My 17-year-old daughter has asthma and will be moving away from home in the autumn to go to college. I am worried about how she will manage her condition and wonder if you have any advice to give someone in this age group?
Conventional remedy: You are probably concerned that, with the excitement of college and living away from home for the first time, your daughter will neglect her health. There are, however, several things you and your daughter can do to ensure she stays at her best. First of all, prevention is the best treatment and, with this in mind, encourage her to read all about asthma and learn to recognise its severity.
She should make an appointment to see your family doctor for a check-up and ensure she is using suitable medicines. The doctor will also check that she is using her inhalers, both preventers and relievers, correctly. It is useful for her to be aware of trigger factors which precipitate attacks and try to avoid them. These may include some of the following: infections, allergies, house dust, cigarette smoke, changes in temperature, exercise and irritants. Certain drugs, including aspirin, foods and food additives, emotional upset and stress are all triggers.
She should, with her doctor's assistance, devise a management plan, and an action plan should an asthmatic attack strike. It would be helpful if she learns to use a peak flow meter to help assess the severity of an attack, which would help her decide when urgent assistance is required. Encourage her to carry her bronchodilator inhaler with her always, and to
Alternative remedy: Asthma has many different triggers, and increased stress levels can be one of them. It is wise to be concerned and to take preventative action when known stress triggers can be predicted. For most asthmatics this means increasing medication or making sure the current prescribed levels of medication are adhered to; check with your medical adviser when necessary. The problem is that 80 per cent of asthmatics are known not to take their medication as prescribed, and with the huge distraction of going to college, problems can occur.
An alternative solution to the problem is to improve the underlying respiratory condition so that asthma symptoms are reduced or even cleared up completely. More and more people are realising that this can be done successfully using the Buteyko Method, a Russian-devised method of retraining breathing to the point where asthma symptoms no longer occur. As someone who suffered severely with asthma, I can assure you the method does work.
Proper tuition from a Buteyko practitioner is advised. It is not just symptoms that improve - quality of life also does. This is the advantage of using a solution that works with the body. Be prepared, however, to work on your health. The Buteyko Method is usually taught in a series of one-to-one sessions or in a workshop setting. Regular practice for a while is important. Then, before you know it, breathing with ease, independently, becomes a way of life rather than a dream. Some would value this more than the college education itself!
-Feargal Tobin, Buteyko practitioner, tel: 01-4650030 patientquery@irish-times.ie