When I write about health issues, I often talk about how being an informed health consumer is one of your most powerful weapons in your efforts to control and manage your health condition, including asthma. Perhaps "war" is a bit of hype, but truly it is up to each of us to be proactive and aggressive in taking every step to prevent disease and health issues from taking over our lives.
There's an old saying that, "Knowledge is power!" and I am in total agreement with that sentiment. When you know and understand, you are in a much better position to take action, or to be more clear... actions that make sense and that will have positive benefits for you.
So, in today's post, I thought I would help you to find the most helpful sources of asthma knowledge. Beware! There is a lot of misinformation on the Web, and it's easy to get led down some crazy path, if you're not careful.
Start HERE!
HealthCentral.com was designed to provide reliable health information on a wide variety of conditions, one of them being asthma. The information comes from subject matter experts, both health care professionals, as well as people who have actually experienced the health condition. I am both, when it comes to asthma, as is our other expert, Rick Frea, an asthmatic respiratory therapist. (I am a registered nurse, as well as lifelong asthma sufferer.)
Check out either of our many posts here on the site and you'll get an excellent, comprehensive introduction to the many aspects of living with and treating asthma.
* Please note: I write for HealthCentral on allergies and COPD, in addition to asthma, so you'll see posts on all of those topics if you click the link above.
James Thompson, MD is another of our asthma experts. You'll find a list of his posts (on asthma, allergies and cold/flu) here.
Also, on HealthCentral, you'll find some encyclopedic type information, in the form of articles, slide shows and video. Check them out for general information that Rick, Dr. Thompson or I may not have covered in our various posts. Check the home asthma page for featured content, a list of videos (at the bottom of the page), or use the drop down menus to navigate to the areas you're interested in.
You might also want to look at the post I wrote recently on asthma video learning, for links both to HealthCentral asthma videos, as well as great videos on other reputable health information websites.
Expand Your Knowledge
In addition to the information you'll find here, you should also know about the other best asthma resources on the Web, including the following websites:
- American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology, that is "dedicated to the advancement of the knowledge and practice of allergy, asthma and immunology for optimal patient care", according to their stated mission. Their site offers both practice guidelines for health care professionals, as well as educational information for both adults and children suffering from asthma and/or allergies.
- Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, an organization whose stated mission is, "dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with asthma and allergic diseases through education, advocacy and research," which they accomplish by providing practical information, community based services and support to people through a network of regional and local partners around the U.S. Their aim is both education and advocacy.
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health, which provides informational publications and research updates on a wide variety of asthma-related topics.
- Centers for Disease Control asthma hub. The CDC also provides some general asthma information on their site. They are also the best source of information about yearly influenza trends and vaccines.
WebMD, About.com and the Mayo Clinic online are other reliable health information websites, as are National Jewish Health and the American Lung Association.
