Modern asthma and allergy medicine has made summertime a whole lot easier than it was for our children than it was for us and our parents. June 30th was our last Breathmobile school visit. We spent our day at Place@PrescottSchool. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had a great staff. James, our patient services rep was there to interview parents about their children’s health. Nurse Spencer and Medical Assistant Lisa was there to perform the appropriate medical tests. Dr. Piltch was our doctor on duty, and Respiratory Therapist Priscilla performed and coached our children through their pulmonary function tests. It was a great day and we will miss our Breathmobile kids!

The article can be found here: http://news.health.com/2011/07/08/anxiety-depression-in-pregnancy-may-raise-kids-asthma-risk/#more-47011

Here is the article:

Anxiety, Depression in Pregnancy May Raise Kids’ Asthma Risk

FRIDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) — Children of women who experience anxiety and depression during pregnancy may be at greater risk for asthma, according to new research.

The study of 279 inner-city black and Hispanic women adds weight to research previously conducted among white families that found children are particularly susceptible to asthma-related risks during the prenatal period.

The findings are published in the July issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

“Approximately 70 percent of mothers who said they experienced high levels of anxiety or depression while they were pregnant reported their child had wheezed before age 5,” study lead author Marilyn Reyes, a researcher at the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health in New York City, said in a news release from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

“Understanding how maternal depression affects a child’s respiratory health is important in developing effective interventions,” Reyes added.

The research team said common asthma symptoms include:

Coughing, particularly during the night

Wheezing or whistling while breathing

Difficulty breathing that causes the skin around the ribs or neck to sink in

Frequent chest colds

The study authors noted that children who experience any of these symptoms on a regular basis could have asthma and should see an allergist.

“The symptoms of pediatric asthma can range from a nagging cough that lingers for days or weeks to sudden and scary breathing emergencies,” allergist Dr. Rachel Miller, study senior author, said in the news release. “With the right treatment, your child can sleep through the night, avoid missing time from day care or preschool, and breathe easy.”

– Mary Elizabeth Dallas

SOURCE: American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, news release, July 5, 2011

*                                                     *                               *

We find this especially relevant to BreatheEasy and the Northern CA Breathmobile because this study was conducted on inner-city, women of color- which is our largest demographic. We see expecting mothers on the Breathmobile, and their asthmatic children, so it is important to do all you can to make sure your next child does not have asthma.

Although we are sure there are doctors who would disagree with the findings of this study (there are afterall many factors that contribute to the development of asthma in people) but nonetheless, we know that high stress levels especially in inner-cities contribute to the high rates of asthma. In the East Bay Area, high crime rates, long hours, illiteracy- are all environmental factors that contribute to the high rates of asthma.

Here are some tips we found at  http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/depressionduringpregnancy.html

“With the controversy regarding the use of some antidepressants during pregnancy, many women are interested in other ways to help treat depression. As mentioned above, support groups, psychotherapy and light therapy are alternatives to using medication to treat mild to moderate depression. In addition to these, you may want to talk with your health care providers about some of the other natural ways to help relieve the symptoms of depression.

• Exercise--Exercise naturally increases serotonin levels and decreases cortisol levels.
• Get adequate rest--Lack of sleep greatly affects the body and mind’s ability to handle stress and day to day challenges. Work on establishing a routine sleep schedule that has you going to sleep and getting up at the same time.
• Diet and Nutrition--Many foods have been linked to mood changes, the ability to handle stress and mental clarity. Diets high in caffeine, sugar, processed carbohydrates, artificial additives and low protein can all lead to issues regarding your mental and physical health. Make a conscious decision to start fueling your body with the foods that can help you feel better.
• Acupuncture-New studies report acupuncture to be a viable option in treating depression in pregnant women.
• Omega-3 fatty acids--For years its been know that omega-3 can help with a number of health issues, but the newest studies are showing that taking a daily supplement of omega-3/ fish oils can decrease symptoms of depression. Pregnant women would want to make sure to take a mercury free version of fish oil and check with their care provider or nutritionist on a recommended amount.
• Herbal remedies—There are a number of herbal and vitamin supplements known to affect moods and the hormone serotonin. Talk with your health care provider and nutritionist/ herbalist about the options of using St John’s Wort, SAM-e, 5-HTP, magnesium, vitamin B6 and flower remedies. Many of these can not be used in conjunction with antidepressants and should be evaluated on the dosage for pregnant women. “

