If you have asthma or allergies, then you’re probably well aware of all the grasses and weeds that flourish and mess with your respiratory system during the summer months. But there are other less well known triggers that may be causing you to sneeze and wheeze. Read on to learn what they are and what you can do about them.
Although previous studies had pointed towards a link between increased soy intake and decreased asthma symptoms, a new clinical trial has shown that taking soy supplements does not improve one’s asthma symptoms.
The previous studies had been population based, whereas the clinical trial was “multicenter, randomized, double-blind, [and] placebo-controlled.”
According to a new study, up to 10% of those with asthma may have a peanut allergy but not know it because their asthma symptoms (coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath) are so similar to their peanut allergy symptoms.
The study looked at over 1,500 children at a respiratory clinic in Toledo, Ohio and discovered that 10% tested positive for peanut sensitivity.
In potentially exciting news for asthmatics, researchers from Cardiff University and King’s College are making the bold claim that in as little as five years they may be able to prevent asthmatics from ever having another asthma attack, potentially putting an end to the need for inhalers and nebulizers. How?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just approved the first electronic nebulizer for delivering the cystic fibrosis medication Pulmozyme. This nebulizer, the eRapid, was developed by PARI and cuts treatment times from six to eight minutes all the way down to two or three minutes. Not only does this improve the patient’s experience, a study has shown it also increases the patient’s adherence to their treatment program.
Katie and Dalton Prager met when they were both being treated for cystic fibrosis. Two years later they got married. Three years later they were separated by their condition, and thought they may never be able to touch each other again.
At the National Science Foundation, the Advanced Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST) team led by Veena Misra is using nanotechnology to create wearable sensors that can monitor both an asthmatic’s external environment and their vital signs to warn them if an asthma attack is imminent.
Although asthma has been heavily studied over the past several years, there are still many mysteries regarding what causes it and what all triggers an asthma attack. Things such as weather, air quality, traffic, trees, temperature, and wind direction are all potential factors.
Dieter Kirsch’s son Jordi has cystic fibrosis. A few years ago, that could have been a death sentence. But fortunately thanks to new medications, people with cystic fibrosis are now living longer, healthier, happier lives. All this depends on the patient successfully taking nebulizer treatments, which requires that they “sit still for a half an hour or more every day, breathing at exactly the right speed and depth.”
