Helping Control Your Child's Asthma - This Critical Book For Young Children
Written: Oct 24 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very easy to read, well organized, parent centered
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: An invaluable parent centered resource for Asthma.
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| KMINER's Full Review: Harold J Farber, M.D. - Control Your Child's Asthm... |
I am sure there may be other books on the market regarding childhood asthma - currently this is the only one I've read. I happened to get it last Christmas from my mother to help with my son, Colin, who then was age 2 and 1/2 years old (he is now 3 and 1/2). Control Your Child's Asthma: A Breakthrough Program for the Treatment & Management of Childhood Asthma has given me more knowledge and peace of mind than anything I have found on-line. It has helped me to have informed conversations with my son's pediatrician, and to make better educated choices about what treatments options we as a family choose. After reading it initially cover to cover, I use this as a resource constantly.
Control Your Child's Asthma was written mainly by Dr. Harold J. Farber, who is the assistant chief of pediatrics in Northern California. Assisting in the writing is Michael Boyette who is a medical journalist. Published in 2001, it is a soft bound, 231 page book complete with Introduction, appropriate Chapters, Appendixes, and an easy to use alphabetical Index.
In the beginning Dr. Farber explains how to use this book. There are 3 parts, the first being the history of Asthma, the approach to Asthma, and the parent's guide to Asthma. He also notes that he cites a lot of work as reference points and in the back of the book gives the material the information was cited from. Additionally he gives you on and off line ideas on where to find these articles if you are interested in further reading.
Part 1 of the book deals first with the attack. How parents and doctor's see it, how it can fluctuated between severe and normal between night and day. He explains his purpose - to help parents come up with an educated treatment plan, one that not only fights the Asthma when it happens but also worked to prevent them from coming back. Then he deals with the issue of taking control and gives a case study. He explains the treatment options and decisions in this particular case, along with some statistical information. After that he goes on to diagrams and pictures of the lungs and how Asthma looks inside the body (the pictures are children which are additionally useful). He then talks about treatment options in the past - what's been tried and research that has been found. His last section focuses in on his research and how he found that people need to work as a team - focusing in on the family and parents, since they are the ones living with Asthma.
I felt Part 1 was very informative and overall easy to understand. I have read studies and the like before with college courses I ave taken, so these were easy for me to process. One just needed a basic understanding of the body structure to help understand, though the pictures certainly helped point out things if familiar. Though I have a young child, it was interesting to read where Asthma has "come from" and the final parts about where Dr. Farber feels it is going. I like the case study introduced, it made it more real for me to read about an actual child. I also like that he seems very parent centered in this part - he really seems to stress our role. I feel too often (and even in my specific case - read Our Infant Journey With Asthma for more information) doctor's feel they can just hand out treatment plans and orders to parents and expect us to follow them blindly.
Part 2 is a longer section and deals with "The 3 lines of Defense" - mainly managing the environment, managing the breathing tubes, and managing flare-ups. Dr. Farber explains what each one means for about a page each, and then explains how it's a "3 pronged system" - you need all 3 to manage successfully. This approach I feel certainly gets you hooked into wanting to read more about each 3, knowing they are equally important.
The book then goes on into all of the different methods used to get medicine into the lungs, again complete with child centered drawings of the equipment with descriptions. For me personally it really helped me understand the difference between the nebulizer machine we are currently using and the metered inhaler with spacer, which we have the option of moving up to shortly (as Colin is close to 4, until now he's used the nebulizer only - as it has a face mask that stays secure on the small child). Dr. Farber also discusses peak flow meters, which is a device to help determine lung function. These are generally available at ages 5-6 and above and in our case our son is not old enough yet to use.
Next he explores the environment and possible triggers. This was an interesting section for us, as we got a ton of opinions from family members on what they thought we should do in our house. From reading the book we have (there are more ideas than this): taken the stuffed animals off Colin's bed, washed his bedding in very hot water, had him tested for pet allergies (we have 2 dogs and 2 cats), and continued to make certain that people who smoke do not come in contact with him when smoking or right after. We have hardwood floors we have not covered with rugs, a dehumidifier, air cleaner, and cool mist humidifiers all as needed. We have a casing for his mattress, and a small one for his pillows. We are looking into getting him a better one for us pillows and one to take while traveling. We are more mindful of aerosols or any sprays we use in the home, and I only spray when he's not home and then air out the house (opening windows, etc). I never spray in his bedroom. The biggest areas mentioned that I have read over and over are seasonal/weather changes and infections. This appears to be Colin's biggest triggers - any sudden change in weather (October has been typically a bad month for his Asthma here) and any infection he may get will trigger his Asthma. Some areas mentioned like food and exercise thankfully don't appear to affect our son.
The next section focuses in on managing the breathing tubes. Dr. Farber goes on for pages explaining the different types and names of medication available and pluses and minuses that he feels with each. I found this very comprehensive and mentioned every medication we have had Colin on. He also addresses over the counter medication which I found useful. He ends with a section on how to get your child to take the medication if that is a problem (thankfully, for us, it isn't).
The next section deals with managing the flare-ups, and thankfully since Colin is more in the Mild Intermittent to Mild Persistent range, about half of this section did not apply to us. He talk s further about peak flow meters, and other ways to check if you do not use this method. He then talks about the different quick relief medications available, and the oral corticosteroids.
Dr. Farber again refreshes us on putting it all together - the 3 pronged system, armed with the knowledge he provided in the previous chapters mentioned. Here he explains each category of Asthma and gives a real case study and solutions. He focuses in on how to stay in the Green(healthy) zone for Asthma, how to look for the Yellow (caution) zone, and how to avoid and also treat the Red (danger) zone.
Part 3 has been more a guide for me, since we have a wonderful doctor now. Dr. Farber talks about finding the right doctor and how to work with your insurance. We have not had any trouble with getting medication and equipment (we have Blue Cross/Blue Shield).
He then spends a few pages on the change of seasons - which I often refer to as this area is one of my son's triggers. I like how he broke down each season and treated it as unique. He then breaks down Asthma into the ages - how to help infants and toddlers, and then how to help teenagers ... the 2 categories of children he notes are hardest to help and treat. He then explains a little on ideas to help Asthma outside the home - particularly with regards to school, friends and family. Our families overall are well informed, and they often see Colin here at our house (which is already "treated"). He currently goes to daycare and most of what we need to watch for there is the high chance he will pick up an infection from one of the other children. They have great ventilation and a cleaning plan for their classroom and toys. His teachers are aware of his Asthma, and at this time we treat it at home only. Once Colin enters grade school and there is a school nurse we will then provide them medication and equipment necessary at school.
Dr. Farber concludes the book with a few pages on the future of Asthma, which is hopeful. He then answers any frequently asked questions he has received - which I found useful as some were questions I myself have asked aloud.
As a note his Appendixes have more useful information. Here he put charts and graphs to copy and use as a resource or in the home. He put charitable organizations, important websites, and Asthma supply warehouses.
Overall I use this book often. I have certain pages marked for those sections that we refer to often. I am planning on reading one his citations for further information on the use of humidifiers. We are looking at the websites this holiday season for better bedding as Colin has the most problems at night.
I really cannot explain to you how empowered this one book made me feel. I was dreading reading it, or any Asthma book written by a doctor, because I felt they would just try and railroad me into their way of thought. I feel Dr. Farber does none of this - he merely presents options and ideas, and allows you to use the information with your own family and doctor to come up with the best plan for your situation. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a child with Asthma and wants more information. It was a godsend that my mother found it and bought it for us.
Recommended:
Yes
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