Advice on Allergies and Asthma in 4 Year Old

D., the Zyrtec if used for seasonal allergies. I wouldnt give it to her if she doesnt need it :) good luck

My son has had asthma since he was very little he is nine now
he takes albeterol inhailer when needed for shortness of breath, flowvent inhailer twice a day, and singulair at bedtime. He has been taken to the hospital once in the past 3 years, due to breathing problems like shortness of breath. asthma can be very managable once you know what triggers cause the problems. Have child allergy tested, you can also buy special allergy bedding etc that can help control symptoms. My sons triggers are smoke, perfume, and pesticides, mold.

Hi D.,
I have twin girls (4) and had the same problem last year when we moved to Las Vegas. We had three trips to the ER last year. They both see a Peds Pulomologist. They are on Signgular, Clarinex and Nasonex. It is a lot a medicine, but it keeps their asthma symtoms down. I also use a warm mist humidifer if they start coughing it works wonders. If the cough persists, I add benadryl at night. I also limit dairy products and give them organic milk. Hope this helps.

Did you do any allergy testing at all to see what is the underlying cause(s) of the asthma. I have three children and all had asthma at one time as do I. One was only allergic to animals and molds. One was allergic to trees, grasses, animals. The other was sensitive to chemicals but did not have pollen or animal allergies. Do you have pets in your household? Remove immediately. Carpets? Have them cleaned immediately after the removal of the animals. That includes cats, dogs, and birds. Any mold in the bathrooms? Dust in ducts? Does anyone in your household smoke? Outside immediately! Strong perfumes? Get rid of them! Furniture stuffed with kapoc? Out! Any pillows stuffed with feathers? Out! Any traces of cockroaches? Get a pest control guy to control it. If dust mites might be a problem encase the child's bed and pillows in allergy control zippered cases. There are also sprays for dustmites you can use in carpets. If you can get rid of carpets, do so. You can find these online. Everybody takes their shoes off when they come in and the soles are cleaned. Draperies in the child's room are removed and blinds are used instead. If molds are an issue, get a dehumidifier. For all of my children a cold was a potential portent of bronchitis which was a trigger for asthma as it is for me. If you go to the emergency room more that six times a year, then you might want to invest in home treatment equipment. I made a least that many runs with my daughter for five years and she got better as a teenager and improved with age. My oldest son also developed exercise induced asthma with smoggy weather and Santa Ana winds and had to use an inhaler before PE everyday. Drugs have improved since my kids were little but if the child truly has allergies then changes must be made in the household. That hasn't changed. And consider allergy shots. They made a world of difference for me and my oldest son. I can now go to houses with cats. Another indication that your child might have allergies is symptoms like skin rashes, hives, red eyes, and runny nose. My son had hives so bad as a toddler. We started him on allergy injections at age four. We bribed him with donuts afterward for a year and after a while he didn't mind anymore. We went together. He got his shot and I got mine. Also if you have relatives with allergies it is probably genetic. Also don't forget the possibility of food allergies. We have that too. Milk, wheat, and soy. And definitely get a second opinion. It does get better. My children improved with treatment and age and they all survived to grow up. Good luck. I tried to think of everything that we did to help.

First and foremost, I am NOT trying to sell anything on to you. But, I need to share this personal experience with you. My husband used to take allergy shots 2 to 3 times a week, because DOCTOR RECOMMENDED. All of my 4 kids, each diagnosed with "asthma" in their early months of childhood. You know the nebulizer machine, instead of renting it, we bought one. And kept the cabinet stocked with albuterol. Anyways, then I found Melaleuca products, got rid of any and all other products in my home that had "toxin" chemicals ( that no one really knows about, unless you read the fine prints ). My husband takes one shot a month during "high peak pollen" season. And KNOCK ON WOOD, it's been almost 4 years now that I have not had to spend countless hours during the winter nights in the URGENT CARE, our nebulizer machine would be collecting dust if i didn't have it packed in a sealed plastic. And the albuterols, all 12 boxes that I have, are nearing their expiration dates possibly. All I did was switch stores, eMail me directly ____@____.com

I'll give you more details. Don't worry, it's not any type of Multi Level Marketing or selling products.

It's just "a BETTER OPTION".

Take Care and I hope to hear from you soon !

