Pilot Program Offers Indoor Air Monitors To East Bay Asthma Patients

(KPIX 5) — Alameda County is rolling out a pilot program to help parents control indoor pollutants.
The Public Health Department is lending small indoor air monitors to 250 families who have had an emergency room visit in the past six months due to asthma.
Asthma triggers are all around, sometimes obvious, like the black smoke pouring out of an oil refinery flareup. But more often than not, those triggers are hidden: dust mites, pollen, chemical fumes – invisible particles inside your home.....

Read more here: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

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Tiotropium Add-on Tx Improved Lung Function in Kids with Asthma
Disease phenotype had no impact on treatment

WASHINGTON – Children with moderate and severe asthma responded to add-on treatment with tiotropium bromide (Spiriva Respimat), which reduced the risk of exacerbation and improved lung function, researchers reported here.
The addition of tiotropium to therapy with inhaled corticosteroids and other asthma control medications improved lung function as measured by the mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) trough at week 12 by 64 mL for the 2.5-µg dose (P=0.062) and by 71 mL for the 5-µg dose (P=0.040) compared with placebo, according to Stanley Goldstein, MD, of the Allergy and Asthma Care of Long Island in Rockville Centre, N.Y., and colleagues.....

Read more here: medpagetoday.com

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Breathe Easier with These 6 Natural Asthma Treatments

Asthma is a condition that causes breathing to become very labored, which can limit activities or even lead to medical emergencies. While the steroidal or non-steroidal puffer (or inhaler) are usually the first lines of defense to open up constricted airways, they’re not the only solution.
If the asthma attack doesn’t require a trip to the hospital, then there are some natural remedies that can be applied. Many of these treatments are more geared towards helping to prevent a flare-up before it happens rather than stopping one, but remember you shouldn’t ditch the prescribed inhaler or avoid medical help if you really need it. Here are six suggestions.....

Read more here: activebeat.com