Optimal Life: Essentials of Asthma

By Christine Lee, Pharm. D., BCPS

Don’t wait for another asthma attack to get in control of this dangerous condition. When you know what to do, you can reduce your risks and stop letting asthma control your life. This book contains action steps in each chapter that you can start using right away. You’ll also find useful charts, action plans and other resources that give you powerful knowledge about how and why asthma occurs, conditions that can affect your asthma, different medications and how to use them most effectively, and valuable “insider” information about how asthma is diagnosed and treated. Don’t take risks with asthma; learn what you need to know today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Feb 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9780983337287

Book preview

Optimal Life: The Essentials of Asthma

Christine Lee, Pharm.D., BCPS

Copyright © 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher. Optimal Life, OL, Vida Optima and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks for the use of their respective owners.

ISBN-10: 0983337225

ISBN-13: 978-0-9833372-2-5

ISBN: 9780983337287

Printed in the United States of America

Book Design: Renee Martin www.workingarts.com

Optimal Life Globe Design: Jim Draper www.jimdraper.com

Optimal Life and OL Logo Design: Heide Couch www.rhcdesigntech.net

A NOTE TO THE READER

The material in this book is meant for informational and educational purposes only; it is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor. Please make sure to discuss all the facts and suggestions presented here with your health care professional to create a plan that’s right for you.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank Sherill Conley Rohde for her diligent assistance with The Essentials of Asthma. Sherill spent many hours reviewing the text so that non-medical people would be able to understand it and coordinated the myriad details that went into the finished product. Her friendship and positivity encouraged and reminded me that we could help many people with asthma.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christine Lee received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of the Pacific School of Pharmacy in Stockton, California, and was granted a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science from the University of Nevada, Reno. She is licensed by both the California and Nevada State Boards of Pharmacy. She is also a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and a licensed Clinical Laboratory Scientist.

Dr. Lee is the co-founder and Chief Clinical Officer of American Health Care, a health management company that specializes in delivering patient-centric pharmacy benefit, population health and therapy management programs that emphasize clinical excellence. She is also the developer of a proprietary software system that provides virtual medical records, currently in use by hospitals across the country. She is the preceptor for the company’s pharmacy residency program and co-founded the United American Pharmacy Network. She is affiliated with the American College of Managed Care Pharmacy, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, the American Society of Health System Pharmacists and the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.

When not at work, Dr. Lee enjoys the company of her family, maintains her black belt in Taekwondo and loves to run. She is an avid supporter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Association and has served on the boards of several consulting companies, as well as human rights advocacy groups for the mentally disabled.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

The Optimal Life book is meant to enhance your knowledge of asthma so that you can more fully understand why you need to take control of your disease and how to do it.

Each chapter contains in-depth information, providing you with the science behind the causes of asthma, how and why airway inflammation occurs, proper diagnosis, categorization and testing, and a review of common asthma medications and how to use them.

The key to controlling your asthma is understanding it and then putting that knowledge to work. I encourage you to read the in-depth material and learn all you can. You’ll then be on your way to being as healthy as you can be and living your optimal life.

FOREWORD

Over the years, many people have asked me how they can control their asthma and whether or not they’re taking the right medications. I realized that an educational product addressing these important topics would be helpful to a lot of people. As a Doctor of Pharmacy and medication consultant with more than 20 years in the health care field, I’ve been involved in asthma education for most of my professional life, working to convey scientifically based best practices to a diverse array of medical professionals and individuals with asthma. Because the frequency of asthma attacks can be reduced and many emergency room visits are preventable, it became almost a personal crusade for me to spread this message to as many people as I could. I am passionate about helping people with asthma and teaching them how to gain control of their health.

When I looked at the learning tools available to people with asthma, I realized that the material ranged from oversimplified children’s books to highly academic and scientific discussions of the disease, with not much in between. I began to envision one product, a one-stop shop, where all the essential information about asthma could be gathered – from diagnosis and medication, to testing, how to use inhalers and insider tips, along with the underlying science – presented in a way that everyone could use to become healthier.

With this in mind, I began work on Optimal Life: The Essentials of Asthma. This book’s goal is to provide useful health information to the person with asthma. Understanding what causes asthma and accurately assessing the severity of your asthma is essential to getting the right treatment, and good control is directly related to treatment. I’ll put the tools in your hands so you can work in partnership with your doctor to achieve this. Whether you’ve had the disease for a long time or you’re newly diagnosed, The Essentials of Asthma has valuable information for you.

