank' branded races:

Montreal (April)
Halifax Bluenose (May)
Calgary (May)
Vancouver (June)
Toronto (October)

you

Team Asthma

House dust mite test on wheezy toddlers predicts asthma in teen years

2011-08-29T11:06:00.000-04:00

Wheezy toddlers who have a sensitivity to house dust mites are more at risk of developing asthma by the age of 12, a University of Melbourne led study has shown.

Children aged one – two years with a family history of allergy, who had a positive skin prick test to house dust mites, had a higher risk of developing asthma later in life. Results showed 75 per cent of these children had asthma at aged 12 compared to 36 per cent of children without a positive skin prick test.

Lead author Dr Caroline Lodge from the University of Melbourne’s School of Population Health said the identification of house dust mites as a predictor for asthma in high risk children, is a significant step forward in identifying high risk groups on whom we can trial interventions.

“Our findings provide researchers with a more targeted group of at risk children, for investigating strategies to prevent asthma later in life,” she said.

“House dust mite sensitivity amongst wheezy toddlers could be used as a clinical tool to assist parents in understanding the risk of asthma in their children.

“Although currently there is no known intervention to stop asthma developing, identifying children at higher risk may lead to more tailored treatments of wheeze in this high risk group.”

The study followed 620 children, with a family history of allergies, from birth to 12 years old. Researchers tested the children at the ages of one and two years, for single and multiple sensitivity to milk, egg, peanut, rye grass, cat and house hold dust mites and then again at the age of 12 for having asthma.

“We found in the children aged one – two years, that whatever the mix of sensitivity, if their skin reacted to house dust mites they had a higher chance of developing asthma later in life,” Dr Lodge said.

“Our study did not show house dust mite caused asthma but it highlighted a strong correlation between sensitivity and more severe wheeze and asthma.

“House dust mites are common in our environment. They are something we have to live with everyday. Previous studies have revealed that efforts to eradicate house dust mites have been ineffective.”

The study was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Collaborators involved in the study are the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Monash University and the Royal Children’s Hospital.

The study is part of a broader project to investigate sensitivity and allergy and their link to asthma.

Contact Rebecca Scott
Media Officer
University of Melbourne
E: rebeccas@
http://newsroom.melbourne.edu/news/n-610

2011-08-26T15:08:00.001-04:00

From the Drumheller Online.com.

Run/Walk in Memory of Mitchell Dawson and Asthma Awareness Sunday August 28
Drumheller Valley Secondary School Track Alberta 10am-4pm in the memory of a Drumheller teen who passed away last year after suffering a severe asthma attack.

Last year, local 15 year old Mitchell Dawson suddenly passed from a severe asthma attack. This Sunday his name can be remembered in a run/walk to raise asthma awareness.

His best friend Cody Bryant organized the event with Dawson s mother Lindy. Together they are hoping to reach $700 to donated towards the Asthma Society of Canada. The run and walk is being held at the Drumheller Valley Secondary School track this Sunday between 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. A BBQ and donation table will be there throughout the day.

Registration is not required but preferred through the facebook event page or by contacting Cody at 403-823-5616.

Marlin Travel has decided to host a BBQ Fundraiser tomorrow for anyone that cannot make Sundays run and walk. It will be in the Marlin Travel parking lot from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.

A poster for the event can also be found at www.asthma.ca

Overweight mothers in pregnancy affect the child's future asthma risk: study

2011-08-25T10:10:00.002-04:00

Children of women who are overweight or obese when they become pregnant may be more likely to have asthma by the time of adolescence, a new study shows.

Researchers in Britain, Finland, and Sweden say their study suggests that being overweight during pregnancy may interfere with normal fetal development, though it does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The study found that asthma-like respiratory symptoms such as wheezing were up to 30% more likely when children were teenagers if mothers were overweight or obese during fetal development.

The scientists examined the respiratory health of about 7,000 teenagers, 15 and 16, all born in northern Finland between July 1985 and June 1986.

Their mothers were questioned about their lifestyles, social backgrounds, and educational attainment when they had been pregnant for 12 weeks.

Information also was provided by medical professionals on the height and weight of the women before pregnancy and the medical history of their parents.

The researchers found that:

One in 10 of the teens wheezed and one in five had wheezed at some point.
6% had asthma, and one in 10 had been diagnosed with asthma at some point.
Teens whose mothers had been seriously overweight or obese before they became pregnant were 20% to 30% more likely to wheeze, have wheezed, or had asthma currently or previously.
Teens whose mothers were among the heaviest were 47% more likely to have severe wheezing difficulty.

The researchers say their findings do not show that prepregnancy obesity definitely causes respiratory symptoms among teens. But they do say other studies have shown links between maternal obesity and numerous complications during pregnancy.

Being overweight during pregnancy may interfere with normal development of a fetus as a result of disrupted metabolic, hormonal, or ovarian activity, according to the researchers. Also, increasing weight is linked to increasing levels of the hormone leptin, receptors for which are found in the lungs of developing fetuses.

They conclude that their research suggests that increases in rates of children's asthma and its symptoms may be at least partly related to the rapid rise in obesity in recent years.

The study is published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Smoke-free buildings save landlords $$ in cleaning costs

2011-08-24T11:37:00.000-04:00

When apartment tenants light up a cigarette, it's not just their smoking-averse neighbors who suffer. Landlords are also sucking it up — in increased cleaning costs.

But by implementing complete smoke-free rules throughout their properties, owners of California multi-unit rental buildings could save up to $18 million a year statewide on the cost of cleaning apartments vacated by tenants who smoke, according to a new UCLA study. These policies can also protect their other tenants from the secondhand smoke that seeps between units.

The study was published online Aug. 18 in the American Journal of Public Health and will appear in the journal's October print issue.

