“Hey, it helps me breathe better, so why shouldn’t I use it every day?” I hear some version of that fairly often, especially with kids (or parents) who are new to all this asthma stuff. It seems like a pretty reasonable question…at least until you learn the whole truth.

The whole truth, in a short version, is that if you need your rescue inhaler (your “puffer” or “MDI”), you should use it. But, the full truth is that if you’re needing your rescue inhaler too often, it means that things aren’t good enough, that your lungs aren’t as stable as they should be. And that means that you are at risk.

Using your rescue medicine too often can actually be dangerous. (more…)

Asthma is dynamic; it changes. You may go through spells where you’re having all kinds of trouble and finding it hard to keep your asthma controlled. Then, you go through times when you have no problems with it at all. It’s a tricky little booger!

For better or worse, those good times can be almost as dangerous as the times when asthma is acting up. “Huh? How the heck can no problems with asthma be a problem?” you might wonder. It does seem to sort of go against common sense. (more…)