Health News
A ruling by a California court upholds the legality of the Port of Los Angeles' Clean Truck Program and may improve the air you breathe by ensuring commercial trucks preform appropriate maintenance according to a press release Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Commercial trucking companies have in the past forced maintenance onto truckers employed as independent contractors, rather than ensure their trucking fleets were appropriately maintained. The legal ruling now places responsibility of maintaining their trucking fleet on the commercial trucking companies. "This victory bolsters the standing of burgeoning clean port programs across the nation," said Melissa Lin Perrella, senior attorney with NRDC's Southern California Air Program. "Millions of people live in port communities across the country and are forced to subsidize the operations of outdated port operations with their lungs. This decision allows the Port of Los Angeles to continue introducing cleaner trucks while getting dirty ones off the road and sets the stage for healthier communities nationwide."
Breathing training improves quality of life, but isn't likely to decrease the need for regular anti-inflammatory medication treatment in asthma according to an online report in Thorax. Researchers from the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at the University of Aberdeen in Aberdeen, UK performed a randomized controlled trial --a type of research trial designed to see if one method is more effective than another method--to determine if formal breathing training improves quality of life and actual asthma control. Respiratory therapists provided breathing training for one group of patients, while nurses provided standard asthma education to the other group. The intervention consisted of specific abdominal (belly) and nasal breathing techniques. Participants were encouraged to practice the exercises for at least 10 minutes each day.
Asthma Mom recently asked her readers about what they did when encountering someone smoking in public. This can be of great concern to those with asthma and it can be incredibly annoying when smokers are ignoring no smoking signs or laws. I think you will find her and her readers comments very interesting. What do you do? Leave a comment to share with our asthma community. ======================= Stay up to date: subscribe to the Asthma newsletter and join the discussion in the Asthma forum . Follow me on Twitter Follow me on Facebook =======================
I ran across Sarah's asthma blog and I thought her list of pet peeves is very interesting. Do you have asthma pet peeves? Why not let us know what yours are? Leave a comment here or join the discussion in the forum .
Smoking during pregnancy may affect how your child responds to inhale corticosteroids later in life. While we have commonly heard of pregnancy related complications related to tobacco such as increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome and pregnancy problems, such delayed effects are not commonly reported. In a recent study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology , authors examined more than 1000 children with moderate persistent asthma who also participated in the Childhood Asthma Management Program. The study examined whether self-reported tobacco use during pregnancy was related to the effectiveness of inhaled steroids between the ages of 5-12.
Current asthma guidelines recommend treatment with inhaled corticosteroids to treat chronic inflammation once you need more than periodic rescue inhaler use. Currently, there are no recommendations that one inhaled steroid is better than another and the choice is often based on price and convenience. A study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology compares fluticasone and beclomethasone over a one-year period. The researchers used a patient database to compare effectiveness of these drugs based on asthma control and the number of asthma exacerbations.
Does your doctor use an electronic medical record or EMR? Do you think you get better care because of it? Are you able to go in and see your medical records? Would you like to see your doctor use this technology? Take the poll, leave a comment, and go to the forum to join the discussion . Learn More
Earlier this week I asked how asthma friendly your school was. As you go back to school, there are number of things you can do to make sure your child's asthma is well controlled. Check out these suggestions from Asthma Mom . She provides a number of practical tips from an experienced Mom with asthma kids to make sure your child's return to school is safe and smooth. ======================= Stay up to date: subscribe to the Asthma newsletter and join the discussion in the Asthma forum . Follow me on Twitter Follow me on Facebook =======================
How asthma friendly is your or your child's school? With schools getting started over the country is time to think about your school year asthma plan. I thought I would take a poll to see how asthma friendly your school is? Do you think your school is asthma friendly? Take the poll, leave a comment, and go to the forum to join the discussion .
Jovante Woods, son of former Cincinnati Bengals player Elbert "Ickey" Woods, died following an asthma attack. According to a press release from Princeton City Schools , Jovante was an important member of their football team and an excellent student with a 3.8 grade point average. "Jovante and his family are, and always will be, a big part of the Princeton family," said Princeton Schools Superintendent Dr. Gary Pack. "This news is heartbreaking, his future was so incredibly bright. We'll be there for his family and our students and staff at every step. Monday is going to be a tough first day of school."