Smoke wafts between units through shared airspaces and ventilation, hallways, cracks in walls and floors, electrical outlets, and plumbing fixtures, or from outside.

"Secondhand smoke is an important cause of morbidity and mortality, and many current policy efforts are focused on encouraging owners and managers of multi-unit housing to implement smoking restrictions," said lead study author Dr. Michael Ong, an assistant professor-in-residence in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "California has minimized exposure to secondhand smoke by restricting smoking in multiple public venues, including workplaces, public entryways, public parks and beaches, and vehicles carrying youths.

"However, secondhand exposure in multi-unit housing is a significant contributor to overall secondhand smoke exposure, since Californians spend an average 68 percent of their time at home and over 10 million Californians live in multi-unit housing."

This is the first study to take a systematic measure of smoking-related costs in multi-unit housing, as well as the first study of smoking and multi-unit housing to take into account small-scale multi-unit buildings — those with 15 or fewer units, according to Ong. About 66 percent of California Apartment Association (CAA) members own or manage small-scale buildings.

For this study if a building did not allow smoking anywhere on the property, including within units, it was listed as having a complete smoke-free policy; if smoking was prohibited in only some parts of the property — in common areas, for example — it was said to have a partial smoke-free policy. Smoking-related costs for recently vacated units included cleaning, repairs and maintenance; painting and decorating; trash collection and fire damage; property and fire insurance; and legal, administrative and other operating costs.

The researchers found that nearly half of the multi-unit housing properties owned or managed by CAA members had no smoke-free policies, but the smaller properties had a threefold higher rate of smoke-free policies than the larger ones.

They also found that:

More than 25 percent of multi-unit housing properties had smoking-related costs in the past year.
One-third of multi-unit housing properties are currently completely smoke-free.
For a single multi-unit housing property, the mean smoking-related cost was nearly $5,000 in the past year and the median cost was $2,000.
The likelihood of incurring smoking-related costs was reduced by half with the presence of a complete smoke-free policy.
Implementing complete smoke-free policies in California multi-unit housing could result in an estimated property savings of $18 million overall in the short-term.

Video - September Peak

2011-08-23T09:20:00.000-04:00

For today's blog, we want to direct you to one of our brand new YouTube videos about September Peak.

Did you know that 25% of all childhood asthma hospitalizations happen in the month of September? This can be due to a combination of factors - cooler weather; germs spread in the school environment; poor adherence to asthma prescriptions in the summer months; pollens and allergens in the air; and more. We see a spike every year which peaks 3 weeks after Labour Day.

Watch this video to learn more about the "September Peak":

Mother designs clothing with specially designed pockets for Epi-pen

2011-08-22T10:09:00.000-04:00

For today's blog, we want to direct you to CBC Metro Morning, where you can listen to a 5-minute interview with Michelle Williams.

Michelle has started a clothing company called Olli Lolli, which makes children's clothing designed with special pockets to carry an Epi-Pen, and possibly preventing the need for your child to carry a fanny pack or other cumbersome item.

Swimmer with asthma is triple-golden at Universiade games

2011-08-19T09:25:00.003-04:00

Today's blog brings you a good news story about an athlete with asthma. Laszlo Cseh of Hungary has lived with asthma all his life, and how has three gold medals (and counting) on his resume after this week's Summer Universaide. Look for Cseh to be a serious medal threat at next summer's London Olympics as well.

From the Xinhua News Agency.

Cseh's golden days without Michael Phelps

By Sportswriter Wang Haoming, Lu Yuchen

SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- In the absence of Michael Phelps, it could be golden days for Hungarian star swimmer Laszlo Cseh to dominate the Shenzhen Universiade pool.

"Without Micheal, the race is different," the 26-year old Cseh said after he pocketed his third gold medal at the Universiade here on Thursday night.

Three years ago, at the Beijing Olympics, Cseh took three silver medals -- 200m butterfly, 200m and 400m medley, exactly the same events he won at this Universiade.

The three Olympic golds certainly belonged to Micheal Phelps.

Bitter rival. But something bitter has accompanied Cseh far more earlier than Phelps.

"I came here with my asthma," Cseh said.

When Cseh was a four-year old boy, he was diagnosed with asthma -- a disease seriously harmed his lung capacity.

Cseh is good at medley, but his career is not a peaceful melody.

"I have been training very hard," Cseh said.

He went to Poland at the age of 10, hoping to cure his asthma. But even today, he has to bring pills along with him.

At the 2003 World Championships, he got a silver medal in the 400m medley, marking his new chapter at the highest level competition.

A year later in Athens, he won a bronze medal in the 400m medley.

He picked up his first gold medal at the world championships in 2005 in the same race.

But then came Michael Phelps.

The gap of 0.67 second separated Cseh from Phelps at the men's 200m medley three years ago in Beijing.

That could be the most narrow gap for the all-time chaser.

So, even when Cseh won three golds in Universiade, he had to admit,"The race is different without Phelps."

"He is strong, but I don't think he is invincible. I am hoping to beat him all the time," Cseh noted. And he knew he had to fight against another rival.

"I am going to talk with my doctor, we want to cure the asthma. It is OK, though, in Hungary, doctors always tell you that if you suffered from asthma, go to swim then, so I am now at here," Cseh said.

"See you in London," he walked out the venue, concluding his golden days at Universiade while continueing his way against Phelps, and the asthma.

Teens prefer calls over texting in asthma study

2011-08-18T09:41:00.002-04:00

Today's blog is republished from the Augusta Chronicle shows interesting results - teens in a program to learn about asthma and smoking much preferred receiving their reminders by recorded phone call or phone call, and not by text message or Facebook.

Are you a student? Do you prefer to receive "formal" reminders in a different way than "informal" reminders?

Some Augusta teens prefer calls to texts

By Tom Corwin

She sometimes is on Facebook 20 times a day, but Whittni Mitchell-Lloyd prefers a telephone call for some things, such as communicating with researchers at Georgia Health Sciences University about a research program called Puff City.

