Stop those wicked Asthma attacks

It sounds simple, but, like so many things that sound simple, it isn't. ‘It’ is taking your asthma drugs correctly. Asthma is more common than aspirin on New Year’s Day, the no. of hacking, wheezing people increases every year. And winter is prime asthma time, because colds & fly can trigger wicked attacks. Wicked enough, to kill. Severe asthma attacks- the horror movie sensation of an invisible force stealing your breath- hospitalize many people; thousands die, often needlessly. Hard new evidence just confirmed something all doctors know: many frightening or fatal attacks result from people not taking their medicines at all, or the right way, or not using enough- even mid-crisis.

So, back to the simple: if you’ve asthma & are casual about taking your medicines, time to clean up your act.

First step- check in with your doctor & review your control plan. Have your symptoms or triggers changed? Have you got new challenges, like a building exit clogged with second hand smoke? Does your medication need adjusting? Are you sure how to handle a breathing emergency? Using less than 75% of your ‘rescue’ dose won’t do it, & many don’t use enough.