Its sounds like you little one has asthma you need to get a home machine that allows you to give her breathing treatments at home with albutroal my son was diagnoised with asthma at age 2 same thing with the coughing to puking any time he would start running he would start to cough and then vomit intill i got the mechine to give him treatments at home most insurences will pay for this they dont have the right to say the your daughter cant breath she needs this. as my son grew older he grew out of it not so much now just when he gets a cold asthma is very serious not to be taken lightly.as for the meds you were given some are to maintain between atacks how ever read the side affects my son had all the side affects so i did not give them to him.some are more sensitive than others,your daughter can not be around any smoking,or candles or fire places these things will triger a attac.

Hi D.,

First, you should understand how these medications work.

Zyrtec is a general, low-sedating antihistamine, which blocks the the body's response to allergens of all kinds (food, inhaled, antibiotics, metals). It will make your daughter a little sleepy at first, but her body will adjust to this after a couple of weeks.

Nasonex is a type of anti-inflammatory that reduces the response to inhaled allergens. It will reduce, and eventually eliminate, the post nasal drip that can contribute to inflammation and irritation in the lungs that can lead to cough, bronchitis, and ultimately, pneumonia. It is VERY important -- do not stop giving her this medication!

Advair is actually a mix of two drugs: Salmeterol is a bronchodilator that relaxes the smooth muscles around the lungs to make breating easier; Fluticasone is a mild steroid that reduces the inflammation in the lungs -- a hallmark of asthma. It is actually the fluticasone that is the more important of the two drugs for long-term maintenance therapy. We now understand that the symptoms that we call asthma are caused by inflammation in the lungs. In the case of allergic asthma, this inflammation is caused by the body's immune response to allergens. Advair is pretty safe, but can have some unexpected side effects, such as hoarseness and loss of voice. If this happens, you can switch to other inhalers that don't have these side effects. BTW, Serevent is Salmeterol without the Fluticasone. Both of these drugs are inhaled as a dry powder, which could be what generates the hoarseness. If your daughter ends up with this side effect, don't switch to Serevent -- switch to something like Atrovent or Albuterol and a separate steroid such as Flovent or Azmacort (there are many varieties of both types of drugs. If one doesn't work for your daughter, keep switching until you find the right combination). Also, studies have shown that long term use of the cortisones is pretty safe, although they can result in some growth reduction. Intal (cromolyn sodium), is a nonsteroid anti-inflammatory and has been shown to be just as effective as steroids in children.

Allergies and asthma go hand in hand -- they are now recognized as "one airway, one disease." Asthma is the culmination of what is referred to as "the Allergy March." Typically, allergic asthma arises in the later elementary school years and beyond, but can develop earlier. Many younger children, however, are what are known as "early wheezers" and may, in fact, grow out their asthma later on.

If your daughter truly has allergic asthma it is vitally important that you keep her on the medications. Not only will she be much more comfortable, but current research is showing that the allergy march can be arrested by conscientious use of medications, immunotherapy (allergy shots), and strict avoidance.

Avoidance is really key, so it is very important that you get your daughter tested to find out exactly what she is allergic to, so it can be avoided and/or immunotherapy administered. Most US allergists will prefer to test using the skin prick method, but my personal opinion is that they are behind the times, and definitely behind their European counterparts. Rather than subjecting your daughter to potentially 100 or more pricks on her back (with potentially very itchy and uncomfortable side effects), a simple blood test can be used. There are two main manufacturers of reliable allergy tests on the market: Siemens 3gAllergy and Phadia ImmunoCAP. You won't really have any control over which test gets used, and in this country Phadia is pretty well entrenched, even though 3gAllergy is actually a slightly more sensitive test. Both tests have been shown to give equivalent results to skin prick testing, but have the advantage that they give accurate results even when the patient is taking antihistamines. To do skin prick testing, all antihistamines have to be stopped for several days before the test, which can lead to the reappearance of symptoms.

Get the testing done ASAP for two reasons: 1, so you can take better care of your daughter, and 2, because the FDA is changing its requirements of how the blood tests are manufactured, which is resulting in many tests having to be reapproved at the risk of being temporarily removed from the market.

You can find some good patient materials on allergy at aaaai.org. This is the website for the American Association of Allergies, Asthma, and Immunology. Ideally, any allergist you go to should be a fellow of this organization. For information on medications, go to

http://aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/asthmaallergym...

D., please treat this seriously and don't withhold medication to your daughter. Keep her on the medications at least until you have a second opinion. If the first person you saw was a board-certified allergist, he or she is probably correct in their diagnosis. That's what they spent 12 years in med school, internship, residency and specialization learning!

R.