"The Puff City thing is more of a school thing and we use Facebook for more friends' stuff, so we kind of want to separate school and friends," said Whittni, 16, a junior at Burke County High School.

A study looking at how to help educate high school students in rural counties around Augusta about asthma and smoking has turned up some surprising results: The students much preferred getting recorded or personal phone calls as reminders of when to show up for computer sessions at school. In fact, less than 8 percent preferred getting a message through Facebook, and 15 percent preferred texts, compared with 53 percent who liked the recorded message and 23 percent who preferred a personal call. It was so unexpected it was "shocking," said Dr. Martha Tingen, a professor of pediatrics at GHSU and Georgia Prevention Institute, and co-principal investigator of the larger study now under way.

"It is shocking to me because I think 99 percent of the world believes that Facebook and text messaging is where it is at," particularly with this group, she said.

The communication preference study, which was "nested" into the larger study on asthma and smoking, was to be presented Wednesday at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media.

It was actually suggested by Tingen's son, Joseph, who had worked as a research assistant on the first year of the study and was assigned to Thomson High School. Three rural high schools had a mixed group of young assistants assigned to them, and Tingen said it was those assistants who really hit it off with the students and made them want to keep participating.

"They really developed a relationship with them," she said. That might be why they preferred a call.

With the recorded calls, the students didn't have to respond and weren't charged, as they might be for a text.

As for Facebook, the study was communicating that way only with those who had sought out the study's Facebook site.

From a research standpoint, preferring the recorded call "is just a fantastic piece of information for me," Tingen said. Calls can be set up as a large block to go out at a predetermined time, and researchers get feedback as to whether each went through and whether it was picked up by a person or by voicemail, she said.

Now starting its second year, the larger Puff City study seeks to educate students about using their medication to prevent attacks, carrying a rescue inhaler, not smoking or quitting smoking, and avoiding secondhand smoke. The contact preference survey will be repeated after 12 months.

"I'll be very curious to see if we get the same information or if things have changed," Tingen said.

Poorly controlled asthma doubles costs: study

2011-08-17T09:49:00.000-04:00

A new study from the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (Journal) shows that poorly controlled asthma more than doubles the cost of treatment, and impacts their school performance.

Dr. Stanley Szefler, a professor of pediatrics at National Jewish Health who led the study, and colleagues studied 628 children ages 6-12 with severe or difficult-to-treat asthma.

The researchers evaluated direct medical costs -- medications, unscheduled office and emergency visits, and hospital admissions -- and indirect costs such as school days lost.

Costs were evaluated at baseline, 12 months and 24 months. Patients were divided into three groups -- very poorly controlled, not well-controlled and well-controlled asthma, using National Institute of Health guidelines.

Very poorly controlled asthma patients incurred at baseline an average of $7,846 in costs associated with asthma, compared with $3,526 for not well controlled asthma patients and $3,766 for well-controlled asthma.

Two years later, costs for very poorly controlled asthma patients increased to $8,880 while costs for those with well-controlled asthma dropped to $1,861. All costs are in 2002 dollars and costs in 2011 dollars would be about 25 percent greater, the researchers say.

The study finds children with very poorly controlled asthma finds missed an average of 18 days of school each year, compared with two or less for other asthma patients. We know in Canada that asthma is the #1 cause of missed school days for children across the country, and that missing school also causes their parents to miss days of work and associated productivity.

Back-to-school brings boom in asthma attacks, experts say

2011-08-16T09:42:00.003-04:00

Today's blog features ASC President Christine Hampson quoted in a Canadian Press article, which we have linked through the Toronto Star's ParentCentral.ca

Back-to-school brings boom in asthma attacks, experts say
August 15, 2011

Paola Loriggio
The Canadian Press

Oni Joseph used to go to her son’s school each fall and explain why he was constantly sniffling and out of breath.

Her son, 13-year-old Toussaint, was “born wheezy,” and his asthma has only grown worse with time, the Ottawa poet and mother said.

Now, of course, the teen’s teachers and classmates are used to his perpetually runny nose, his stash of tissues and his inhaler, a device used to send medication directly into the airways, his mother said.

But Joseph, 38, still worries about sending him back to school in September, a month when asthma attacks — and asthma-related visits to the emergency room — skyrocket.

Toussaint’s symptoms always flare up in the fall, she said, and “he’s had so many (attacks) this year,” including two that had the family dashing to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in a panic.

“It’s the scariest thing as a parent because you can’t do anything,” she said. “So I’m very stressed.”

Each year, the so-called “September epidemic” strikes legions of children who suffer from asthma, a respiratory condition that affects roughly 10 per cent of children and causes more than 200 deaths annually, according to Statistics Canada.

Studies show the first few weeks of school bring a boom in asthma attacks — violent, often terrifying episodes marked by coughing, wheezing and chest tightness — and trips to the emergency room.

Hospital visits hit a “dramatic peak” 17 days after Labour Day, a holiday generally considered the end of summer vacation, said Neil Johnston, an epidemiologist at the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health in Hamilton.

For older teens and adults, the spike comes about a week later and isn’t as pronounced, said Johnston, who has analyzed the phenomenon in a number of studies.

“Things that are so exquisitely timed don’t just happen by accident. There’s something going on,” he said, noting researchers in Britain and Trinidad have spotted the same pattern.

Back-to-school is a perfect storm of stress, germs and allergens, he said, all known to potentially trigger attacks.

What’s more, a lot of kids let their asthma treatments lapse during the summer months, so they’re even more vulnerable come fall, the researcher said.

“It’s a quadruple-whammy. All these things line up,” he said.

Dust, mouse feces and cockroaches in schools can set off coughing fits, as can cat and dog hair on other children’s clothes, he said.

