Most parents believe the same thing about asthma, and it is wrong in a way that matters. The belief is that asthma is a breathing problem that comes and goes. That when a child is wheezing they have asthma, and when they are running about happily they do not. That the blue inhaler fixes it when it happens, and the rest of the time there is nothing to think about. Asthma is not a breathing problem. It is an inflammation problem that produces breathing symptoms - and the inflammation is there on the good days too. Dr. Ahmed Badawy is a paediatrician and neonatologist. In, Breathing Easy, he replaces the model most families are working from, and then builds everything else on it. Inside you will find: - Why international guidance now says asthma should not be treated with a reliever inhaler alone- The canister count - a number you can work out at home tonight that tells you whether your child's asthma is genuinely controlled- The inhaler technique that decides whether any of the treatment works, and the three mistakes almost every family makes- Why the written action plan matters more than anything else you will be handed - and why you cannot borrow somebody else's- Exactly what to do during an attack, and the point at which you stop treating and call- Which triggers are worth fighting, and which are costing you money for nothing- How to teach a child to describe their own breathing, and why that is a safety intervention- The overprotection trap, and why restricting a child's life buys no safety at all- Adolescence - the highest-risk period in childhood asthma - and how to hand over without losing control Grounded in current guidance from the Global Initiative for Asthma and the peer-reviewed literature, with a full reference list. Written for parents with no medical background. Most children with asthma, treated properly, live entirely ordinary lives. That outcome is not luck.
