Word: asthma
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There aren't many parents who would let their children suffer needlessly. But if the results of a new survey are correct, suffering is just what many of the 6 million U.S. youngsters with asthma are doing...
...whether or not one believes that our current energy supply is detrimental to the weather, the effects of burning coal and oil are felt at home, and in our lungs, every day. The stuff that comes out of power plant smokestacks has contributed to make asthma one of the fastest growing childhood ailments in industrial and developing countries alike, and has also recently been linked to lung cancer. Here in Massachusetts, where five power plants burn thousands of tons of coal every year, the effects on surrounding communities are significant. A 2000 study by the Harvard School of Public Health...
...exactly, says Dr. Elizabeth Murray of the college's department of primary care and population sciences. She and her colleagues reviewed 28 studies involving 4,042 patients, all experiencing an ongoing illness such as asthma, cancer or diabetes. Consulting Web-based health programs and support groups increased these patients' knowledge and feelings of social support. But it didn't lead to behavior changes, and it had a striking--and surprising--negative effect on outcomes...
...other remedies that are often expensive but medically unnecessary. And doctors may not always take the time, or have the time, to explain to parents what will and won't work in their child's particular case. For example, allergies are usually a problem for older children with asthma, while kids aged 5 and younger more frequently have trouble with viral respiratory infections. So make sure you understand what's really triggering your child's asthma. And remember, the best solutions are not always the most expensive ones...
Small changes at home, such as using allergen-proof mattress and pillow covers and vacuuming with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, can greatly reduce a child's asthma symptoms, according to a study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. Working in low-income, inner-city homes where children suffered from asthma triggered by indoor allergens--dust mites, cockroaches, pets, tobacco smoke or mold--researchers taught families how to reduce the level of those pollutants. A year later, children in those homes reported three fewer weeks of asthma symptoms than did kids in untreated homes...