Well I can help you. I have 4 kids and 3 have asthma and allergies. First who is your doctor? I know of a few good ones. My youngest son who is 6 was just at the doctors and he was put back on Singulair and Flovent. This is a good combo. The combo that you have for your daughter is good but the Zyrtec may be a bit strong. Do you give it to her at night? It works best then. The advair is really good but strong too. Nasonex is the nose spray right? I would ditch that one because you have the Zyrtec. My oldest son is 19 and has had asthma all of his life. He is an athlete and still has problems. We are still finding the correct combo for him on a college students budget. Flovent and singulair work the best as a duo with either Zyrtec, Claritin, or Benadryl for the nose. Also, try not to stress. I used to and then you can't think on what you need to do to take care of your child. It has to become second nature to YOU. Keep in touch. BTW, the winds out here are a big factor, keep her indoors as much as possible.

Until you get all the second opinions you need, you need to give your girl something.

Asthma...can kill people. I know, I have asthma. Be very aware of this. It can come out of nowhere with no warning. There has to be "asthma" maintenance care. Also, if her oxygen levels are low or she is laboring to breathe...all of this put additional strain on the body, not just the lungs.

Well, I could go on and on. Just make sure SHE gets what she needs.
Take care,
~Susan

I don't know if this is the best advice but my daughter who is now 4 years old and was diagnosed with asthma when she was 18 months old. We basically don't have her on any constant medication. We keep her inside when it's windy and the weather is smoggy outside. If she is sick we know that at some point in her sickness it will turn into her lungs so we watch for it as well being careful around other children who are sick. When her coughing is getting bad or she starts wheezing we have a Nebulizer (sorry not sure of the spelling) inhaling machine (ask your doctor about this) which we have both Albuterol and Pulmacort (a steroid) medicines that we give her. Now granted I don't like my daughter taking medicine all the time either especially the Pulmacort but it is better than taking medicine daily and we have the peace of mind that when she has a fit we know this works. We also have a stethoscope which we have used many nights to check on her breathing just to check if she is wheezing or having trouble breathing while sleeping. Asthma can be very stressful, me and my husband have had many a sleepness night listening to our daughter coughing and trying to breath. But once you know the signs and everyone becomes comfortable with how to manage it - that stress can be eased. My doctor tells us that she will hopefully eventually grow out of it and I hope it the same is for your daughter. Good luck.

Your decision to go to a Pulmonary doctor is excellent. I am a nurse and worked in an office for years with children just like yours. Asthma can be scarey and they will be there to help you manage it. They may order a machine for you to put medicine in that will open her airways and reduce inflammation if she has another attack. Allergies can make asthma worse, which is why he ordered the allergy medications. The lung doctor will help you get through these so you can stay home from the ER.
There is evidence that eating fruits and vegetables helps with all diseases--antioxidants are in them. I would love to have you visit www.karen4betterhealth.com

Best of luck!

I also am dealing with allergies in my 2 boys ages 2 and 4. I still have to go to an allergist, since the blood test from my pediatrician was so general. I will get the diagnosis from the allergist and then set off to do alternative methods of healing my children; homeopathy, natropath and diet. I visited Dr. Feder in Los Angeles for my 2 year old and she is a homeopath and the author of the best baby/child care book! It is "Natural baby and Childcare". Also I love Dr. Fuhrmans "Disease-proof you children; how to get kids to eat right." I will exhaust all options before I even THINK of giving my boys those toxic meds! I am even looking in to Reiki as a healer; it helped me deliver a nearly 11 lb. baby at home in the water!!

In our home we eat organic, fresh and whole foods and I cook everything for my children. I avoid the foods that I know they are allergic to. I have a natural mothering store, Belly Sprout and they work with me so I bring our home-cooked meals to the store. They get plenty of fruits and vegetables and the only processed foods they eat are rice cakes, crackers and milks. We have HEPA filters in our vacuum, air filters and have water filters in our shower and for drinking. I believe that these factors can help build their immune systems and possibly help the allergies from getting worse!

The best advice is to educate yourself and to treat food as a healing remedy! You can only improve your childs health from giving him fresh and organic! Good luck! I personally know how scary it is to be worried about your little ones!

C. Funk

hello my thirteen year old son was diagnosed with asthma @ 8 mths old although it is controlled his dr. prescribed him singular to take every night before bedtime he also takes q-var and that seems to help a lot especially with allergy season.

