We Don’t Use Owl’s Blood to Treat Asthma Anymore
The Interesting History of Asthma
Asthma has been around for thousands of years, even though it did not have a name for a long time. There is literature about breathlessness that days back to ancient times. The word asthma is based on the Greek language meaning short of breath. Hippocrates, who is known as a historical figure in medicine, linked asthma symptoms to environmental triggers. Many years later a doctor by the name of Aretaeus of Cappadocia wrote a description and definition of asthma. He recommended treating asthma by drinking owl blood and wine (Felman, 2018).
The condition has been around for many years but early doctors did not know what caused it. During the 19th century, Dr. Henry Hyde Salter wrote one of the first well-known books on asthma titled “On Asthma and its Treatment”. He described asthma as being a disease where the airways are narrowed. Dr. Salter himself also had asthma. In his book, he recommended black coffee as a treatment for asthma attacks (Holgate, 2010). Although this treatment would not be used today, Dr. Salter advocated for asthma to be identified as its own disease needing treatment.
Asthma Basics
Asthma is a disease involving the lungs that causes recurrent episodes of coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness/pain. The airways become narrow and inflamed which makes it harder to breathe. These episodes can range in severity from mild to severe. They can sometimes be very dangerous and possibly life-threatening. These episodes are called asthma attacks, asthma flare-ups, or asthma exacerbations. Fortunately, asthma is very manageable with help from your healthcare provider. There is no cure for asthma but there are ongoing treatments available.
Causes, Triggers, and Risk Factors of Asthma
Everyone is at risk of asthma. Both children and adults can develop asthma. It is hypothesized that genetics and environment play a role in the development of asthma but the exact cause is unknown. Everyone with asthma will have different triggers that cause an asthma attack. These triggers can change over time. Causes, triggers, and risk factors of asthma include,
- Family history of asthma
- Smoke exposure from smoking, secondhand smoke, mother smoking while pregnant
- Exposure to air pollution
- Exposure to pollen
- Exposure to indoor allergens (dust mites, mold, pets, bugs)
- Damage to lungs during development
- Exposure to chemicals and other industrial hazards
- Cold air or dry air or humidity
- Strong scents
- Exercise
- Medications
- Illness
- Obesity
Diagnosing Asthma
Asthma must be diagnosed by a healthcare provider. If you think you may be suffering from asthma make an appointment to speak with your healthcare provider. It can be difficult for healthcare providers to diagnose asthma because symptoms are not constant. In some cases, you may have to see a specialist who is trained in pulmonology or allergies. It may be helpful to start keeping a journal of your symptoms, when you get them, and what may be triggering your asthma. Your healthcare provider should do a physical exam, go over your medical history, and order any necessary testing. These tests may include lung, blood, or allergy tests.
Asthma Treatments
Your healthcare provider will create a treatment plan for you to help prevent asthma attacks and manage them when they do occur. This may take time and trial and error to find the best treatment plan for each individual. First, you need to identify what is triggering your asthma and come up with strategies to avoid those triggers. Secondly, your healthcare provider may prescribe daily control medications that will help prevent and manage symptoms. These medications work by decreasing inflammation and narrowing of the airways. Lastly, your healthcare provider will prescribe quick-relief medications to use as needed when you experience an asthma attack coming on. This is usually an inhaler that you should carry with you at all times in case of an asthma attack. If you have an asthma attack, take your medication but do not notice any relief, you will need to seek emergency medical care.
Prevention is Key
Although you cannot completely prevent asthma, making lifestyle modifications can reduce asthma attacks. As discussed previously, you need to identify what triggers your asthma attacks. If you are having trouble with this, start keeping a journal to record your asthma attacks or consider seeing an allergist for allergy testing.
Having clean air is important to avoiding asthma attacks. Air conditioning helps reduce the amount of pollen and dust in your home. Remember to change your air conditioning filter as recommended by the manufacturer. If you live in a region that has a lot of humidity, consider purchasing a dehumidifier. If you live in a region with cold weather that triggers your asthma, consider wearing a mask or scarf over your mouth and nose while outside.
Keeping a clean home and changing your bed sheets often will help reduce dust, mold, allergens, and pet dander. If you have a pet, have them bathed and groomed regularly to cut down on pet dander in your home.
Getting regular exercise is important for health and can strengthen your lungs to help prevent asthma symptoms. If your asthma is exercise-induced, talk with your healthcare provider about possibly using an inhaler before exercise to lessen your likelihood of an asthma attack.
Recent Research on Asthma
A recent research article published in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine journal had some interesting findings that linked women using disinfectants during pregnancy with allergic diseases in their children. The researchers studied data from over 78,000 mothers and children pairs. They found that pregnant women who used disinfectants one to six times a week could be putting their child at an increased risk of developing asthma and eczema (Kojima, et al. 2022).
Another recent study found that exposure to BPA in pregnant women is linked with future asthma in school-age females. BPA is an abbreviation for bisphenol A which is a common chemical used to make plastic. People are exposed to BPA through the use of plastic products and food contained in plastic. The research published in the Environmental International journal studied over 3,000 mother-child pairs. The researchers found that exposure to BPA while still in utero, could increase the risk of asthma among school-age females (Abellan, et al. 2022).
About the Author
Victoria Derlin is a nurse who started her career working in acute care and now works in primary care. She is passionate about advocating for nurses and patients. In her spare time, she rides horses, reads lots of books, bakes delicious pies, and spends time with her family. You can connect with her on instagram @nurse.vicki.rn
Resources
Alicia Abellan, Sara M. Mensink-Bout, Raquel Garcia-Esteban, Andrea Beneito, Leda Chatzi, Talita Duarte-Salles, Mariana F. Fernandez, Judith Garcia-Aymerich, Berit Granum, Carmen Iñiguez, Vincent W.V. Jaddoe, Kurunthachalam Kannan, Aitana Lertxundi, Maria-Jose Lopez-Espinosa, Claire Philippat, Amrit K. Sakhi, Susana Santos, Valérie Siroux, Jordi Sunyer, Leonardo Trasande, Marina Vafeiadi, Fernando Vela-Soria, Tiffany C. Yang, Carlos Zabaleta, Martine Vrijheid, Liesbeth Duijts, Maribel Casas. In utero exposure to bisphenols and asthma, wheeze, and lung function in school-age children: a prospective meta-analysis of 8 European birth cohorts. Environment International, 2022; 107178 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107178
Felman, A. (2018, November 2). The history of asthma: Development, understanding, and treatments. Medical News Today. Retrieved April 8, 2022, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323526#asthma-is-ancient
Holgate S. T. (2010). A brief history of asthma and its mechanisms to modern concepts of disease pathogenesis. Allergy, asthma & immunology research, 2(3), 165–171. https://doi.org/10.4168/aair.2010.2.3.165
Kojima R, Shinohara R, Kushima M, et alPrenatal occupational disinfectant exposure and childhood allergies: the Japan Environment and Children’s study Occupational and Environmental Medicine Published Online First: 28 March 2022. doi:10.1136/oemed-2021-108034
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2022, March 25). Asthma | asthma symptoms | asthma attack. MedlinePlus. Retrieved April 8, 2022, from https://medlineplus.gov/asthma.html