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With some questionable health advice being posted by your friends on Facebook, politicians arguing about the state of the American healthcare system and a new medical study being summarized in just a sentence or two on TV---that seems to contradict the study you heard summarized yesterday---it can be overwhelming to navigate the ever-changing landscape of health news.

Asthma Is Common Among Children But Can Be Controlled

Imagine that you are driving as fast as you can, with your flashers on, because all you hear in your backseat is crying, wheezing and gasps for air. Your child is having an asthma attack and every second seems like an eternity as you try to get them help.

Asthma is one of the most common diseases in children. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, there are 6.3 million children who have asthma. It is a condition in which your airways narrow, swell and produce extra mucus. This can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.

There are many different types of asthma. Some of these types include: Allergic asthma, which is triggered by allergens;  Exercise-induced asthma which can affect anyone at any age and is due to the loss of heat and moisture in the lungs; Nocturnal asthma which affects people when they are sleeping and  is triggered by allergens in bedding or in the room where the person is sleeping; Occupational asthma which  occurs as a result of breathing chemical fumes, or other irritants over long periods of time; and, steroid-resistant asthma which  is caused by an over use of asthma medications.

Asthma cannot be cured, but it can be controlled with medications and also by controlling the environment around a person with asthma. For example, wearing a mask while cleaning, not handling pets with fur or feathers, changing and washing bedding once a week in hot water, using a humidifier, and vacuuming daily can all help reduce asthma symptoms.

Content for this segment was created by Trisha Whitehead as part of a project for SC301: Foundations of Health Communication, taught by Ms. Clubbs.

Resources:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/asthma
https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/
National Center for Health Statistics. (2016). Asthma. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/asthma.htm
Lung Disease Focus. (2006). Types and causes of asthma. Retrieved from: http://www.lungdiseasefocus.com.

Dr. Brooke Hildebrand Clubbs is an assistant professor in the Department of Leadership, Middle & Secondary Education. She writes for special publications of The Southeast Missourian and is a certified Community Health Worker.
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