Funny you ask that question. My 17month old had allergies, we thought was a cold. When we took him to the doctor, they prescribed zyrtec. I remembered hearing bad thing about this drug. What really startled me is that our insurance through cigna wouldn't even cover it! They are usually good about this. Anyway, i gave my son the zyrtec and he started acting really strange. He got tempermental and really hostile. He started screaming like someone was after him and scaring him! I quickly went online and looked up effects of zyrtec and found out that these were the side effects. Not only that, i spoke with some people that were on zyrtec and they told me that they get really bad headaches if they stop taking it. It's like a drug, and you become addicted to it. It's not worth it. The drugs are not ok by the federal drug administration because they are proved to be too strong and causes terrible effects. That is why they are now over the counter and insurance won't pay for it. Its not to make it cheaper, its actually more expensive. Its just that its not safe so insurance don't want to be responsible!

I stopped giving my son the zyrtec immediately and within a day, he was back to his lovable self. What i did do was turn the humidifier on and gave him lots of liquids to drink, such as water, juice,etc. The allergy/cold went away and he was much better. There's a reason why they stopped all those over the counter medications for children and babies, you know. Half that stuff doesn't work. Its just given to them to make us think it helps. The body just needs time to fight that stuff off on its own. Let their bodies due the fighting, but hold off on some of those medications. It does more harm than good and doctors don't know anything, most of the time. Most of them are practicing and thats how they learn by trial and error with your child. You are probably the best doctor for your child. Just do some research. You know your child better than your doctor. If your child has Pneumonia, you have to let them sleep and drink lots of liquids. When they cough, you hit them(gently)around on the back or chest to move that flem around a bit. There body will do most of the work. Always run a humidifier at night, preferably, with the vicks vapor!
I have worked in the hospital since i graduated from high school and continued throughout my college years. I went to college for nursing with a major in Psychology. I have worked on the medical floor, telemetry floor, surgery and brain and spinal injury for years. Most of my close friends are doctors and my ex is also a doctor. I trained the medical students on telemetry, so i have read a lot and practiced a lot with patients. I have just basically learned a lot throughout my 11 years in the hospital. The same way a doctor learns, by trial and error!
Never second guess what you think is best for your child. You love your child and wants the best. That doctor is treating that child like any other patient!
Hope this helps!
M.
____@____.com-for any other questions! my 2 year old was diagnosed and i began to give him neb treatments consistently when he had a cold and now he is 7 and since 6 years old, he has never had another allergy reaction and once i got a 2nd opinion, he doesn't even have asthma anymore!!

We love our pediatric asthma specialist: Dr. Gary Rachelefsky at UCLA. He also has a book for parents about managing your child's asthma; it's available at Amazon.com if you want to look at it first. Our lives have dramatically changed for the better since we have taken our four-year-old daughter to see him. Good luck.

I am sure you are scared. Asthma is so misunderstood by moms who have never had an asthmatic child. My son was 4 years old when he had his first attack and like yours had pneumonia. It wasn't a surprise that he had asthma as all of my siblings had it as well as my husband.
We started on Albuteral for emergencies using a nebulizer. It saved us from having to go to the hospital emergency. Small children usually cannot use hand held albuteral inhalers. Now days they have a few more attachments that might make a hand held more effective for a small child.
Singulair was the daily medication that I thought really helped and it is not a steroid. We did not start Advair until he was older, more like 10 or 12 yrs. Instead he used Flovent inhaler to aid in preventing inflamation therefore preventing asthma. That is the key, preventing the swelling that causes asthma.

I would question the use of Advair in a child so young but you need something to prevent bronchial swelling and inflammation. It's all about getting control so that you don't have emergencies all the time or especially during illness.

The most important thing I can offer you is to be very careful using any Ibuprophen product to reduce fever if he get sick. Many asthmatic children are allergic to ibuprophen products like Motrin. It is not something that they catch in emergency either. During one illness my son was doing OK. I gave him tylenol for his fever during the day. That evening I gave him children Motrin so it work longer into the night to reduce fever. Within 25 minutes of giving it to him he could not breath. We went to emergency. Gave the Dr. the history and never figured out that it was the Motrin.
The next day at the pediatrician we discussed my son's condition. I showed the Dr. the section in the pamphlet that came in the Motrin about allergies especially with asthmatic children and he was stunned. It became very clear that the Motrin had set off the Asthma attack. Many Asthmatic children are allergic to Ibuprophen products and very few doctors pick up on it. We only use Tylenol with our son. He has had very few attacks when he is sick since we stopped using Ibuprophen for fever. It is not safe.
You are your child's best advocate but if he has asthma he will need some help with medication to get it under control especially when ill. A second opinion is always good.
Sincerely,
K.

