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Breathe Easy -- Asthma is
a Treatable Illness By Carma Haley
"Many causes are hard to avoid," says Aljadeff. "Cold air, dust and exercise can all be problems. But children with asthma can lead normal lives if they and their parents follow the doctor's orders."
In addition to identifying what causes or escalates an asthma attack, parents also can teach their children what to do if one occurs. Often a child's first response is to panic. As panicking can give way to an attack, parents can help their child learn ways to stay calm, think the situation through and avoid an attack from worsening, Mount Sinai recommends. Keeping asthma medications where a child can find them as well as ensuring they know the proper way to do use them will also help a child keep calm when an asthma attack occurs.
For the control or management of childhood asthma, a child's doctor will usually prescribe medication to control the symptoms as well as an "inhaler" to lesson the effects of an attack. These medications do not "cure" asthma, but instead allow a child to function on a more "normal" level. These medications will assist a child in feeling better and breathing better while allowing them to focus their attention on more important things -- like kickball. However, children should be instructed to listen to their bodies and know their triggers to prevent potentially dangerous or life-threatening situations from happening.
"Parents need to take asthma very seriously. It can be a deadly disease," De Luca says. "Children need to be taught to listen to their body and pay attention to symptoms and triggers. But at the same time, they can still do the things they want to -- as long as they take their meds and monitor their breathing. Parents need to remember that asthma can have an impact on the child's self-esteem. A child with asthma feels different from everyone else -- but really, they're not."
