Anyone heard of and or tried the Buteyko method breathing to help with asthma? It states the "overbreathing" is the problem with asthma and we simply need to learn how to breathe.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/health/03brod.html?scp=1&sq=buteyko&st=cse

We start school in 8 days!

Does everyone have their inhalers expiration dates checked and their action plans printed out?

Name: NJASM
Location: LONG ISLAND, NY
Do you have Asthma or Allergies: Mild Seasonal allergies
Relation to Asthma/Allergy sufferer: Mother
Age of child:7
Has child been diagnosed with Asthma/ Allergies/ both: Allergic to tree pollen, weeds and dust.  Asthma
If so, how long ago: For sure a month ago
Is child on any medications or inhalers: yes
If yes, what: Pulmicort, Singulair, Rynatan, Nasonex

What is your medication routine: Pulmicort 2x a day, Singular before bedtime, Rynatan 2x a day, Nasonex 1 a day

Today I took my son to the doctor for the 2nd time in 3 days. Monday, I told the dr ( Dr C) that is cough wasn't bad now, but it was that cough that gets bad fast. This kid goes from innocently clearing his throat to in the ER with pneumonia in a heartbeat! She blew it off, said it was a virus and to come back if he has green runnies for 4-5 days in a row. I usually take him to the other dr in this practice (Dr S) because he accepts that moms know best and he treats him aggressively from the start. He wasn't there so we saw the other lady. Last night he couldn't sleep at all for the coughing and this morning he could hardly walk to the bathroom without setting off a coughing fit, plus his ears hurt and he said he couldn't hear anything! Today we got in to see the lady filling in for the missing doc (Dr Z) and I told her "I told Dr C on Monday that this was going to happen!" and she asked "How do you normally treat this when it gets like this?" I said he needs to get back on the nebulizer to stop the cough. She agreed and added that we needed to max out the asthma meds again (advair and maxair) put him on xopenex and then pronounced him with an ear infection AND a sinus infection and put him on abx as well. I also started him on mucinex to try to clear out his head without drying it up. Whenever we try him on decongestants or cough medicine we always make him worse!

So, 2 co pays-$50, 2 Rxs-$90, bottle of adult strength mucinex- $20, and 2 days missed from school! If she'd just given him zithromax on Monday before it all started to fester, I'd have paid $25 for the visit and $30 for the medicine and he'd already be nearly done with the antibiotics!!

Name:Sandra
Location:Carson City, NV
Do you have Asthma or Allergies:I have seaonal allergies, as does my husband
Relation to Asthma/Allergy sufferer:Parent
Age of child:6 months
Has child been diagnosed with Asthma/ Allergies/ both:Diagnosed with cow milk and egg allergies
If so, how long ago: Friday
Is child on any medications or inhalers:No
If yes, what:
What is your medication routine:Since my daughter is still breast fed we are just trying to get the milk and eggs out of my system and her's.

Does anyone know of an egg subsitute that doesn't contain eggs? Or maybe of a way of adapting recipes that are supposed to use eggs?

Name: Ann
Location: north of Dayton, Ohio
Do you have Asthma or Allergies: I hvae seasonal allergies and asthma, my husband has environmental allergies and our son has TONS of allergies and asthma.
Relation to Asthma/Allergy sufferer: self, spouse and son
Age of child: 27mths
Has child been diagnosed with Asthma/ Allergies/ both: both, retested every 6mths.
If so, how long ago: last time was at 18mths.
Is child on any medications or inhalers: he is on singular, zyrtec, pulmicort and xopenex. Also Gastrocrome
If yes, what:
What is your medication routine? he gets zyrtec in the AM, singular before bed. Pulmicort and Xopenenx treatments in am and pm. He gets rescue treatments throught the day of just xopenex. Usually needs one after a nap in the wintertime. Gastrocrome is by mouth and its before meals. 4x a day. He also is on prednisilone on low dose all winter otherwise he is almost constantly having issues.

Name: Carolynn

Location: Idaho

Do you have Asthma or Allergies: no

Relation to Asthma/Allergy sufferer: mom

Age of child: almost 7

Has child been diagnosed with Asthma/ Allergies/ both: yes

If so, how long ago: 2, officially, though his ped said he probably had it the first time he was admitted with a cold that went ugly, at 11 months.

Is child on any medications or inhalers: no

For the most part, he has outgrown all asthma issues. He does still get a little wheezy with weather, and colds, but nothing like it was. He was hospitalized several times from 11 months to 5. Minor colds were incredibly scary, and usually landed us in the ER, nebulizer or no. The treatments we had only went so far.

I mostly only joined in case my experience with him might be helpful, or comforting, to a mom who hasn't dealt with it much yet. Hopefully what we experienced might be useful. If I'm not a good fit though, because he is one of the lucky ones that has outgrown it, please let me know.

Thanks!

Thanks for making the community! I think it's a great idea!

Name: Joan
Location: Georgia, USA
Do you have Asthma or Allergies: mild asthma, seasonal allergies
Relation to Asthma/Allergy sufferer: mom
Age of child: 10
Has child been diagnosed with Asthma/ Allergies/ both: asthma, seasonal allergies
If so, how long ago: 8 years ago, when he was 2
Is child on any medications or inhalers: yes
If yes, what: Advair discus and maxair (powder)
What is your medication routine: right now the advair morning and night and the maxair as needed and before sports and PE.

My son was diagnosed at the tender age of 2 because he would have coughing fits while playing outside that would make him throw up, that, along with a strong familial history was enough to get the allergist concerned. He had allergy testing when he was 5 that turned up nothing but cause and effect says he's got hayfever and some spring allergies now. He had been mostly asymptomatic once he got old enough to understand how his activity levels and triggers worked and could stop and rest before he started coughing. He hasn't been on steroid inhalers for ages, except those few times he's had bronchitis or a bad cold. Now that he's older, he's started playing sports and has been having more troubles. Recent spirometry tests show a pretty big difference before and after the albuterol so he's back on the steroids to hopefully allow him more freedom with his activity level. He likes the new advair inhaler (he was on pulmicort turbohaler fora while-he hates the aerosol meds, prefers the powders) because it looks fuinny and is novel to use. Lets hope that lasts a while!

Name: Lauren

Location: Medina, Ohio

Do you have Asthma or Allergies: Seasonal allergies

Relation to Asthma/Allergy sufferer: Mother

Age of child: Two and a half

Has child been diagnosed with Asthma/Allergies/both: Both

If so, how long ago: About six months confirmed

Is child on any medications or inhalers: Yes

If yes, what: Singulair, Flovent, Albuterol

What is your medication routine: Two puffs Flovent morning/evening, One singulair before bed, Albuterol as needed

I am completely new to the effects of asthma. I am only learning though my son's pediatrician, friends and researching on the interweb. I have hopes that this community will serve as a place to help educate myself as well as other families about the disease.

Welcome.
Your moderator,
Lauryn