My son, whom is 6 now, is on almost all of those medications. We moved to Hawaii 2 years ago and he can't go with out this medicine. I feel it is excessive and possible harmful, but if he stops taking them he coughs until he vomits. He takes Flovent, an inhaled steriod, Flonase, a nasal steriod, Zyrtec, Previacid and Singulair. THey confirmed he aslo had acid reflux, which i guess is common in children with asthma. I don't like him being on so many steroids, but the quality of life without them are unacceptable. It might be hard to take in, as it has taken me 2 years, and I still struggle with the issue, but remember it is about them too.

D.,
Hi, my son had terrible asmtha from two to 8, I was able to help him eliminate his breathing issues completely with some amazing support for his body that is natural. Could you write me off list and I can help you find the answers. He is free from all breathing treatments today! It is wonderful for him to be able to run and play, participate in Jr. Lifeguards, motorcycle riding and the list goes on.

Dear D. - Sorry it took me so long to respond! I've been thinking of you off and on for a few days. The one thing hardly anyone thinks of but is crucial is drinking enough water! My daughter used to have asthma, and ever since she upped her water intake it went away and hasn't come back. THeres a great book called Your Body's Many Cries For Water, by Dr. Batmanghelidj. There's more here:
http://www.watercure.com/
Basically the body has a system of hydraulics that will pull from one system to another if it gets dehydrated, in order to keep it functioning. Sacrifices have to be made in order for survival, and different parts will suffer as a result. And Stress is one of the first responses to dehydration. So when your kids are acting up, give them some water!
JUst thought you'd be happy to hear about it. I was amazed myself. Best to you and the kids! R.

Hi D.:
well i am a granny, and have raised my grandson all but 1 year of his 17 years..he had a bad case of asthma in his earlier years. He went to a specialist for skin testing of what he may be allergic to, which was a good thing..the allergist put him on advair, this was as a preventative for causing asthma flare-ups. It sure worked well with his abuteral he only needed to take the advair for about a year..his asthma subsided as he got in his teen years. The problem with the asthma was that it first would act as mild broncitus and then become too severe and go into a full blown asthma attack that would need the e.r., or urgent care for a breathing treatment. As the years passed and the outdoor weather would trigger an attack..the attacks were maybe twice a year, the nurses office always had abuteral on hand for him to aquire if he needed it at school..i never trusted him to take it on his own, as he is add/adhd and on other meds for those ailments. This past year, he did not need his inhalher at all. Hurray!!! He is still monitored for his asthma, but i do feel that the advair along with the other reccomended breathing meds needs to be used!! My hubby was diagnoised with copd a few years ago..and advair his is daily asthma preventive that he feels works for him..he is 71!!
I know trial an error sometimes with these meds, if there is a great side effect from any of them..by all means stop giving them and check with the specialist..there is light at the end of the tunnel, my grandson graduates this year from high school. Just tune in to your motherly instincs..you know your child, but do not put her in jeopardy by not treating her lungs!! No smoke or other bad enviromental air should she breathe..and the in home nebulizer is a good thing too..my grandson never had one at the house..he just used the abuteral with a breathing spacer tube in his younger years..got more into the lungs that way, than through the mouth.
God bless you sweetie..and it will get better!!

Surely I would take her in for a second opinion but it's very likely that she has Asthma. None of us parents want our kids to have any illness or disease but Asthma is treatable so that's good. Asthma is a disease and it doesn't go away...left untreated it can cause other problems with the cardiovascular system and actually get worse. They Zyrtec is meant to control the histamines that lead to Asthma, Nasonex is meant to keep the sinuses clear and decrease the chances of anything getting into the lungs and the Advair is a preventive inhalent to keep the lungs clear. That being said, it would be a good idea to have allergy testing done on her so you know what in fact she is allergic to. The hard thing is that over the years allergies worsen so it's important to get it under control now while she is young. It could just be fluke that it happened the way it did but it could also mean that she has allergies and Asthma which is treatable. Before my husband had Advair he would have to use his inhaler multiple times throughout the day but after he started the Advair he rarely had to use his inhaler and only takes his Allegra (same idea as Zyrtec) when he encounters allergens. It's a good idea to get a second opinion but if she does have Asthma it doesn't mean she is a sick child.

I had asthma as a child. I outgrew it (some people don't). I never had coughing fits as a child, but my friends daughter did. She had to take her for emergency breathing treatments to the ped. But she found something that really cleared her daughter's respiratory issues WITHOUT meds. (As a teen I had some allergies and I had a friend who went in for injections week after weeks to clear his. No thanks.) Thanks to that experience, she became an NAET practioner (only people with a medical/physical therapy background can become NAET practioners).

