The Harvard Medical School Guide to
Taking Control of Asthma

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Publisher Descriptions:

Back Cover:

Take control of your asthma now with this easy-to-follow personalized approach

Shortness of breath. Tightness in the chest. Wheezing and coughing. These distressing symptoms are a daily fact of life for many of the fifteen million Americans who suffer from asthma, including nearly six million children — and asthma is on the rise. But even those with severe asthma can lead full, active lives with the help of the experts at Harvard Medical School and Partners Asthma Center. Here is a commonsense guide that includes:

Cutting-edge therapies such as anti-IgE therapy and leukotriene-blocking drugs — as well as complementary and alternative medicine treatments

Practice sessions that help you create a personalized program to prepare for acute asthma attacks

Plus, special sections addressing issues faced by:

Children — how to prepare your child for school, sports practices, sleepovers, and other circumstances in which asthma triggers may be present

Women — how pregnancy and hormone replacement therapy may affect your asthma

The elderly — how to distinguish asthma from other respiratory conditions such as emphysema

Editorial Review from Publisher's Weekly

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Similar in scope to other excellent publications from the Harvard Medical School, this authoritative overview of asthma a disease that afflicts millions of Americans will be welcomed by patients and their families. With editorial assistance from Waring, these three leading physicians who practice at the Partners Asthma Center, have written a guide in layman’s terms. The authors explain how asthma is diagnosed and how the various symptoms, such as shortness of breath, wheezing and tightness in the chest, manifest themselves in different individuals. A large portion of the book is devoted to a lengthy and highly useful discussion of the current therapies available, as well as the pros and cons of specific medications. Although the authors do not recommend alternative and complementary therapies, because they consider them to be largely unproven, they do single out emotional stress as an asthma trigger; other triggers, such as allergens and environmental pollutants, are also identified, along with suggestions for avoiding or alleviating them.

Other Voices:

"In a clear, easy-to-understand format the authors answer all the questions anyone could have about asthma and didn’t know to ask. This book will be on the list of ‘must reads’ for all my patients."

"As a parent of a child just diagnosed with asthma, I was looking for a good reference for understanding what asthma is and how it is treated and managed. When I ordered this book, I was expecting a dry textbook type book long on theory and short on application. What I got was a clear well written and layed out book. It is easy to read and understand. It has up to date information on the current drugs and offers practical advice on how to manage asthma for the long haul. It has instuctions and advice on how to properly use the various medicines. It give me the knowledge to comfortably discuss asthma with my doctor and laid the foundation for establishing a long term treatment plan. Overall this is an excellent book on asthma."