But the worst culprit by far is the common cold, which causes 60 to 70 per cent of asthma attacks in children, he said.

“What that suggests to us is that sometime after the school return, there’s an epidemic of the common cold,” though it’s unclear what causes it, Johnston said.

Though the September spike is predictable, it’s not entirely preventable, given all the factors at play.

But there’s a lot families can do to lessen its impact, said Dr. Paul Ehrlich, a pediatric allergist in New York City and co-author of Asthma, Allergies, Children: A Parent’s Guide.

Parents should visit the school’s health clinic to make sure nurses there know how to administer medication with an inhaler, he said.

They should also talk to teachers and explain why their children are itchy, sneezy or wheezy, the doctor said.

And some parents may want to spend a day tagging along with their little ones to spot possible pitfalls, such as dusty mats and rugs for nap time, he said.

But Ehrlich stressed the key to controlling asthma is having a solid treatment plan — and sticking to it.

There are two kinds of asthma medication. Drugs dubbed “rescuers” relax the muscles around the airways to quickly ease breathing in case of an attack, but they don’t treat inflammation.

“Control” medications, such as inhaled steroids, help soothe the inflammation that causes asthma symptoms. They must be used consistently to work.

All children with asthma need both kinds of drugs, but they often abandon the control treatments when they start to feel better, said Johnston, the epidemiologist.

Asthma, one of the most common chronic conditions in Canada, can prevent children from sleeping properly and often forces them to miss a lot of school.

Studies show children with asthma score lower in standardized math and reading tests. Those with more severe symptoms have the worst outcomes, the data show.

Christine Hampson, president and CEO of the Asthma Society of Canada, said it’s not too late for children to get back on track before the school year starts.

The biggest challenge, she said, is getting people to treat asthma as a chronic disease instead of something that erupts once in a while.

“So going to the ER once a year in September for many people is seen as normal,” she said in an interview from Toronto.

“Having your child not be able to participate in certain sports or not be able to sleep through the night sometime in the year, people kind of accept the diminished quality of life,” she said.

“It’s not (normal), and it can be prevented.”

UK Scientists shed light on "late phase" asthma attacks

2011-08-15T10:47:00.002-04:00

Some new research from the journal Thorax has discovered why some people with asthma experience "late phase" asthma symptoms. "Late phase" asthma is when people do not experience asthma symptoms immediately when they contact an allergen, but experience symptoms between 3 and 8 hours later.

While an early asthmatic response results from mast cells recognising the allergen and releasing chemical signals that cause the airways to narrow, scientists have now found that the late response occurs because the allergen triggers sensory nerves in the airways.

The study revealed that these sensory nerves trigger other nerves that release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which in turn causes the airways to narrow. Many people with early response asthma can also experience late phase asthma as well, sometimes making it difficult to determine what triggered the asthma.

This breakthrough provides doctors and researchers with another target for new medications to develop.

What's the Issue: Public Drug Coverage

2011-08-12T08:30:00.000-04:00

This is the third installment in a series of issues leading up to provincial elections in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Northwest Territories this fall.

Provinces have the responsibility for maintaining what are known as “drug formularies”. This is a list of medications which the government will cover when you stay in a hospital, and that are accessible through public funding for people who require it. Each province has a different system of eligibility, but most provide public funding programs for their citizens who receive social assistance, senior citizens, and people with high drug costs relative to their income.

Unfortunately, not all provinces cover all asthma medications and treatments through their drug formularies. That means if a doctor has prescribed that drug for their patient, and the patient doesn’t have private insurance (usually through their employer or union) which covers the drug, the patient has to pay for the entire amount. Often, people with limited income cannot afford to pay, and decide not to fill the prescription.

Our NAPA members have said over and over that public drug coverage is one of the most important issues for them, because we know that these medications work to help people control their asthma. Even if the government covers the entire cost of the medications and treatments, they still save money because of fewer hospital and emergency room visits. Citizens can live healthier and more active lives, and be more productive at work or school.

This is why, in each of the 5 provinces and 1 territory going to election this fall, we will be asking you to let your candidates know that public funding is important to you. We will give you the chance to send a letter to the candidates in your area. You can explain how your asthma medications have helped you, and how everyone else in your province deserves the same chance to have their prescribed medications help them. And if you’ve been prescribed a particular drug which is not covered through public funding, this will be one of your best chances to ask for it.

Keep watching this blog and our www.asthma.ca homepage for more information near the end of the summer.

Using the Phone for Health Care

2011-08-11T09:10:00.001-04:00

Did you know that many of your healthcare questions can be answered just by picking up the phone and making a call?

Most provinces and territories in Canada have some system which allows residents to call in to a phone number staffed by certified medical professionals, who can answer your questions and offer advice on any health care topic.

By speaking to someone on the phone, you can help determine the severity of your condition, and whether you need to make a trip to the emergency room or not. It's available without an appointment, usually 24 hours per day. For people with asthma, the nurse may be able to assist you with questions about your Asthma Action Plan, or medications.

With most "telehealth" services, your personal information is kept confidential, or it may not even be asked at all! Some services require only your postal code (in order to direct you to the appropriate location for care) in addition to a description about your problem.

Remember that telehealth services are not designed to handle emergency situations. If you have an emergency, always call 911 first.

Some of the "telehealth" numbers in use across Canada are listed below. You can also use a search engine to find out the most appropriate number for you, or if there is a direct number for your city:

Alberta (HealthLink) - 1-866-408-5465
British Columbia - (HealthLink) - 811
Mantoba (Health Links-Info Sante) - 1-888-315-9257
Newfoundland and Labrador (HealthLine) - 1-888-709-2929
New Brunswick (Tele-Care) - 811
Nova Scotia (Healthlink) - 811
Ontario (Telehealth Ontario) - 1-866-797-0000
Quebec (Info Sante) - 811
Saskatchewan (HealthLine) - 1-877-800-0002

If you have asthma questions, the Asthma Society of Canada has Certified Asthma Educators on staff who can respond to your call, and provide you with the individual, personalized information you need to help control your asthma. They can also direct you towards specialists or asthma clinics in your area.