NAET - Nampuripad's Allergy Elimination Treatment
http://www.naet.com/

Dr. Christine Northrup has written about it favorably in her books. Most MDs have not heard of it.

Go to their Find a Practioner and look for someone locally. I have used it for myself and my children with great success. It's non-invasive and usually works after 25 hours. I was cleared for an Iron deficiency during my 2nd pregnancy (I was both allergic thus deficient in iron and had no clue). I was treated on a Friday and Monday when I was tested by my midwife, my iron level shot up and stayed up. It wasn't a coincidence... the strong iron pills didn't just decide to kick in. I know it was the NAET treatment. My daughter was born with WHEAT allergies and instead of me avoiding wheat for a year (or she) we were both cleared for it. My friend's infant was allergic to COTTON! as a newborn and was cleared for it. The great thing is that if you have issues, you can hold your newborn and both of you can be treated at the same time. Or if you have another baby, the treatment will help the baby in utero. (Unlike giving yourself meds during pg which can be risky.)

If your daughter's breathing problems are that severe than how can you say the drugs are too much? For sure see a specialist, but try to see the bigger picture. If she had a heart problem you would put her on heart medication right? The allergy med like Zyrtec are very common and safe. I wouldn't let your worry get in the way of treating her medical problems.

I agree with Natalie, she needs her medicine. There are also preventitive measures you can take. Do you have a air purifier or a vaporizor? These will help with breathing, the purifier will clean the air around her of all allergins, the vaporizor will help relax and open the airway. Also inquire on "breathing treatments" to help with the airway. Also remove ALL the stuffed animals from her room or clean them weekly to free them of all dust and allergins. If you have carpet think about of removing it and putting in a hard floor especially in her room. When you do vacuum make sure you do it when she's not at home for a few hours to cut down on the allergy/asthma attack.

Good luck!!

L.

D.,

So sorry to hear that your daughter is so sick. When my son was young he had asthma real bad. I had to take him to emergency a couple of times and he got admitted to the hospital. All the headaches with medicines and doctors. Ugh! I know what you are going through. Anyway, I think you are doing good by being cautious with these medications. It is good to try them one at a time and not all at once. That way you know which one is causing problems. Doctors put my son on the Nasonex stuff, and after awhile it gave him nosebleeds and headaches. The medicine he has always used for his asthma is "Albuterol". It did not do good things for him. It used to make him have the shakes. He was so little and I would take him to ER and they would pump him so full of that Albuterol that his legs would start shaking. I would get so upset. Anyway, we also tried Advair, but my son did not like that stuff. He said he would rather put up with the side effects from the Albuterol. Now that he is older his asthma doesn't flare up so much and he only uses the Albuterol when he needs to, which isn't often.

I am sorry that I can't be of more help to you. I read your post and just wanted to share what I have been through hoping it might help you somehow. I hope your daughter feels better soon and that you are able to get more help from the Pulm. Spec.

Sending you a hug.
B.

Dairy causes asthma. also have your daughter checked for heavy metals. Vaccines have been linked to asthma. Even though mercury was removed from most childhood vaccines, they were never and those vaccines did not expire until 2007. Both my twins had asthma growing up and I took them to see a homeopath/MD Dr. Grumlich ###-###-####. He cured them through homeopathy.
D. Merlin
mother/author
www.victoryoveradhd.com

My daughter was diagnosed with asthma 3 months before her 4th birhtday. It took a trip to the ER to get it diagnosed. She had been tired all day, this was in Oct, and then when my Mom asked her to get up to put her PJ's on, she could barely sit up on her own. I took her in and they gave her a chest x-ray, said she had pneumonia & gave her a HUGE shot in the leg of penicillian. 2 days later we followed up with her Pediatrician, and after I answered more of his questions about activity level and other things he diagnosed her with asthma. She was prescribed Zyrtec, singulair (chewable tablet), Albuterol as her rescue medicine & Q-var as her controller inhaler. Once she started these meds I noticed an enormous change in my little girl. She wanted to run & play & she could now. I didn't have to worry about stopping her or telling her that she can't run because of her "tummy-problems"(when children are having a hard time breathing due to asthma, they often say that their tummy hurts, they will usually point to the bottom of their lungs, which this is where an asthma flare-up starts.).
You defintely need to see a PEDIATRIC pulmonlogist & get a home action plan on what to do & when. Determine what her asthma triggers are. Which meds to use for a flare up & what the follow up instructions are & for how long.
It is scary & nerve-wracking to think about your child on so many meds at such a young age, but if it helps her to be a kid again, to run and play like all the other kids & no more ER visits & coughing fits, then it might just be worth it! : )
My daughter is now 6yo, at night she takes 2tsp of Claritin, a 4mg chewable Singulair tablet (her chewy-medicine) & 2 puffs of her controller inhaler Flovent which is administered through an aero-chamber. It does seem like a lot for their little bodies to handle but when I see her playing outside with her 2 older brothers and running just as fast as my 9yo son without stopping to catch her breath, that's just priceless.
Good luck to you & your family! I hope you're able to get your little girls' asthma under good control & soon!

