Confused about inhalers?

I just listened to a helpful and VERY funny webinar from AAN - Allergy & Asthma Network. If you haven't heard of them, you are missing out on a great resource! AAN is a national organization that helps families with allergies and asthma. They also lobby congress for laws to help us (make sure kids can carry asthma inhalers and epi pens in school at all times, have schools have a "stock" inhaler that can treat anyone in the school with asthma, etc, etc.)

Randall Brown, MD, AE-C, of the Center for Managing Chronic Disease, University of Michigan - See more at: http://www.allergyasthmanetwork.org/advances-allergy-asthma-webinar-inhaler-confusion-2/#sthash.19Tevjff.dpuf

Randall Brown, MD, AE-C, of the Center for Managing Chronic Disease, University of Michigan - See more at: http://www.allergyasthmanetwork.org/advances-allergy-asthma-webinar-inhaler-confusion-2/#sthash.19Tevjff.dpufDr

Dr. Randall Brown, AE-C, of the center for Managing Chronic Disease, University of Michigan gave this presentation. It's called "Inhaler Hysteria or Inhaler Confusion."

It's a free webinar, just click here to access it. 

 He talks about asthma, and how everyone is different. Some people are more sensitive than others.

"Some people can be trigger by someone smoking one block away. Where others may smoke 4 packs a day and not be triggered."

He had me laughing during his presentation.  I tried to capture my favorite quote (it may not be word for word....)

"Whenever I do anything aerobic in an old building on campus, because of the dust and because of the mold and the exercise, I cough and I wheeze. But I can be in my office here with 200 cats - all of whom smoke, and not have one problem."

Bahahaha! He was trying to get the point across that all asthma is not created equal. We all have different triggers and react differently. 

He also talks about how some people have "Fire extinguisher use" with their inhaler. They will use their rescue inhaler over and over again for their asthma. But if you were having fires in your house over and over again, you MIGHT want to find out where the problem is coming from.

To compare that to asthma, if you are using just relying on your rescue inhaler to "put out fires", you need to figure out where those "fires" or asthma flare ups are coming from. The Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Asthma say that if you NEED to use your rescue inhaler more than twice a week, your asthma in not controlled, and they suggest starting a daily, controller (or maintenance) inhaler. 

There is a lot more great info in the webinar, watch it yourself and let me know what you think!