To access our services, please call 1-866-787-4050, or e-mail info@asthma.ca

We're Making Links Around the World

2011-08-10T09:10:00.000-04:00

The Asthma Society of Canada has joined with other asthma and allergy groups in the Global Asthma & Allergy Patient Platform (GAAPP). This umbrella group will help to coordinate self-help groups and patient programs around the world, and work with governments and health care organizations to minimize the impact of asthma and allergies worldwide. We will be helping to assist in the formation of patient groups in emerging countries, and the delivery of best practices in asthma and allergy care worldwide.

“Patient initiatives in more than 20 countries on all continents have already joined our platform. We expect this figure to multiply in the next few months“, says Argentine allergist Dr. Natalio Salmún, the first president of the GAAPP. “As a global network, we will be able to make the patients’ voice and their needs much better heard by decision-makers in politics and healthcare.”

In addition to fighting for the right to unpolluted healthy air, among the first activities for GAAPP will be setting up athletic games for children with asthma, founding a patient group in India, and setting up care parcels for patients in countries which low living standards. For more information, please stay tuned to this blog for updates, and subscribe to our newsletter by entering your information in the blue box on the right side of your screen.

Exposure to Mould Raises Asthma Risk

2011-08-09T08:10:00.000-04:00

A new study from the journal 'Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology shows that infants who lived in mouldy homes were nearly three times more likely to have childhood asthma by age 7.

Although this study had a small sample size of only 176 children, a high level of mould (as measured by American EPA standards) resulted in a likelihood of asthma at a rate 2.6 times greater than homes with a low level of mould.

The study also showed that homes with air conditioning had a slightly decreased risk of the child developing asthma. Family history of asthma, and allergic sensitization to dust allergies correlated to an increased chance of asthma.

"Early life exposure to mold seems to play a critical role in childhood asthma development," researcher Tina Reponen, PhD, professor of environmental health at the University of Cincinnati, says in a news release.

"This study should motivate expectant parents -- especially if they have a family history of allergy or asthma -- to correct water damage and reduce the mold burden in their homes to protect the respiratory health of their children," Reponen says.

Heat and Asthma Attacks

2011-08-08T09:10:00.000-04:00

For today's blog, we're going to link you to a video from FOX news Chicago explaining how heat can affect asthma. Dr. Steve Salzman tries to help you out in plain language.

Extreme Heat Can Trigger Asthma Attacks: Dr. Steve Salzman: MyFoxCHICAGO.com

Remember, if you have been diagnosed with asthma and have a reliever medication (in Canada it's usually blue, unlike what was described in the video), make sure to keep it near you at all times.

Treating the Cause, Not the Illness

2011-08-05T08:40:00.000-04:00

Today's blog is a great opinion piece from the New York Times about a program called 'Health Leads', which helps patients navigate "the system" for other needs that are keeping them ill, but may not be related to their doctor. For example, a "prescription" for food, assistance finding food banks and applying for government aid programs, and help upgrading their housing situation.

As you read through this article, please let us know if you know of any Canadian equivalents that help people in need access the non-medical "causes" of their chronic and medical conditions.

Treating the Cause, Not the Illness

by David Bornstein

In 1965, in an impoverished rural county in the Mississippi Delta, the pioneering physician Jack Geiger co-founded the nation’s first community health center. Many of the children Geiger treated were seriously malnourished, so he began writing “prescriptions” for food — stipulating quantities of milk, vegetables, meat, and fruit that could be “filled” at grocery stores, which were instructed to send the bills to the health center, where they were paid out of the pharmacy budget. When word of this reached the Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington, which financed the center, an official was dispatched to Mississippi to reprimand Geiger and make sure he understood that the center’s money could be used only for medical purposes. Geiger replied: “The last time I looked in my textbooks, the specific therapy for malnutrition was food.” The official had nothing to say and returned to Washington.

In some ways, the United States has come a long way since Lyndon Johnson declared the “war on poverty.” But in others, we’re still at square one. We now have a variety of federally-supported nutrition programs, but the health care system remains senselessly disconnected from the “social determinants of health.” In this regard, the United States has fallen behind the rest of the world. If a politician in India announced a public health plan that neglected malnutrition, he would be ridiculed. Here, leaders make this kind of omission all the time. Almost all of the debate about the 2010 Affordable Care Act was consumed with questions about health care access and quality. But if we really want to improve the health of millions of people, we have to address the conditions that make them sick.

One of the most impressive organizations in the country that is developing an approach to do this is Health Leads, which mobilizes and trains about 1000 volunteers each year who staff resource desks located in the waiting rooms of 23 hospital clinics or health centers in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, New York, Providence, R.I., and Washington. At these sites, doctors now regularly “prescribe” a wide range of basic resources — like food assistance, housing improvements, or heating fuel subsidies — which Health Leads’ volunteers “fill” — applying their problem solving skills (and tenacity) to identify resources anywhere they may be available.

Health Leads was co-founded by Rebecca Onie in 1996, while she was an undergraduate student at Harvard University. Onie had first witnessed the intimate relationship between poverty and health while volunteering at Greater Boston Legal Services, where she assisted low-income clients who had housing problems. Many lived in dilapidated apartments with leaky pipes, broken windows, rooms full of mold, and walls infested with cockroaches and rats. Often families couldn’t afford to pay for heat. Towards the end of the month, some ran out of food. Onie found herself interviewing mothers whose children came to the office wheezing and coughing from asthma and lung infections — health problems caused or triggered by bad housing. Often, the children had been in and out of hospitals for years; many had fallen far behind in school.

