Asthma UK Comment On: The New England Journal Of Medicine: Exposure To Environmental Microorganisms And Childhood Asthma

asthma diagnosis

We keep reading that the incidence of asthma is increasing.

I seriously suspect that the only thing that is increasing is the diagnosis of asthma.

When we were kids many people suffered periodic chest colds and bronchitis. My memory was at least once per year. NOW these are all called asthma.

I don't suppose that the drug companies had anything to do with that!!! :-(

When we were kids 'asthmatics' were poor weedy kids with narrow pigeon chests and usually very anaemic-looking.

Now we see robust and healthy kids calling themselves 'asthmatics'. So much easier for a doctor to prescribe drugs than advise mothers to nurse their kids when sick. Well the mums are off working, aren't they -- to afford the stuff they now need because they are not home to do it for themselves :-(

From my own experience I also know that asthma medications can increase asthma-like symptoms.

The current drop of kids would much rather take a puff than learn to relax and breathe properly. Meanwhile their mothers are much too busy trying to run full-time jobs rather than enjoy rearing their own kids.

It just might be interesting to compare the rates of asthma in kids with at home mums and those out in full-time-away-from-home jobs.

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