Asthma and Childhood - What Parents Need to Know

[jacob london]

No one likes the thought of their child having a condition that
negatively affects his/her life. Yet more and more children are being
diagnosed with asthma. More and more often, asthma and childhood seem
to be going hand in hand.
If your child is suffering from asthma there are some very basic
things that you should be doing to help your child. The number one
thing you want to do is make sure you have a clean house and that
there is no mold growing anywhere in your home including the basement.
If you have a pet, you should groom the pet regularly and make sure
you vacuum everyday to get rid of the animal hair and dander. Pet
dander, mold, and dust are three things that do not mix with children
suffering from asthma.
Another thing you want to do is monitor your child's diet. Make sure
he/she eats plenty of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables -
along with other foods that are high in anti-oxidants - have been
shown to help with asthma. Your child should eat fresh fruits and/or
vegetables at least twice a day. This type of diet has been shown to
cut down on asthma and the symptoms of asthma.
Often parents believe that asthma and childhood don't mix with any
type of organized physical activities such as playing sports. But this
isn't true. In fact, sports can mix very nicely with children
suffering from asthma. However, there are some reasonable precautions
that you and your child need to take.
First of all, make sure all the coaches are notified of your child's
condition before the first practice. The coach should be told how
severe the asthma is and what special precautions need to be taken -
inhaler, no long runs, etc. Then the child also needs to be instructed
not to ever over-do it. Be sure if an inhaler is needed it's always
taken to both practice and to games. Also, if your child ever begins
to feel an attack coming on, he/she should stop and rest. As long as
these precautions are taken, there shouldn't be any reason why a child
with asthma can't take part in organized physical activities.
Asthmatic children don't have to mean that your child can't have the
normal life of a kid. Of course precautions have to be taken but
overall life should be able to go on quite normally. These precautions
include you making sure life at home helps get rid of the asthma
instead of aggravating the asthma. The precautions also mean that your
child is educated about the asthma as is anyone else who needs to be,
such as a coach or a teacher.