One day, she read a magazine story about Barry Zuckerman, chairman of pediatrics at Boston Medical Center (B.M.C.), who had established the Medical-Legal Partnership for Children, a program that connected doctors with lawyers to assist patients (it has since spread to more than 235 health institutions nationally). Close to 70 percent of the patients at B.M.C. are poor and Zuckerman, like Geiger, had grown tired of treating children, only to see them readmitted to the hospital because nothing was done to address the causes of their illnesses. In some cases — as when a child has chronic asthma attacks because the landlord refuses to clean up mold — a lawyer could be more effective than a doctor.

“I thought bringing lawyers into the hospital was brilliant,” recalled Onie. She called Zuckerman to see how she could help and he invited her to spend six months talking to people in the unit. There Onie found doctors who were “smart, passionate and totally committed to their patients” and yet “stymied in terms of their ability to bring about the health outcomes they wanted.” Some physicians told her they knew they should be asking more about food, housing or social issues, but they were afraid of opening a “pandora’s box.” “I have no idea where to begin to address the problems,” one physician told Onie. “I have 13 minutes with each patient.” (Studies reveal that doctors are reluctant to inquire about issues — domestic violence, for example — when they feel powerless to intervene.)

Onie thought that students could help. With Zuckerman, she founded Health Leads (formerly Project Health) to recruit and train students to provide patients with connections to resources deemed necessary by doctors and other health care providers. “What are college students built to do?” asks Onie. “Track down information!” She adds: “Say your client is a Latina mother working two jobs. She needs food supplements. She has no transportation. Your job is to locate a food pantry within walking distance of her home that’s open after 8:00 p.m. and has a Spanish speaker on staff. That’s a perfect problem for a college student. It’s like a really fancy Google search.”

From the outset, Onie made the decision to work only with students who demonstrated high levels of motivation and commitment. In some of Health Lead’s sites today, as few as 10 percent of students who apply get selected. This has had the effect of attracting serious volunteers. In 2010, the organization reported that in 57 percent of cases its volunteers secured a needed resource within 90 days. This year, Health Leads will serve 9,300 patients and families — not a huge number given the scope of the problem it seeks to address — but the approach is gaining momentum.

One indication is that, where Health Leads works, doctors are changing their behavior. In the Children’s National Medical Center, in Washington, for example, over the past year, there has been a 300 percent increase in doctors “prescribing” Health Leads through the hospital’s Electronic Medical Record. The resources they request for patients include things like exercise or summer meal programs for children or subsidized child care for mothers, so they can find work and afford better food and housing.

Health Leads is also demonstrating that it can improve the efficiency of social workers. In some of the large urban hospitals where the program operates, the ratio of patient visits to social workers is close to 25,000 to 1. Because students can handle basic — but time consuming — cases, social workers can concentrate on what they’re trained for. At The Dimock Center, in Roxbury, Mass., initial data suggests that the program has doubled the time social workers can devote to therapeutic work.

Health Leads is also preparing a pipeline of new health care leaders. Two thirds of its students are either in pre-med tracks or pursuing careers in health, and the exposures they are getting are likely to shape the way they think about health care. As one volunteer said: “When I’m a doctor, I will never prescribe antibiotics that say ‘take with food’ without making sure that the family actually has food in the house.”

Many health care professionals know that social conditions impact health more than medical care. In a survey conducted by Health Leads at Bellevue Hospital in New York, almost every pediatric primary care provider said the failure to address social and psychological needs “impairs” their ability to treat patients effectively. The vast majority said that the hospital needed a standardized system to screen for these needs on routine well-child visits. But 80 percent said it lacked the capacity to do it.

There is very little money available for this work. Medicaid doesn’t generally reimburse social workers for non-therapeutic tasks. Most of the time, this kind of assistance falls through the cracks. Society then spends oodles of money treating the crises that follow. “There is a tension between what we all know, and agree, needs to be done, and what we are doing,” says Onie. “As a society, we haven’t yet decided that we actually want less emergency room visits.”

Just a year ago, Onie thought that Health Leads’ biggest obstacle would be getting doctors to pay attention to patients’ social needs — given all the demands on their time. Today, the organization is getting so many referrals from doctors, for the first time in its history it has long waiting lists. Five decades after the war on poverty, a work force that can systematically address the social causes of illness is still to be built. Health Leads offers a model of how it might work. A broader system could incorporate students, community health workers, and lay workers. It need not be a perfect solution, nor an expensive one. But something has to be done. And the big challenge is getting health care decision makers to prioritize and pay for it. As Onie says: “How would we ever think that we’re going to secure a return on our health care dollar until we start dealing with these social factors?”

Tennessee man climbs North America's tallest mountain for asthma awareness

2011-08-04T09:46:00.000-04:00

From News Channel 9 in Tennessee:

Click this link for the story in a 2-minute video format.

A Chattanooga man scales one of the world's tallest peaks to draw attention to pediatric asthma. The 34-year-old, father of two, explains why such a common condition took him all the way to Alaska.

"It's something everyone has to have but they take for granted, good quality of breathing air," said Jonathan Lehman, who was diagnosed with a mild case of asthma 4 years ago. The Chattanooga Firefighter was determined to not let the disease slow him, or anyone else, down.

"The stigma that used to be attached to kids with asthma was that you were relegated to inactivity, and that you had to stay inside, and that you couldn't play sports, and that's really unnecessary," said Lehman.
To prove his point, in May, Lehman started his ascent on Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America. It took him 14 days to scale, in temperatures below zero. Lehman used the mountain as a metaphor for spreading the word about lung health. "The mountain would give more than enough parallel to respiratory issues because as you go higher on the mountain the air is thinner and it's harder to breath," said Lehman.

