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Asthma Awareness
With Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Asthma Awareness Advocate and
Dr. Martha White, Director of Research, Institute for Asthma and Allergy
Thursday, Nov. 15, 2001; 1 p.m. EST
Six-time Olympic Gold Medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who "lived in denial" about her illness until a serious asthma attack led to emergency treatment at a hospital ER, is on an education tour with the "Asthma All-Stars" to promote public awareness and talk about management of the disease. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that the number of Americans with asthma has more than doubled in the last 20 years, estimating that 14.6 million adults currently live with asthma.
Joyner and Dr. Martha White, Director of Research for the Institute for Asthma and Allergy and formerly coordinator of Pediatric Allergy at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at N.I.H., were online Thursday, Nov. 15, at 1 p.m. EST, to discuss warning signs, asthma symptoms and proper treatment.
Joyner has long served as an advocate for asthma awareness, doing public service announcements and, this past summer, writing an op-ed piece about her struggle with asthma for The New York Times after a college football player died from an asthma attack. She is visiting schools on a five-city tour which is sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline.
A transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Arlington:
Thank you Jackie Joyner-Kersee for visiting! I have enjoyed watching your Olympic success over the years. I have exercise induced asthma and I use an inhaler before I work out. However, when I jog or use the treadmill, etc. It is very hard to build up stamina. I get quite discouraged at times. Do you have any suggestions for building up stamina for asthma sufferers. I would love to be able to do even a 5k race. Thanks!
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: I would suggest to build stamina is to slowly be consistent with your mileage background, your over distance work, keep building that up even if you're running on a treadmill, try to do interval training, some speedwork, and endurance work over a six-week period.
D.C.:
Hello Jackie!
I'm from Sarasota, Fla., and a few years back you did an asthma commercial down there ... My father (a real life doctor) got to play your doctor in the commercial, even though he was only seen for a second. Just wanted to thank you for giving our family hours of enjoyment over the years as we tease dad about his SAG membership and "stardom"!
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Thanks for the support and it was a joy for me to have him as a part of that commercial.
Glenmont, Md.:
Hello,
Although I have always played sports, I started to develop asthma in my late twenties which prevented me from doing a lot of activities I like such as running or swimming. I was prescribed an inhaler but this had little effect. However, I found that regularly practicing tai chi had an extremely beneficial positive influence on my asthma to the extent that I am now basically asthma free. I am personally convinced that consistently practicing Chinese qi-gong exercises such as tai chi or falun gong can be very beneficial to people with asthma. Is the N.I.H. doing research on this? Thanks.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Dr. White: To my knowledge they're not doing studies on this technique. I would suspect that if it's helping that it's teaching yoiu some breath control techniques. If your diagnosis of asthma is correct and the inhaler did not help, it may be because your inhaler technique wasn't allowing the medication to get into the lungs effectively. Good inhaler techniques can be taught by your doctor.
Kennebunk, Maine:
Dr. White:
A few years ago I was diagnosed with a very mild form of asthma. Shortness of breath was my only real symptom -- I've never wheezed a day in my life.
I was given a prescription for Albuteral (sp?) and used it occasionally. I haven't used my inhaler in over 18 months.
The only time I notice not having enough air in my lungs is when I am speaking long sentences or singing songs to my kids -- I run out of breath before I should.
Is this something that would indicate that I should still be using that inhaler, or perhaps talking to my doctor about?
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Sometimes we don't detect all of our symptoms and therefore our lungs may have more asthma problems that we realize. It sounds like your asthma is very mild and may be in remission but your doctor could do pulmonary function tests to confirm whether or not your asthma is now in remission.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Joyner-Kersee: Make sure you share that same question with your doctor.
D.C. 20015:
I'm 37, exercise 5-6 days per week, and enjoy endurance events like long bike rides. Recently I developed asthma. I experience the most severe symptoms while exercising, especially riding my bike up big hills.
1. Is there anything I can do (such as interval training) to better condition my lungs to decrease symptoms during exercise? I'd like to minimize the need for inhalers.
2. My resting pulse goes up by about 10 beats when I use my albuterol inhaler. Should I alter my activities after using it to account for this?
3. What are good sources of information about exercise-induced asthma?
Thank you!
