Living

Asthma is not necessarily a painful syndrome, although it has been known to cause various sorts of pain, such as chest tightness and headaches. Pain, regardless where it presents, is...

There is a new buzzword I keep hearing – "self-care." When my doctor wants me to focus more energy on preventing illness, she suggests I practice self-care. When my manager...

Disclaimer (Updated July 26, 2022 - 3:00 PM ET):Singulair has a boxed warning, the strictest warning from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It has this warning because it...

Three weeks after coming home from Ottawa for World Asthma Day, I met my Member of Parliament (MP) in the constituency office to talk about asthma, access to care (specific...

Today, I had a follow up with my doctor that did not go as planned. It was weird and awkward, I was off my game. I had come in with...

Researchers have long recognized links between anxiety disorders and asthma. Here is what is presently know. Hippocrates. The father of medicine was the first to define anxiety and asthma for...

While I am aware that it is because of asthma that I got “into” (read: semi-interested in) any sort of physical activity at all, asthma does really hinder the whole...

I have been doing a lot of thinking about all the players that are involved in healthcare.  There are so many opinions, "experts", people that are involved (patients), caregivers, researchers...

So in my last piece I broached the subject that sleep may have a positive effect on asthma. If the theories are correct then ‘all’ I have to do is...

It's pretty impressive how far asthma medications have come since ancient times. I spoke of many ancient remedies and treatments in part 1 and part 2 of this series and...

It's no secret that we live in an age where people like gadgets, the kind that are both electrical and non electrical. I'm sure many of you would agree with...

I take four inhalers, and only one of them actually has a dose counter on it—and after all, research and experience indicate this may not even help much. What’s ridiculous...

He wraps his recently-three-year-old fingers around the blue tag of my medical ID bracelet. Plays with my bracelet chain for a moment while smiling at something, while standing in front...

As asthma comes in all kinds of different forms, sometimes, I forget that some of my friends with asthma actually have asthma, until I think back on conversations. I keep...

We have all seen them - either the sticker or clip on your finger attached to the vitals machine. The elusive pulse oximeter. There are also small portable ones that...

I recently came across a pamphlet on advocating for yourself and involving patient and family advisers in your decision making and care. I could have seriously have used that pamphlet five years...

So asthma never fails to surprise me. The latest “fun” with asthma is that I now lose my voice when I have a severe asthma attack or when I get...

The earliest recorded instance of respiratory distress was from china in 2600 BC. It was characterized as "noisy breathing" which could be what we know as wheezing today. There are...

We all know inhalers play a significant role in asthma treatment. The importance of carrying your asthma inhaler at all times cannot be overstated. Your inhaler is probably one of...

On our second last Asthma Pals session this Spring, one of the kiddos asked about how to get better at remembering to take her puffers everyday. My suggestion was to pair...