His goal wasn't to raise money, just awareness. "Asthma doesn't have to be a limiting factor whether you're a kid or an adult. We live in a great city that has tons of outlets for creative enjoyment whether it's on the rivers or in the woods, or walking," said Lehman.

Now that Lehman is back, he's focusing on a new goal. He's part of the Citizen Forester Program, a weekend class where participants plant trees and learn about the environment. Lehman says he'd like to move that program into local elementary schools.

Smoking cessation drugs gain public coverage in Ontario

2011-08-02T09:33:00.000-04:00

There's some great news for smokers looking for help "butting out" in Ontario. Beginning on August 4th, Ontario's public drug coverage will include the smoking cessation products Champix and Zyban.

“This will help people quit and prevent cancer,” Health Minister Deb Matthews said. “I am enormously pleased with it.”

Smoking cessation drugs such as these help double the chances of success for people who want to quit smoking, when other approaches don't work.

Smoking kills nearly 13,000 Ontarians each year, and costs the province about $1.6 billion every year in healthcare treatment.

Both drugs are available through prescription. Champix helps to reduce cravings and withdrawl symptoms. Zyban is a nicotine-free anti-depressant. Both drugs have the potential for side effects, so always speak to your health care professional if you are a current smoker and are looking for assistance quitting.

Quebec and Saskatchewan both cover these products already through their public funding programs.

The National Asthma Patient Alliance has been active in urging all provincial governments to invest in anti-smoking measures, and to increase public drug coverage for smoking cessation and asthma products. We are extremely pleased with this announcement, which will provide more assistance for approximately 2.3 million Ontarians who are current smokers.

Please check back with us in early September for information on how you can become involved in writing your provincial members (or election candidates) about advocacy issues in your province.

Parental stress levels can impact pollution's effect on children

2011-07-29T09:12:00.000-04:00

Children who come from families where parents are less stressed, will see less of an effect on their lungs from traffic pollution. This interesting research comes from the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, conducted by Dr. Talat Islam from the University of Southern California. The research discovered that in a high-stress home, increasing air pollution decreased the lung function of a child with asthma. While those children with asthma in low-stress homes saw no very little changes in their lung function.

Nearly 1400 children in California were measured for various aspects of their lung function. Six years earlier, parents in the study filled out a questionnaire about their levels of stress. They were asked questions such as how often they felt able to handle personal problems, or feel in control. 1000 sites around the area were also monitored for pollution levels which come from traffic exhaust.

While pollution levels and stress levels varied widely among the participants, increases in pollution could be measured and the effect on lung functions examined. In high-stress homes, when pollution increased by 22 parts per billion, the children's lung function dropped by 5%. However in low-stress homes, the same pollution exposure resulted in no change in lung function.

Dr. Islam's earlier research has shown that children exposed to air pollution in a high-stress home are 51% more likely to develop asthma than children exposed to the same levels of pollution in a low-stress home.

It's not yet clear why these linkages exist, but it's important for parents to note that, while traffic and air pollution are dangerous for children with asthma, the social environment of their family may be equally, or even more important, to their health.

Possible peanut allergy treatment in the works

2011-07-28T09:53:00.000-04:00

A new study undertaken by researchers at Duke University has shown that it may be possible to decrease or eliminate peanut allergies in children.

Dr. Edwin Kim conducted a study of 18 children over the course of a year. 11 of these children received what is known as sublingual immunotherapy, or a dose of peanut protein that was placed under their tongue to help build tolerance. 7 of the children received a placebo.

After taking daily treatment for a year, children who received the peanut treatment were able to eat about 5-10 peanuts per day without allergy symptoms. Children receiving the placebo were unable to eat any peanuts at all.

The research is being presented at an upcoming conference, and will be published shortly.

Taking Control of Asthma at Summer Camp

2011-07-27T10:22:00.000-04:00

We have pulled today's blog story from our July E-newsletter, which you can sign up for right now by filling your information in the blue box on the right side of the screen

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Taking Control of Asthma at Summer Camp

When the school year ends and meets beautiful summer weather, the energy of a child can seem limitless. And that, among many other reasons, is why summer camps are very popular places for children to spend a few weeks of their vacation. Camps offer a child the ability to run, roam, explore and learn, while being supervised by somebody other than you.

Of course, you want to make sure that your child’s asthma concerns are addressed while they are at camp and away from your protective care. The following checklists can give you a place to start:

Daycamp

Find out who is responsible for medical care at the camp. Is there a medically-trained person who administers medication (asthma + others) for any child who needs it? Do the camp counselors have first aid training?
Meet with these people on the first day of camp. Include your child if you wish, and have a discussion about your child’s individual asthma triggers. Make note of anything in a typical camp environment (pollen, paints and crafts, cleaning products, animal dander, etc) which have been known to cause asthma symptoms. Describe your child’s asthma symptoms and what should be done when s/he experiences them. Take special care to tell the counselor specifically if the child is not aware of their own symptoms or would not ask for help immediately.
Discuss your child’s rescue medications, and determine if they can be kept with your child (in a backpack, for example) or if they should be carried by an adult with other medical supplies. If your child uses a spacer, bring one of these and demonstrate proper use.
Create a photocopy or second copy of your child’s Asthma Action Plan. If you don’t have one yet, ask your healthcare provider for one before camp begins. You can find a template here, which can help you and the camp staff understand the steps that need to be taken in an asthma attack, or when symptoms occur.

Overnight Camp

For overnight camp, you should follow all the steps for the daycamp, but make sure to add the additional steps below.
Determine if a medically-trained person will be there 24 hours per day. Have a conversation about any history of night-time awakenings or symptoms.
Provide information for the counselors about the difference between controller medication and reliever medication. Using the colour of the medication and your Asthma Action Plan can help them understand. Describe at which times of day the controller should be taken, and whether your child is likely to need a reminder about taking their medication.
If your child uses a Peak Flow Meter, describe to the camp staff how this device is used properly, and what readings could indicate a dangerous level for your child.
Provide extra medications and supplies for the camp in case the first set runs out or is lost.
Halfway through the camp (or after week 1 for long-term stays), call the camp to speak with the medically trained person about how well the Asthma Action Plan is working. Address any concerns together to make sure the remainder of your child’s stay is as safe as possible.

