A father's advise to a "Father's plea" . Moving to an area of the country with less air pollution is sound advise. The only problem with it is the parent losses his or her preferred lifestyle. So here are a couple of other suggestions. Parents with asthmatic children really need to learn about breathing and the art of it. Learn how to do breathing exercises and then teach them to your child and participate with the child. (It is also good for you). Make it a life style. Stomach verses chest breathing will go a long way to solving asthma problems.
Start your child doing Karate. The breathing exercises and the socially acceptable screaming does wonders for children with asthma. In most cases the combination of Karate and learning proper breathing techniques cure the problem, but not in all. This is not idle speculation on my part. I have a son who was, if not cured then, helped in this way. I also have had scores of asthmatic children in my Karate and Kick-Boxing classes who also improved if not outright cured by three or four nights a week of such activity. Such experience is not unique to me, this has also been the experience of many other Instructors and Masters with their students. You do not have to do Karate to do the breathing exercises or the screaming, though the screaming tends to get on the nerves of most parents if not in the context of a Karate class. I think it is just our culture, we just do not appreciate the good old primal scream and all the therapeutic benefits from it. Jim Graham, Ventura Village ----- Original Message ----- From: Duke Powell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Minneapolis Issues List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2002 4:06 PM Subject: Re: [Mpls] A Minneapolis Father's Plea > I work as a paramedic at HCMC. When I was in school in the mid 1970's we > were taught that asthma never killed anybody. Over a period of several > years, starting in 1980, I cared for hundreds of asthmatics in the > pre-hospital setting. During this time I learned that what I was taught in > school was......true. Despite how sick they looked, being short of breath > from an asthma attack was not a true emergency. > > But things changed. If memory serves, it was approximately a year before > former Superintendent of Mpls Public Schools Richard Greene died of an > asthma attack in his New York apartment that we began to see folks die. At > first it was thought to be an anomaly or perhaps the cause of death was from > another, unknown cause. > > Soon, though, it became apparent to everyone that I worked with that the > nature of asthma had drastically changed and it required a change in our > protocols. Since that time and after seeing hundreds and hundreds of more > asthma patients, I can tell you without reservation that asthma patients, as > a whole, were much sicker than they used to be. The other strange thing > about it was it that once they went into cardiac arrest, they were > universally unresuscitatable. > > Now HCMC is one of the finest public teaching facilities in the country and > its Emergency Department is nationally renowned. Couple this with the fact > that one of the Staff Physicians, Dr David Plummer, had an asthmatic child > led to an aggressive search for the best treatment protocol. The protocols > that HCMC came up with is now the standard of care nation wide. Now when we > see severe asthmatic attacks we are able to treat them effectively in the > pre-hospital setting. I personally have not had one "crash" in my ambulance > for several years. > > Now, you may find all of this interesting, but the point of my posting is > this - During the investigation stage, the academics could not pin the cause > increased morbidity and mortality to air pollution. To the surprise of all > concerned this intuitive connection could not be made. Furthermore the > country of New Zealand, with some of the world's cleanest air, was suddenly > having just as much trouble with asthma as everyone else was. > > Now it may be that over the years further studies were able to establish the > connection between asthma and air pollution. I will make it a point to ask > around tomorrow. > > Duke Powell > Burnsville > > > _______________________________________ > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: > http://e-democracy.org/mpls > _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
