Asthma Expert Kathi MacNaughton 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/962 http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962 http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/92843/asthma-adult-managing Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:03:00 -0500 Kathi MacNaughton So, you've been diagnosed with asthma for the first time as an older adult? Well, welcome to an ever-growing club! More and more older adults are being diagnosed with asthma these days. I talked about why in the previous post in this series.   But what's important to realize is that although there is no cure for asthma -- it's a chronic illness -- it IS very treatable. With the right asthma management plan, there is little reason why... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/92843/asthma-adult-managing http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/92832/series-diagnosis Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:55:00 -0500 Kathi MacNaughton For most of this century, asthma has largely been thought of as a kids' disease. And, while it's true that more than 6 million kids in the United States alone may have asthma, asthma can come on at any age... including in the senior years. In fact, asthma in adults over the age of 65 has been growing by leaps and bounds the past couple of decades. And many cases of older adult-onset asthma go undiagnosed at all.   Some older adults with... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/92832/series-diagnosis http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/88961/portable-nebulizer Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:23:00 -0400 Kathi MacNaughton Many people with asthma have a nebulizer as part of their treatment plan. A nebulizer is a machine that takes a liquid asthma medication and turns it into an aerosol mist via either pressurized air or ultrasonic sound waves. Then the medicine travels through a tube, from where you breathe it into your airways.   Nebulizers are used commonly in infants and young children, who are too young to use a metered dose inhaler reliably. But... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/88961/portable-nebulizer http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/88963/year-flu-shots Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:36:00 -0400 Kathi MacNaughton For many years, asthma patients have been recommended to get annual flu shots in order to prevent the flu. As this year's fall season gets started, it is time to put your winter virus protection plan into effect, focused on the seasonal flu and pneumonia. These respiratory infections can be irritating and misery-inducing to most of the world, but to people with chronic respiratory disease like asthma, influenza and pneumonia can be... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/88963/year-flu-shots http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/81050/chilling-respiratory Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:55:00 -0400 Kathi MacNaughton It's an old wives' tale that asthma is "all in your head." Asthma is a very real physical illness. You can't will it away. However, emotional highs and lows can trigger asthma symptoms and full-blown asthma attacks at times. So, it's wise to pay attention to your stress level as another way of controlling asthma. Managing stress effectively is good for anyone's health, but especially if you  have a chronic health condition such as... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/81050/chilling-respiratory http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/81051/college-pack-success Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:19:00 -0400 Kathi MacNaughton You're 17 or 18 years old and you're about to embark on the biggest journey of your life -- going off to college. If you also have asthma, it's important to keep your health in mind as you get ready for college.   The American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) has come up with a simple approach to managing asthma in new situations, such as going on vacation... or off to college. It's called the PACK approach.   P =... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/81051/college-pack-success http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/81036/air-quality-breathing Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:56:00 -0400 Kathi MacNaughton You've been hearing for many years about the negative effects modern living has had on the ozone layer in our atmosphere and what this means for our air quality. You may also have heard something about ground level ozone and how it is bad for us. So, I thought it might be helpful to sort out the facts about ozone and what effects it has on people with asthma and our ability to breathe well.   Understanding Ozone Ozone is a highly... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/81036/air-quality-breathing http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/76881/teach-child-asthma Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:20:00 -0400 Kathi MacNaughton Asthma is a chronic disease. That means your child is going to have it, in all probability, for a good long time, if not forever. The good news is kids with asthma can enjoy active lives without limits, provided they take the right approach to their life. Knowledge is an important first step to getting your kid to take the right actions to keep asthma under control.   But with young children, you need to approach them on their level. You... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/76881/teach-child-asthma http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/76790/black-box-warnings Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:59:00 -0400 Kathi MacNaughton Black box warnings are a type of labeling that the Federal Drug Administration (FDA, for short) requires pharmaceutical companies to use when a drug has possible side effects that are dangerous, rather than just annoying. In the past couple of years, several asthma medications have received black box warnings and now there are more.   The first asthma medicines to require black box warnings were in a class of medicines called long-acting... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/76790/black-box-warnings http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/72770/research-treatment Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:44:00 -0400 Kathi MacNaughton One of the silver linings to the fact that asthma has now reached epidemic proportions worldwide is that a lot of money is poured into research on asthma, its causes and its treatments. So, there are always new study reports being released. And as a result, treatment is moving forward at a steady pace. It's my dream that a cure for asthma will eventually be found. But we're not quite there yet.   Still, lots of encouraging work IS being... http://www.healthcentral.com/asthma/c/962/72770/research-treatment