Working together with the camp staff, you can ensure that your child’s camp experience is as safe and fun as possible.

Nature offers health benefits for children

2011-07-26T09:30:00.000-04:00

This Question-and-Answer help piece appeared in the Calgary Herald.

Q: We always enjoyed hiking as a family, but recently we have neglected this activity because the kids are always busy.

I wonder if there is any research on the impact of nature on children's mental health. Our family seems to always be tired and I am concerned that if my children are allowed to roam in nature they may get abducted.

A: There is indeed a big volume of research on this topic. The site childrenandnature.org has a unique section on research and publications in peer-reviewed journals.

The organization Children and Nature has done a wonderful job of raising the awareness of how we as a society can benefit when we allow our children to get outside more often, simply to play and explore their environment. In Canada, Robert Bateman launched a program in 2000 that encourages families to use nature to become more creative (gettoknow.ca)

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, was the keynote speaker at a major pediatric conference in San Francisco last year. He coined the term Nature Deficiency Disorder.

Louv laments the fact that too many parents neglect taking their children out in nature. They often are too tired; the children may be over-committed with homework, extra classes, organized sports; or parents simply get tired of children constantly pushing back when their screen time is limited. When children complain of being bored, instead of sending them out to play in nature, they are given electronic devices to keep them occupied. This comes at the expense of allowing simple free play.

Louv observes that some parents are "helicopter" parents -they hover over the child all the time, making sure he is safe. They won't allow the child to climb a tree in fear that he may fall or break his arm.

These bubble-wrapped children never are allowed to explore nature on their own; the parents fear the child may get abducted (research shows the number of child abductions has actually decreased over the past 20 years; however, parents do need to "stranger-proof their children, of course, and be aware of where the kids are).

The ideal parent may be the "hummingbird parent," who allows the child the freedom to explore on her own, but once in a while checks up to make sure the child is safe.

The biophilia hypotheses as put forward by E.O. Wilson, a Harvard-based researcher, make the case that we are genetically wired to connect with nature. We are meant to be exposed to fresh air, water, dirt and plants.

Much of the research on how nature improves the health of children centres on mental health, asthma, obesity and cognitive development.

The health benefits to children of spending intentional time in nature include: an improvement in focus for children who have ADD; a reduction in stress; anxiety and depression; a reduction in the prevalence of obesity; lower blood pressure; and a lower rate of vitamin D deficiency.

Unstructured free play in nature has been shown to benefit a child's cognitive development and social skills. These children end up with better self-esteem and self-discipline when exposed to green spaces -even in inner cities. It has been shown when children play on cement or asphalt they get fewer benefits than when they play in nature.

The journal Ophthalmology published a study showing that outdoor activity reduces the prevalence of myopia (nearsightedness) in children: children with the highest level of near work activity and lowest levels of outdoor activity were three times more likely to develop myopia than their peers who were outside more often.

Children living in areas with more street trees were found to have a lower prevalence of asthma according to research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health: a tree density of 343 trees per square kilometre was associated with a 29 per cent lower prevalence of early childhood asthma.

Dr Michael Rich, director of the Harvard-based Center on Media and Child Health (cmch.tv), observes that in the research literature on childhood obesity, the word "nature" is surprisingly infrequent. In contrast, the problem of how media and total daily screen time contributes to causing childhood obesity is well documented.

His argument is that more physicians should go beyond reminding families of the health impact of too much media exposure; they should actually prescribe more time in nature to families

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Dr. Peter Nieman (providing the response) is the father of four children and has completed 75 marathons. He hosts lifebyexample and healthykids.ca and is a member of the Canadian Paediatric Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Can I Use My Inhaler while Fasting for Ramadan?

2011-07-25T09:13:00.000-04:00

The Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins early next week.

Although Islamic rules state that people with chronic conditions are permitted not to fast, some Muslims choose to do so and confusion exists about whether using an inhaler constitutes breaking the fast.

From Islam Online, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, says:

According to the preferred view of scholars, using inhalers by asthma patients does not break their fast. The drug inside an inhaler, we are told, goes straight into the airways; while the airways are treated, very little of the drug itself gets into the rest of the body. This being the case, it is perfectly comparable to rinsing the mouth with water or gargling, brushing the teeth, or using eye or ear drops; such actions should never be reckoned as consumption of foods or drinks.

Therefore, you may use them if need be. Rules of Islam, we may do well to remember, are not at all intended to make life hard for people. Almighty Allah says in the Qur'an, [He [Allah] has imposed no difficulties on you in religion] (Al-Hajj 22:78).

Many people have not received information about what to do about their asthma treatments during times of fasting. We offer you the following suggestions:

Speak to your Imam for advice about your asthma medications during times of fasting
Never stop taking any medication without speaking to your doctor or other healthcare professional first
If you choose not to use your inhalers during daylight hours, it may be reasonable to take your controller medication before sunrise and after sundown
If you have adjusted your medications for Ramadan and you begin to feel worse, consult your healthcare professional as soon as you can
Becoming dehydrated may make your asthma worse
Remember to carry your (blue) rescue medication at all times
You should have an Asthma Action Plan. This written plan is personalized for you, and developed with your doctor, nurse or other health professional. It shows you how to adjust your medications, up or down, based on your symptoms and peak flow readings. This plan is personally developed for you, so it should be able to fit your lifestyle
We have Certified Asthma/Respiratory Educators avaiable at 1-866-787-4050 who can answer any questions you have about your asthma and your medications.