Expecting mothers should remember that everything they do and feel, the baby feels. So if you are feeling depressed or stressed out, consult your doctor and find ways to cope, to not put stress on the child. If you breathe easy…so will your baby.

Here is a video for you:

Here is another article for you on Anxiety and Pregnancy:

http://psychcentral.com/lib/2010/anxiety-in-pregnancy/

An excerpt for you:

“One treatment evaluated by researchers from China is music therapy. They explored whether this approach could relieve anxiety in pregnant women confined to bed. They recruited 120 women and gave them music therapy for 30 minutes on three consecutive days.

Anxiety levels fell significantly in this group, compared to another group given usual healthcare. “Carefully selected music that incorporates a patient’s own preferences may offer an inexpensive and effective method to reduce anxiety for pregnant women with high risk pregnancies who are on bedrest,” the researchers conclude.”

What do you think of alternative therapies such as music therapy BreatheEasy readers?

Speaking of music therapy….

Enjoy

Modern asthma and allergy medicine has made summertime a whole lot easier than it was for our children than it was for us and our parents. June 30th was our last Breathmobile school visit. We spent our day at Place@PrescottSchool. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had a great staff. James, our patient services rep was there to interview parents about their children’s health. Nurse Spencer and Medical Assistant Lisa was there to perform the appropriate medical tests. Dr. Piltch was our doctor on duty, and Respiratory Therapist Priscilla performed and coached our children through their pulmonary function tests. It was a great day and we will miss our Breathmobile kids!

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bus/2452288063.html

If you think you qualify please let us know, or if you have friends or family that qualify, pass on the message.

Thank you.

Check out the EPR Nonprofit News offical press release about our exciting partnership with NFL Detroit Lions NFL Player Jahvid Best! Our partnership with Jahvid Best is very important and we look forward to what the future will bring.

http://www.eprnonprofitnews.com/2011/06/22/detroit-lions-running-back-jahvid-best-partners-with-the-northern-california-breathmobile/

We have copied and pasted the article for your below:

Detroit Lions Running Back Jahvid Best Partners with The Northern California Breathmobile

A study, by Christian Nordqvist, that was published just yesterday on the Medical News Today Website from the Journal of Epidemilogy and Community Health clearly showed the correlations between poorer asthma control and exposure to ozone and particulate matter. The study found that long-term exposure to ozone exposure raises a asthma patient’s liklihood to have uncontrolled asthma by 69%, and that long-term exposure to particulare matter raises the risk by 35%. Wow! 

Previous studies did demonstrate a connection between air pollution and respiratory symptoms, increased hospitalizations, and increased use of prescription drugs- however this is the first study to examine the impact of long-term air pollution on asthma control.

The scientists calculated of O3 (Ozone), NO2 (Nitrous Oxide) and PM10 (Particulate matter) that each individual was exposed to where they lived. They measured asthma control according to information taken on symptoms, asthma attacks, and lung function tests. Both ozone and particulate matter strongly influenced poorer asthma control. Women and older people were more likely to experience poorly controlled asthma.

The researchers concluded, “Our results indicate that both ambient O3 and PM10 concentrations jeopardize asthma control in adults. The results are robust.”

This study means a lot to us because we have written one blog post after another about the air and pollution issues in the East Bay Area and Bayview Hunters Point. Environmental Justice is a huge issue here.

How does this article make you feel? Is there anything we can do?

Here is the video for you BreatheEasy readers!

