Don’t Be Left Breathless

Don’t be left breathless over asthma!  The Will Rogers Institute has teamed up with Emmy® Award winning actor Bryan Cranston to bring public awareness to asthma!  Bryan is best known for his role in the AMC drama series Breaking Bad as Walter White.  Together, with the Will Rogers Institute, Bryan has released a new public service announcement to let the public know about this serious illness.  What you might not know, is this hits really close to home with me.  The hubs has severe asthma and we have to deal with the disease every day of our lives.

Did you know?

• There are over 17 million adults and 7 million children with asthma in the United States
• Approximately 1 in 10 children in the United States suffer from asthma
• Boys are more likely than girls to have asthma
• Asthma is one of the country’s most common and most costly illnesses
• Asthma costs the United States over $56 billion dollars in medical costs, lost school and lost work days

Asthma is a chronic pulmonary condition that can affect individuals of any age.  The hubs has battled asthma all his life– since he was a baby.  During an asthma attack, airways can become blocked or narrowed due to allergens or other environmental triggers.  The sufferer can experience difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath.  Asthma can be life-threatening if not controlled.  Unfortunately, asthma is frequently misdiagnosed but is completely manageable with proper care.

There are many good reasons to be left breathless, help us make sure asthma isn’t one of them.

Symptoms can vary depending on the individual and severity, but the common ones include:

• Wheezing
• Tightness in chest
• Shortness of Breath
• Persistent cough, especially at night
• Difficulty breathing during the day, or soon after, exercise or physical exertion

Asthma symptoms can be made worse by:

• Irritants: smoke, dust and air pollution, aerosol sprays, and strong fumes
• Allergens: animals, dust mites, mold, pollen, and chemicals
• Infections
• Exercise
• Weather
• Physical and Psychological Changes

If you or your child have any of these symptoms, I highly recommend you talk to your doctor about asthma.   Asthma is completely controllable with proper medical care and possibly medications.  

Please, go check out Bryan’s new PSA here.  Visit the Will Rogers Institute for more information about asthma and other health information.

And, please call your doctor if you or your child have any of these signs or symptoms of asthma or if you suffer from asthma and it is not well-controlled.

This post was written for social good.  No compensation was received.  All information and pictures used with permission or under creative commons license.  Photo: KellyK via Flickr.

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Julia is the divorced mom of twins, a blogger, a sometimes crafter, crazy snailmailer, and a corporate bean counter. In her "spare" time, she scrapbooks, travels, makes cards, blogs, designs jewelry, searches for missing cleats and pom poms, enjoys good dark chocolate, and sneaks naps.