Asthma For Dummies

Breathe easier and live a full life with proper asthma treatment

Asthma For Dummies is a reassuring and realistic guide to managing asthma, whether you’re living with it yourself or have a loved one who suffers from the disease. It’s packed with authoritative information on symptoms and diagnosis, plus resources you can use to enhance long-term asthma management. Find the best treatments and reduce asthma complications with compassionate advice and all the latest details on medication options, including asthma controller drugs, rescue asthma medications, and future trends in asthma therapy. Discover the most common triggers and suggestions for avoiding them in daily life. With the expert advice in this Dummies guide, you can tackle asthma.

• Learn all the basics about diagnosing and managing asthma in adults and children
• Find out about the newest treatments, therapies, and alternative strategies
• Prepare for your doctor’s appointment with questions to ask and ideas for working through financial concerns
• Know what to do about complications, dual diagnoses, and special circumstances

This updated edition of Asthma For Dummies is a must-have for asthmatics and parents of asthmatic children.

William E. Berger, MD, MBA, has over 40 years of clinical experience diagnosing and treating patients with allergies and asthma. He founded the Allergy & Asthma Associates of Southern California, where he practiced both adult and pediatric allergy and immunology.

Tonya A. Winders, MBA, is the president of the Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform and former CEO of Allergy & Asthma Network. She has 15 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

Introduction 1

Part 1: Getting Started with Asthma 5

Chapter 1: Understanding Asthma Basics 7

Chapter 2: Building Your Healthcare Team 33

Chapter 3: Making the Most of Your Doctor Visits 41

Chapter 4: Living Well with Asthma 51

Chapter 5: Managing Asthma Long Term 67

Part 2: Knowing What Can Trigger Asthma 83

Chapter 6: Knowing Your Asthma Triggers 85

Chapter 7: The Role of Inhalant Allergies 103

Chapter 8: The Role of Food Allergies 127

Chapter 9: The Roles of Exercise and Emotions 147

Chapter 10: The Role of Other Medical Conditions 155

Part 3: Controlling Your Asthma 193

Chapter 11: Getting Allergy Tested and Allergy Shots 195

Chapter 12: Understanding Asthma Medications 209

Chapter 13: Looking at Asthma Controller Drugs 229

Chapter 14: Treating Asthma Episodes 249

Part 4: Special Asthma Conditions 261

Chapter 15: Asthma and Children and Teens 263

Chapter 16: Pregnancy and Asthma 281

Chapter 17: Asthma and Older Adults 291

Chapter 18: Looking At Other Asthma Concerns 295

Part 5: Finding Support and Speaking Up 303

Chapter 19: Patient Advocacy for Yourself and Others 305

Chapter 20: Turning to Trusted Resources 311

Part 6: The Part of Tens 319

Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Traveling with Asthma 321

Chapter 22: Ten Myths About Asthma and Allergies 329

Chapter 23: Ten Ways to Avoid the September Asthma Peak 335

Index 341

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.