I believe that good health is the key to living your optimal life. This can be defined a number of ways, but for people with asthma, I think the most important definition might be knowing that you can have asthma and live a healthy, active life, doing all the things you want to do – whether that’s mountain climbing, playing with your children, graduating from college, or anything else you dream of. Learning how to manage your asthma and being proactive about doing so leads you to your optimal life.

The Optimal Life book enhances your knowledge of asthma to more fully understand why you need to take control and how to do so.

I congratulate you on your decision to read this book and look forward to partnering with you on your journey to good health.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One — What is Asthma?

Introduction

Who Has Asthma?

In-Depth Information

Breathing

How We Breathe

What is Asthma

Allergic Asthma

Childhood and Adult Asthma

Childhood

Adult

Genetic and Environmental Factors

Genetic Factors

Environmental Factors

Allergens

Respiratory Infections

Other Environmental Exposure

Allergies

Atopy and IgE

Early and Late Phase Response

Stages of Symptoms

Early Symptoms

Late or Worsening Symptoms

Summary

Facts At A Glance

Your Three Action Steps

Chapter Two — How Asthma Develops

Introduction

In-Depth Information

Anatomy of the Lungs and Airways

Respiratory Bronchioles

The Cause of Asthma Symptoms

What Causes Asthma

Response to Inflammation in the Lungs

Why the Body Creates Inflammation

Inflammatory Cells and Inflammation

Environmental and Other Health Factors

Symptoms

What Triggers Asthma?

Other Factors That Affect Asthma

Exercise-induced Asthma (EIA)

Nighttime (Nocturnal) Asthma

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Summary

Facts At A Glance

Your Three Action Steps

Chapter Three — Diagnosis and Control of Asthma

Introduction

In-Depth Information

Diagnosing Asthma

Spirometry Testing

Categorizing Asthma, Treatment Options and Control

Categorizing Asthma Severity

Key Steps in Categorization

National Asthma Guidelines Recommended Steps for Initiating Treatment

Monitoring Therapy – Are You in Control?

Summary

Facts At A Glance

Your Three Action Steps

Chapter Four — Medications

Introduction

In-Depth Information

Correct Technique for Using a Metered Dose Inhaler (MDI)

Priming Your Inhaler

How to Use Your MDI

Correct Technique for Using a Dry Powder Inhaler (DPI)

How to Use Your DPI

Medications

I. Quick Relief Medications (Rescue Medications)

How the Short-acting Beta2 Agonists (SABA) Work (Mechanism of Action)

Route of Administration

Adverse Effects of Short-acting Beta2 Agonists (SABA)

Storage

Comments on SABA

II. Prevention or Controller Medications

Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS)

How Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS) Work (Mechanism of Action)

Route of Administration

Adverse Effects of Inhaled Corticosteroids

Storage

Comments

Long-acting Beta2 Agonists (LABA)

How Long-acting Beta2 Agonists Work (Mechanism of Action)

Route of Administration

Adverse Effects of LABA

Storage

Comments

Singulair Tablets

Adverse Effects of Singulair

Storage and Important Tips

Comments

Xolair (omalizumab)

How Xolair Works (Mechanism of Action)

Adverse Effects of Xolair

What to Know About Your Inhalers

Summary

Facts At A Glance

Your Three Action Steps

Chapter Five — Da-A-B-C-S Peak and Flu

Introduction

Da-A-B-C-S Peak and Flu

Diagnosis

Action Plan

Bronchodilator

Compliance

Stop Smoking

Peak Flow Meter

Flu Shot

Summary

Facts At A Glance

Your Three Action Steps

Afterword

Resources

Medications

Daily Asthma Journal

Peak Flow Meters and Your Personal Best

Sample Action Plans

At the Doctor’s Office

Sample Asthma Questionnaire

Allergy Shots

Nebulizers

Asthma and Depression

Tobacco Cessation (Quitting)

Getting Ready to Quit

Quitting

Glossary

Bibliography

CHAPTER ONE

What is Asthma?

Introduction

Asthma is sometimes hard to put into perspective because many people with the disease don’t have symptoms on a daily basis. It’s out of sight, out of mind. But when symptoms do appear, it can be quite emotional and the physical stress can be very scary. Roller coasters are scary too, but you decide when you want to ride a roller coaster; you can’t control when your body decides to respond to a substance that triggers an asthma event.

Have you ever been with someone who’s having an asthma attack? It can be frightening to watch someone reach frantically for their rescue inhaler and then wait through long seconds that seem like hours to see if they can breathe easily again. Perhaps you noticed that once the person was breathing normally again, they went on with their day as if it never happened. Meanwhile, you were still recovering from your fright and were relieved that you didn’t have to call 911.

I have been the non-asthmatic bystander in this situation and