Myths surrounding Asthma

One of the biggest myths surrounding asthma is that it is not a serious illness to have. People's airways may be more reactive than other people's airways, but whenever we are speaking of an illness that has to do with breathing, it is a serious illness. The American Lung Association says, "When you cannot breathe, nothing else matters...". Anyone who has ever had to fight for their next breath knows that this is very true. Asthma, no matter how "mild", should be taken seriously.

Another myth of Asthma is that any doctor is qualified to manage one's asthma. This is an illness that requires a specialist. A Pulmonolgist is a lung specialist. They should be aware of the treatments that are new and are working better and longer than the old treatments. Your family doctor is wonderful, but when you have Asthma, you should not trust your breathing to just any doctor.

There he was, swimming in Lake Michigan in Michigan City, IN. He began to feel that all too familiar tightness with his breathing. He got himself to the nearest sandbar to try and get his breathing under control. Like any good asthmatic, he carried his inhaler with him. He pulled it out of his trunks and took a couple of puffs. He had grabbed the wrong inhaler. He grabbed the long lasting one, not the rescue inhaler. When he arrived in our ER, he was in full respiratory arrest. That teenager died from an asthma attack.

This is a true story.

One more myth and then I will close: It is ok to smoke around people with Asthma, with reactive lung disease as long as I smoke outside.

This is as foolish as people who say I didn't know that my perfume was affecting her breathing, I put it on at home. It affects people the same way. The odor of the smoke, the retention of the nicotine, it will all affect your asthmatic.

Please do not take asthma lightly. Please do not think that asthma myths make asthma not important. Asthma can be deadly although it should never be deadly. Get help from the lung specialist, the Pulmologist.

I wish you good health and easy breathing.