Since it was all first time patients, we spent an hour or more with each patient and their families. We had to do a lot of teaching and re-teaching- asthma education is after all the most powerful way to alleviate the asthma crisis that is in the East Bay Area. Dr. Marbin, Nurse Spencer,Patient Services Rep James, and Medical Assitant Lisa- all spent individual time with each patient carefully explaning medicine plans, how to use their asthma devices correctly, translating asthma action plans and medicine uses in Spanish, and sometimes just sharing a chuckle.

We got some great photos from our first day at MLK Jr. Elementary. Take a look and see!

Dr. Marbin explaining asthma control to a young patient.

James, Patient Services Rep, explaining asthma treatment to a father in Spanish.

Martin Luther King Jr. student taking the pulmonary function test.

Nurse Spencer with a young patient.

We make doctor visits fun!

Nurse Spencer going over an asthma action plan with a parent.

We love our new MLK Jr. Elementary patients!

We hope your summer is going well so far BreatheEasy readers. Remember that asthmatic children can have just as much fun running around and playing with their friends, like other children;but, the heat, pollen, and physical exertion can get to an asthmatic child. That is why it is so important to make sure you  follow your asthma action plans exactly as your doctor has written them, and that you constantly reinforce healthy asthma management practices to your children.

Have a great day BreatheEasy folks…and please recommend this post AND the YouTube video to your friends, family, and co-workers- we NEED more views. Let’s make it happen!

If you follow it, your child WILL get better.  However, often parents with asthmatic children do not or cannot go to doctors that take the time to show them how to use asthma meds and spacers, and sometimes allergies are not identified, or wrong medicines are given. When the small things are fixed, huge differences and improvements are made. Sometimes its just a matter of using a spacer, or making sure that the pills are taken everyday.

We came across a study today that concerned us, but also one that is a good example of how asthma is often misunderstood. School officials, parents, doctors- a lot of people make mistakes around asthma. According to an article by Monifa Thomas, antibiotics are being incorrectly prescribed to asthmatic children everyday. 

Antibiotics should not be used to treat asthma.

Nearly one million, one in six children, are prescribed antibiotics- this is not in accordance with national asthma treatment guidelines. Sometimes doctors who do not specialize in asthma confuse asthma with other respiratory conditions, such as pneumonia. Several doctors were interviewed in the study, who said that that they were speaking to patients every week, who were being prescribed antibiotics for asthma.

Antibiotics treat bacterial infections. Asthma is not a bacterial infection.  The results of studies that tested the use of antibiotics for asthma were mixed, and current asthma guidelines do not recommend their use for asthma treatment. A child should really only be prescribed antiobiotics if they have a bacterial infection such as pneumonia or sinusitis.

Wrongly prescribed antibiotics can hurt children.

As a matter of fact, treating an asthmatic patient with antibiotics can be dangerous. The asthma will not get better, and the child could have an increase in the risk of antibiotic resistance. When a child does need an antibiotic, their body might not respond to it. Children can develop allergies or other side effects to the antibiotic, and prescriptions cost money!

According to the article, a way to reduce the overuse of antibiotics is through patient education! Education is a major achievement of the Breathmobile!

Jahvid Best of the Detroit Lions, along with members of his foundation the BEST foundation, visited us at Lake Elementary on May 27th.

 Make sure you check out the Facebook photo album of our time with Jahvid Best on our Facebook page!

Jhavid Best visits the Northern CA Breathmobile! What a stellar end to National Asthma Awareness Month!

Read up on Jahvid Best here.

Jahvid Best, along with his mother, Lisa Best, and his sister Laurie Best, Lesley Dorton, all  of the BEST Foundation; along with President of the Prescott-Joseph Board Ralph Francis, were there today giving a tour of the Breathmobile. Today was the beginning of the partnership between Mr. Best and his foundation, the BEST Foundation, and the Northern California Breathmobile. We are so ecstatic and grateful to have the support of a notable athlete and honored to be working with the Best Family.