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Dr. White: Exercise is one of many triggers for ashtma. While warmup exercises and conditioning may help your symptoms it's important to remember that asthma is an inflammatory disorder which, if left untreated, can cause long-lasting damage to the lungs. It's important to check with your doctor to see whether anti-inflammatory medicine is needed in your case. In terms of resources, there are several organizations including the Allergy and Asthma Network, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology: www.aaaai.org (American Academy), (www.thoracic.org (American Thoracic Society), www.aanma.org (Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers Of Asthmatics)
Joyner-Kersee: Make sure you keep a journal and document your workouts and on the days you're doing your bike riding try to break it into intervals that are equivalent to the longest distance that you're trying to accomplish that day.
Virginia:
Hello, when I was 18 years old, I started to sneezed and coughed a lot. The allergist couldn't figure whether I was allergic or asthma. Then my brother stopped smoking and my sneezing stopped. I think smoking caused asthma a lot.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Dr. White: Smoking as well as exposure to second-hand smoke are both triggers for asthma. It can also increase the risk of developing asthma.
Ian Stallings, Washington DC:
I was wondering, how exactly you go about controlling your asthma on a daily basis and what drugs you use?
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Joyner-Kersee: I control my asthma through taking Advair in the morning and before I go to bed and I use my rescue inhaler(Bentolin) as needed. I do this on a daily basis even when I'm feeling great. I still these medications, sticking the program. That's the best design for me.
Arlington, Va.:
To Jackie: What made you get involved with this tour?
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: One, I'm an asthmatic and two, I truly believe in bringing an awareness to the disease. This tour allows me to reach a lot of people I wouldn't not normally be able to reach. I feel it's a wonderful to cause to get behind or promote.
Washington, D.C.:
How prevalent is asthma and can you really get rid of it or just learn to live with it better?
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Dr. White: Asthma is seen in about 5% of the population. It's a chronic disease that needs to be chronically managed although it is possible to go into remissions but the asthma can come back at any time.
Baltimore, Md.:
How has asthma changed your life? Have you always had it? How did it affect your running career?
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Joyner-Kersee: I was diagnosed with asthma when I was 18 and from that point on it was one of the most difficult things I ever had to deal with. It changed my life in a way that I had to educate myself about asthma and how if I didn't not get it under control that the dreams that I had would never become a reality.
To me, asthma never affected my running career but when I did not have it under control I knew I wasn't getting any better with the condition but a lot of times because I peformed so well on the athletic field it overshadowed the condition that I was dealing with.
Washington, D.C.:
Are people born with asthma?
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Dr. White: We're born with the ability to develop asthma but it takes the right trigger toa actually develop the disorder. That trigger can happen in the first few months of live and is usually a viral infection but can be an allergy or cigarette smoke exposure.
Bethesda, MD:
Hi,
I was wondering what you thought of young children taking singuliar. My 6 yr old has asthma, he has a hard time with the inhaler, but the doctor does not want him taking the liquid form.
Thanks!
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Dr. White: Singulair is a once-a-day anti-inflammatory pill that is a controller medication that is frequently used in children and adults with asthma. It may be particularly useful in a child who has difficulty using inhalers. Talk to you doctor to see if it's appropriate for your child.
Bethesda MD 20816:
I get exercise-induced asthma, especially triggered by cold, dry air. But my only symptom is a nasty, persistent, wet cough that can last an hour or more. I don't wheeze or feel constricted, and my lung capacity is good (it was tested).
My doc generously prescribed both Intal (to use 30 min. before exercise) and Albuterol (for emergencies). I've only tried them occasionally, but they don't seem to do much for the cough.
I also had several bad bouts of bronchitis over the years, and am afraid my lungs are somehow damaged or over-sensitized.
Should I have more faith in these inhalers?
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Dr. White: Cough that doesn't respond to asthma inhalers may be coming from post-nasal drip from the nose or the sinuses. You may want to consult an allergist who can evaluate both your lungs and your sinuses.
D.C.:
What kind of effect do asthma medications like Singulair, Advair and albuterol rescue inhalers have on an unborn child and does using such medication effect ones ability to get pregnant or have a healthy child?
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Dr. White: While no drug can ever be said to be 100% safe in pregnancy remember that a an unborn child is at the end of the oxygen train, therefore it's important to manage your asthma very well during a pregnancy. The body tends to have less systemic exposure to inhaled medications than to oral medications.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Don't let asthma control you. You control it. And never, never give up on yourself or your dreams.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dr. Martha White: Dr. White: Singulair is an oral medication but has been designed Pregnancy Category B by the FDA signifying that there are no teratogenic (harmful effects to fetuses) found in animal studies.
Asthma can be a serious disease however, in most people it can be very well managed. Most people rarely have symptoms when on proper medications. Don't let yourself get used to your symptoms. Expect that you can live a normal life and do what you want and take your medications as prescribed so that you can control your asthma.
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