my daughter is 13mo old and has asthma and allergies. she is on a nebulizer. she takes pulmicort (which is her preventative) to control her symptoms and albuterol for when she has uncontroled coughing or if she has a cold. she also gets zyrtec for when her allergies act up. my daughter responded very well to these meds. all that was really different was that the steroids hyped her up a little bit. my little one isnt old enough for the advair (and i think that its only a preventaive too but im not sure) and im surpised they want her to take that over albuterol. i agree if you are worried to get a second opinion. what i would do in the mean time that will help for any inflamation in her lungs and air way is to have her sleep with a cool mist humidafire. that should help a lot with her coughing at night. good luck!

Asthma is your body's supressed immune system reacting to irritants/allergins in the air. It is vital to keep the sinuses clean and healthy. I would recommend a neti pot for anyone dealing with asthma, but with a 4 year old that might not be very practical. Fortunately there is an alternative, a salt pipe or salt inhaler. Here's a link to a site with a child's inhaler.
http://www.natural-salt-lamps.com/saltpipe.html
One of my earliest memories is sitting on the edge of the tub with the hot shower going breathing in the steam. Steam keeps things loose.
Children as young as four can do yoga which is great for asthma. Simple deep breathing helps. Backwards bends stimulate the immune system. Yoga will keep your child's spine supple which will also help. I started with chiropractic care nearly 20 years ago to treat my asthma and it has made an amazing difference. Expect to go 2-3x/week to start. You will be gradually cut back to once a week and then set on a maintenance program of usually once a month. Again, 4 is not too young. It will help keep the sinuses healthy.
Build up your child's immune system. Put her on superfood. You can find several varieties at any health food store of dehydrated greens. Add to juice. Bee propolis and/or royal jelly capsules can be given one a day for a month or two then as needed. Since this is a foodstuff you do not have to worry about any negative interactions with any meds you may be giving her nor do you have to worry about giving her too much. There are other options for building up the immune system if bee products are a problem.
Stay away from sugar. Limit juices to one/day. Whole fruits are great, but watch out for processed foods with corn syrup, high fructose corn sugar. Limit sweets. Nothing brings down your immune system faster than sugar. Get her off of dairy. Milk causes mucous build up. There are much better sources of calcium. I use soy milk. This made a big difference for me.
Look for books on reflexology. It is simple and you can give her alot of relief in a fun way by giving her feet a little reflexology when you put her to bed. Midway down on the outside of the top joint of the thumb(right by the base of the nail) is a reflex point for the sinuses. Apply slight pressure for 10-15 seconds. The corresponding spot can also be found on the big toe.
You are smart to keep her off of these meds. They may help in the short term, but long term usage leads to other problems. I haven't used an inhaler in 15 years. It an be done.

Oh my gosh, yes, I can relate! I'm sorry to hear that you're going through this and with it being so soon after your new arrival. My 4 year old son was hospitalized at 6 months, in the PICU for 5 days because he couldn't stabilize off oxygen. I, too, was a nervous wreck and can totally remember those days! Since then, he has also had 7 ER visits (always in the middle of the night) and 2 cases of pneumonia. He's been on 5 medications at once, and 2 were steroids that made him hyper, jumpy, irritable and really hard to console. Also associated with the meds is weight gain (bulky tummy especially) and heart strain. His heart rate shot up from 55 to 180 one time in the ER and the dr. just said, that is one of the side effects of the meds. I was super concerned as his mom, but they didn't seem to worry since the meds were needed to open his airways again. I think those meds are necessary at first, but don't keep her on them long (just my opinion). My son takes pulmicort and xoepenex now via a nebulizer. When he gets sick (any little sign of a cough or runny nose) we increase his meds right away. Some times he gets xopenex every 2 hours for 20 minutes, so it's a really long treatment around the clock. But, during the spring and summer, he only gets it once a day!
Definitely see a Pulm Specialist. They will be able to give you some great suggestions and really diagnose her. Also, our asthma doctor from the beginning was Dr. William Berger. He wrote Asthma for Dummies. It's filled with info to help parents and caregivers better understand the severity of asthma. I recommend it! We just changed doctors due to my husband job relocation, so after 3.5 years, we're now seeing a new doctor. That's a little scary, but at least he's healthy at the moment! The good news, too, is that there is a way to control asthma without ER visits, though we still visit on occasion. Please keep me posted as I would be interested to see how your little girl progresses.