Dr. Burns and the Best team post for our camera! (From Left to Right) Jahvid Best, Laurie Best (sister), Lisa Best (mother), Dr. Burns, and Lesley Dorton (Board Member of the Best Foundation).

Dr. Marbin, our doctor for the day, Lisa (our medical assistant), Nurse Spencer, and of course Dr. Burns all had a chance to speak to Mr. Jahvid Best and his team. Jahvid Best is not only a professional athlete in the National Football League, but he also suffered from asthma as a child, and he grew up in the East Bay Area (his hometown is Vallejo, went to high-school in Richmond, and he played for Cal), and he is African American.

Dr.Burns, Executive Director of the Northern CA Breathmobile, speaks to the Best Foundation Team, next to the Breathmobile.

 It makes a lot of sense why he and his family find the Breathmobile mission important and close to their heart. They understand what the parents of the Breathmobile kids go through, and they understand how important it is to have proper asthma management care, to make sure that children can achieve their athletic, academic, and personal goals.

Dr. Burns explaining the motive behind the Breathmobile and its importance to Jahvid Best.

This is why Jahvid Best and his family and the BEST Foundation were touched by the Breathmobile cause and message. Jahvid Best, like many athletes, suffered from asthma as a child, but grew out of it, and overcame it, and succeeded despite the disease.

Nurse Spencer talking to Mr. Jahvid Best, the Best Team, and the Breathmobile staff.

The Best Foundation was truly impressed with the Breathmobile staff today and we are so grateful to have their support. Dr. Marbin, Lisa, Nurse Spencer, and Dr. Burns all got to speak  to the Best Team about their role on the Breathmobile and its contribution to quality healthcare in the area. 

Dr. Marbin explaining the purpose and results of the Breathmobile to Mr. Jahvid Best (NFL player and new partner of the Breathmobile!)

We are so passionate about our work on the Breathmobile, that the Best Team were so impressed with what each staff member had to say, especially when they realized how much time the staff spends with each family, and the incredible level of care that we provide to the children.  We are thrilled about the relationship we will have with the Best Foundation and are so excited to have Mr. Best’s support.

Mrs. Lisa Best speaking to the Breathmobile crew.

Jahvid Best’s mother was so pleased and impressed with the Breathmobile and the quality of service that we provide.  She was after all a mother of an asthmatic child herself, and told us how concerned she was when Jahvid was growing up, and how she had to watch out for his triggers and constantly make sure that he was on top of his medication.

Mr. Best and the Best Foundation team on the Breathmobile!

We spent several hours with Jahvid Best and his team explaining to him how the Breathmobile appointment system worked, how often we visited schools, how the asthma action plan worked, how we provide medicine and one-on-one asthma speciality care, and of course the results of our health intervention.

Dr. Burns speaking to Laurie Best (sister) and Jahvid Best next to the Breathmobile.

All in all, it was an incredible day and we are so excited for the future with the Best Family and the Best Foundation. We can’t wait to see where the Breathmobile message and name will go with Mr. Best’s help and influence!

Jahvid Best (Center) with sister Laurie (right) and Lesley Dorton (Left) who are key leaders of the BEST Foundation.

The addition of Jahvid Best into the Breathmobile family was a wonderful way to end National Asthma Awareness Month; his support and appreciation of our mission is a blessing.

Just whip out your smartphone or your laptop, or just sit at your home computer and check out this great site. It is ok to forget things or to realize that you were doing something wrong, we all make mistakes, we just have to be willing to constantly educate ourselves.

We at the Northern CA Breathmobile see this problem everyday, and we are work hard to instill and re-instill proper asthma practices. But of course, Nurse Spencer, Lisa, our medical assistant, and our doctors can’t be there everyday.

Although our YouTube channel provides some education, we really like what the Hurley Medical Center of Flint, MI has done in terms of online asthma education. Visit http://hurleyasthmakids.com/ for all sorts of videos, tools, and tips. We love the way the site is organized, and hope our BreatheEasy readers use it and pass on the message.

Thank you to our friends in Michigan…you have done a great job!