Do children “outgrow” their asthma ?
Do children “outgrow” their asthma? Parents of children with asthma are concerned about their child. Two questions they almost invariably ask the specialist are: Doctor, is this really asthma? Will my child outgrow it? There is a popular misconception (based on false hope) that asthma will simply go away as the child grows up and […]
Cigarette Smoke & Asthma
Everyone knows that smoking is bad for the lungs. This is no Rocket Science. Asthmatics already have over-sensitive airways and thus irritants and toxins in cigarette smoke are doubly harmful to them. Yet, the percentage of asthmatics who smoke is nearly the same as the percentage of smokers in the general population in a given […]
Is it possible to prevent asthma and allergies?
In the last news letter we explored some of the reasons why asthma and allergies are increasing. This brings us to the next logical question: is it possible to prevent the development of asthma? Yes, it is possible!! Can genetically determined traits be modified by proper environmental influences? For example can two short parents have […]
Why are Asthma & Allergy increasing so much?
Asthma and allergy have become so common nowadays that these medical terms have become household names! When, at a social gathering, I tell someone that I am an Asthma & Allergy specialist, the usual response is: “Doctor, why is asthma increasing so much? It must be the pollution.” This tells us two things. One, the […]
Do emotions play a role in asthma?
Yes they do. But only a small role in some asthmatics. Many hundred years ago, asthma was thought to be a neurotic or a psychosomatic disease. Now, of course we know that asthma is a disease in which the airways are oversensitive and over reactive. They become constricted or narrowed in response to a variety […]
What is the difference between Asthma & Allergy ?
Allergy is mechanism; asthma is a disease. Allergy is an oversensitivity of the immune system to react to certain harmless things in our natural environment. These things (called allergens – what evokes or provokes allergy) could be pollens of weeds or trees, house dust, fungal spores, food items, drugs or cosmetics. The important thing to […]