The Global Initiative for Asthma (Gina), launched in 1993 in collaboration with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Health and the World Health Organization, organises World Asthma Day on this day every year to increase awareness of the condition worldwide. “This year World Asthma Day also has a sub-theme, It’s Time to Control Asthma,” says a Gina statement. And there are many ways to cope with it.
Schools and asthma
Campaigners in the UK are lobbying to allow schools to make asthma inhalers — standard prescription medicine — part of their first-aid kits. Recently, the Medicines and Health care Products Regulatory Agency said that the consultation will also look at providing guidance for schools on how to use device. It is believed that three quarters of daily child emergency admissions due to asthma could be avoided if the condition is better managed at school.
Inhalers in swag bags
Film star Amitabh Bachchan says on his blog, “I am asthmatic so an asthaline pump is a regular in my pocket at all times.” Diane Keaton may have played a cat-lover in The Lemon Sisters but in real life she would be advised to stay away from felines since cat fur is a known trigger for asthma. Film star, Sharon Stone is another celebrity who suffers from the ailment, as is Morgan Fairchild, a familiar face from soaps such as Dallas and Flamingo Road. Jason Alexander, who played George Costanza in Seinfeld, is a famous Broadway star who sings for a living despite having suffered from asthma as a child. He also does public service announcements on asthma for The Will Rogers Institute. Film director Martin Scorsese of Hugo fame confesses to watching movies as a result of being diagnosed with asthma as a child.
Alternative cures
Salt rooms, which claim to provide relief from respiratory ailments, have recently been introduced in the UAE. The treatment is offered by First Salt Room in Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai. The therapy involves sitting in a room made entirely of natural non-iodised Himalayan salt and inhaling the medicated salt aerosol diffused through a machine. Each session lasts 40 minutes and costs Dh230. Therapists recommend two to three sessions depending on the severity of the symptoms. Other alternative remedies include consuming a dish of rice and milk exposed to moonlight on a full-moon night.
GPS anti-illness device
US-based Dr David Van Sickle has pioneered an inhaler with GPS, which was granted US regulatory approval last year. The Spiroscout records the time and location in which the inhaler is used so doctors can pinpoint asthma causes and treatments related to these factors.
The drop diagnosis
A new test could diagnose asthma with a single drop of blood. University of Wisconsin researchers have found that neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) in asthmatics move more slowly than normal cells. The scientists have created a microfluidic device that can test how quickly the cells migrate toward the inflammation source.
The feminine connection
More women than men are diagnosed with asthma and more women than men are hospitalised for asthma attacks. Research suggests that oestrogen and other female hormones affect the onset of asthma and its severity.
Triggers
In Dubai, sandstorms can cause asthma so knowing about them in advance can help prevent incidences. Dubai Municipality (DM) has launched a mobile application that will enable users to know about an approaching sandstorm 48 hours in advance. The Geodesy and Hydrographic Survey Section of DM, worked with Unique System FZE to create a mobile app which can be downloaded on all latest versions of the Android platform.
Mosa’adah
Asthma is one of the chronic diseases covered by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), which has teamed up with software company Axios to help provide assistance to patients suffering from chronic diseases who cannot afford to pay for the treatment. The DHA programme is called Mosa’adah, meaning assistance, and aims to help both Emiratis and expatriates who require treatment but have financial constraints.
Breathe healthy
Last month, Dubai Municipality organised the Breathe Healthy to Stop Asthma walkathon at Jumeirah Open Beach with live fitness shows, free medical checks, food, Zumba classes and street entertainers. Families took part in a three-kilometre walkathon, after which they were given advice on how to reduce the risk of developing asthma and how best to manage it through breathing techniques and regular exercise.
If they can do it...
Athletes have proven that asthma and sport can indeed mix if you respect the ailment as you would an opponent. Soccer player David Beckham was photographed using an inhaler some years ago and now happily talks about it to encourage asthmatics into football.
