Asthma Expert Nancy Sanker shares Asthma management news and commentary at MyAsthmaCentral.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46 http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46 http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/26048/falling-insurance Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:10:00 -0400 Nancy Sanker So what happens when your 28-year-old son has an unexpected health insurance gap and is sick? You get a blazing-fast education in how to find a health care professional who will even see you without that magic card and then you try to figure out how to finance the required tests and then, the toughest part, you try to find asthma medications that are not laughably unaffordable.   My mom used to say that you cannot understand another... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/26048/falling-insurance http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/23628/asthma-scared-smart Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:05:00 -0400 Nancy Sanker My e-mail is buzzing. "Have you seen the news about Singulair? Are you worried?" The short answer is, "No, I'm not concerned at all." Maybe you're concerned - now is the time to get scared smart.   This is not the first or the last time there will be press releases like the one released from Merck linking use of its asthma/allergy medication Singulair with suicide and changes in mood and behavior. The Food... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/23628/asthma-scared-smart http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/19479/dealing-asthma-grief Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:56:00 -0500 Nancy Sanker This month is always a tough one for me. It's a tug-of-war between the excitement of a brand new calendar year, brimming over with expectation -- and at the opposite extreme, the recovery period connected to the anniversary of my Mom's death on Christmas Eve. As the years pass I am better at moving on... or maybe it's just that I have become a better actress.   One day when I was trying to rearrange my mangled heart, it struck... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/19479/dealing-asthma-grief http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/17361/allergy-asthma Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:24:00 -0500 Nancy Sanker  It's that joyful time again. But as I unpack our beloved decorations, I can't help but remember some tough holidays...and some eureka! Decembers too.  If you or a loved one is challenged with asthma or allergies, you may already know that these health issues don't take a holiday. My wish for you is that good health surrounds you, laughter is a frequent guest at your festive table and that giving comes from a grateful... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/17361/allergy-asthma http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/15635/health-care-misuse Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:27:00 -0400 Nancy Sanker A recent German study reveals what many of us guessed - dry powder inhalers (DPIs) are frequently misused by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and newly diagnosed asthmatics. The study was presented at the international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians and underscores the importance of clear, concise and memorable health care professional teaching and on-going care.   It seems that... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/15635/health-care-misuse http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/13222/parent-change Thu, 06 Sep 2007 11:03:00 -0400 Nancy Sanker A new study published in this month's Pediatrics reveals that parents are hesitant to give their children potentially life-changing asthma medications because they are not convinced they're needed and they are fearful of potential side effects. In fact, only about half of all prescribed preventive asthma medications were taken as directed.   OK -- it's time for true confessions. Within the last month I visited my... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/13222/parent-change http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/12969/asthma--follow Thu, 30 Aug 2007 17:53:00 -0400 Nancy Sanker Yesterday the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) issued its first comprehensive update of the clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma in 10 years.   The revision emphasizes prevention -- patients are urged to be aware of daily symptoms, their specific triggers and effective use of medications so asthma episodes can be avoided. Also, now different treatments are included for three age... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/12969/asthma--follow http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/12848/carry-inhalers-school Wed, 29 Aug 2007 14:41:00 -0400 Nancy Sanker My yearly routine includes talking to school staff about my son's asthma, filling out the appropriate forms and double-checking where his meds would be stored. It is a back-to-school challenge that can leave parents, not the students, breathless!   Information from a recent American Lung Association (ALA) online survey of parents of children with asthma is somewhat disconcerting. It addressed parents' awareness of state laws... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/12848/carry-inhalers-school http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/11541/back-school-parents Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:47:01 -0400 Nancy Sanker My sister is busy shopping for school supplies for her three elementary-aged kids. School starts in less than three weeks. And what am I doing? Still reveling in the fact that the block Fourth of July party went so well! Back in "my day" kids didn't start school until after Labor Day, but there's one group of dedicated professionals who thinks about school year-round - school nurses.   I was fortunate to be able to... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/11541/back-school-parents http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/11175/gene-hope-mother Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:11:01 -0400 Nancy Sanker It was a report I read with mixed feelings. The intellectual part of my brain cheered and said, "Now that's progress!" The lay-the-guilt-on-me part of every mother's brain dredged up feelings that were echoed by parent after parent in the educational support group I started 25 years ago. We all knew there was a genetic component of asthma, and each of us had hesitantly donned the cloak of responsibility. But the overriding... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/46/11175/gene-hope-mother