Asthma Books!

[anjyil]

I have trying to get more educated about my asthma and am trying to find good books to read on the subject. I see too many books that offer "cures", and it seems like all the books I find do exactly that. It seems like I find either the snake oil books or the expensive texts for doctors. Any recommendations?

[M-D-F]

Either visit your doctors and see if they have British Lung Foundation leaflet or local hospital.

[anjyil in reply to M-D-F]

Sorry, I should have specified-- I am in Japan, so all books are in Japanese. I have to purchase stuff online.

[M-D-F in reply to anjyil]

OK plan two, try and contact the BFL

[anjyil in reply to M-D-F]

Got their link just know, so can look at it after work.

[Hidden]

Hi anjyil

There's lots of resources you can download from the Asthma UK website from here: bit.ly/2qcy3Ge including a live well booklet. Also there's a section about understanding asthma on our site here: bit.ly/2EagZYO

I've asked our nurse team about any books, so will feedback if they suggest anything.

Hope that helps,

Dita

[anjyil in reply to Hidden]

Thank you! I will go through these links

[Matman]

Hi

The problem with books is that they lag the new developments / research. Any book published is likely to be based on data that is at least 12 Months old. Best bet is to first open Google, then to enter Asthma, then to Select the News Option, then to select Tools Option and use that Option to limit your search to the last 12 Months. Do the same thing every 30 Days (but use the One Month Option) to stay bang up to date).

[anjyil in reply to Matman]

That is an idea, but being too update isn't always good. There is still a lot of "old" stuff that is actually still valid, isn't there?

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to anjyil]

Ha I found an article from 1830 by an asthmatic dr that made more sense than most of what my last cons used to say lol.

I am not an expert but with asthma I do feel the research has moved on in recent years especially in terms of it not being a single disease with a single cause. I would be wary of anything that is written based on older assumptions eg that there is a single process behind asthma, steroids work for everyone etc. Even if not all the old.stuff is wrong, I would prefer to.read something that takes newer research into account alongside older knowledge that is still valid.

As well as the Asthma UK website which is great, Patient UK has some useful articles including some flagged for more in depth reading by patients who want more information, as well as non-specialist healthcare professionals. My job involves reading a lot of scientific and medical literature and writing some of it (not about asthma) so I don't mind the very technical stuff but even being used to it, it's not the best way for anyone to learn more about a condition! (I actually want to move into writing more patient-friendly stuff, but can't in ny current job).

[anjyil in reply to Lysistrata]

@Lysistrata That makes sense. My steroids don't always work for me, especially in winter. I am extremely leery of anything that makes such claims about asthma being all one thing, as well as anything that claims a cure or that you can go drug free or some BS like that.

I love the Asthma UK website---great information. Hadn't seen Patient UK yet, so will check it out. I couldn't find any descent info from my homecountry, the US, nor anything even remotely useful in Japanese. Makes me sad that the whole world seems divided on this.

I find myself glossing over the technical stuff and just getting to the basic conclusions, etc. My medical knowledge is pretty low, so most of the words they use fly over my head lol.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to anjyil]

oh yes, I know those BS books! It's all down to what you eat/do more meditation/Buteyko is the cure/don't rely on big pharma/all chronic illness is down to your bad habits etc.

Not all bad in themselves - I did try Buteyko and while it didn't do much for me it is NICE-approved and can help reduce steroids for some, but it's NOT a magic cure! I absolutely get fed up with claims that I'm being hoodwinked by Big Pharma. I got told to eat turmeric once. I looked it up and I'd have to eat about a ton a day to be equivalent to low dose ICS, and it has side effects besides making you orange! I think I'll stick with the efficient version thanks...

[anjyil in reply to Lysistrata]

Exactly exactly!!! Asthma UK did a study on breathing and pointed out very firmly that while yes, it helps, it will not cure! But sadly, it seems like 90% or more books are focused in that line My husband found two good books, but both are in Japanase so he needs to translate them for me..

[Matman in reply to anjyil]

Here’s the issue, NICE can’t even agree on a definition for Asthma. It’s not so much about Asthma in General as what specific type of Asthma.

Getting a Professional Consultant’s Diagnosis based on Testing, Examination and (if need be) Imaging, such as CT, X-rays etc, to determine what phenotype / endotype of Asthma you have, before investing a lot of time in reading general material that may not relate to your type of Asthma (and may also be out of date) would seem a good way to go.

Many significant insights seem to have come about quite recently, and I’ve not come across any decent book on Asthma which, for me to read, would also have to be less than 2 Years old, as the ‘thinking’ is changing so rapidly.

Creating a Reference Dossier from a dozen or so recent good quality articles on highly reputable sites, written by experts would give you a free book-equivalent. (Just make sure the Sites you get material from are genuine Medical Professional Sites, rather than general sites, or Sites just trying to sell you something). Seem to recal Medline has some decent material.

[anjyil in reply to Matman]

Matman I see what you mean. That is a big gripe of mine right now--my doctor diagnosed asthma and that was it. I am in Japan and I don't think they even care about the phenotype right now because he hasn't seemed to run any further tests, though I think my situation kind of requires it.

Okay, I will give that a go ^_^