Hi! I suggest getting an allergy test done. It is only a quick blood test and then you will know everything that your child is and is not allergic to. It doesn't however cover skin allergies but you will know more. My friend has a six year old and for years they thought he had asthma, add, and he was having horrible reactions to the flu shot. Turns out he was allergic to egg. Once they removed egg from the diet, he was a brand new kid. No more asthma and no more behavior problems. I'm not saying your kid is allergic to egg, but the allergy test will help rule out any possible causes. Good luck and take care.

Hi D.,
I'm so sorry about your daughter. I have terrible allergies too. The main thing you have to do is find out what your daughter is allergic to so you can keep her away from those things.

I was 31 years old when first diagnosed with Asthma. I went for acupuncture and it saved me. I did not need any medications. I went once a month for years. If you are open to this, it could help but you do need to find an acupunturist who will work on children.

That being said, when I moved to LA, I couldn't find an acupuncturist I liked until recently. So, I started with allergy shots and Advair. The Advair has helped keep the asthma in check but definitely check with the doctor about using it on a 4 year old. However, there are some other things that help me: 1) Saline Spray in my nose several times a day - they have it for kids too 2)cold air humidifier in the room at night, 3) air purifier in the room at night, 4) hypoallergenic sheet and pillow covers for the bed, 5) I use fragrance free detergents and dryer balls in the dryer instead of the sheets because I'm allergic to perfumes and fragrances.

Good luck with this! I hope some of these suggestions help.

L.

First off, asthma is a LIFE THREATENING illness when not handled and managed properly. Please take this extremely seriously. You know how once in awhile you hear about somebody who died of an asthma attack? Well, it's because they weren't (or the parents weren't) taking their illness seriously and were not taking the meds they needed. I have a 10 year old son who has asthma, and he's had it his entire life. We manage it very carefully and haven't had any serious problems. My first advice is to NOT listen to people talking to you about steroid asthma meds. Because it works for one child doesn't mean it's appropriate for yours. Each asthma case is different and these drugs are of varying strengths and response times. Some are steroids and some aren't. There are controller, maintenance drugs that are taken/inhaled daily to manage asthma and there are rescue drugs that are taken/inhaled when an asthma attack is pending. They are very different. Not every asthmatic needs a daily maintenance drug, but often use one for awhile after a bad attack. The Zyrtec and the Nasonex are for treating your son's allergies, and they each handle the allergy syptoms differently. For one poster to say you don't need both is an irresponsible and ignorant statement. Your child might need them both---my son certainly does during this terribly high pollen spring. In a month or so, we'll stop w/the nasal spray for a few days and see how he does. If your son is just coming down from that bad asthma attack, I'd give him all those meds. Each asthmatic has different "triggers" and your allergist feels your son's allergies are some or all of his triggers. In other words, the high pollen count, dust mites, etc. are what's causing his asthma attacks. If you don't control the allergy symptoms, his asthma will not get better, or will get better for a short time and then flare up again. Oftentimes after a bad attack, they will prescribe something like Advair for a relatively short time to bring the asthma completely under control, and then stop that particularly medication. I'd strongly suggest you ask your doctor about prescribing Singulair for your son. It's not a steroid and is one of the weakest drugs you can give your child, yet has an amazingly high response rate. It's an allergy pill that controls asthma symptoms. It's not a RESCUE med, but a controller medication. It's taken at night (chewable), and my son (and many other asthmatics) also takes Zyrtec at night. Zyrtec should always be taken at night---it helps control their symptoms throughout the night and in the early morning when they are typically at their worst. Also, it can make them drowsy, so nighttime is obviously best for that. I am surprised you didn't get these instructions from your doctor. Also, make sure your doctor specializes in asthma in children. It's amazing how misunderstood and poorly managed asthma in children is by so many doctors. I went to an awesome workshop at CHOC about asthma, and the doctors talked about this at great length. You also want to make sure your pediatrician specializes in asthma. If you live in Orange County near CHOC, I can give you a recommendation. Bottom line, yes, your son needs those meds until you're told otherwise. Be aggressive in your education---go online and read about this illness, get some books from the library. There are so many things you can do at home to help----dust covers for mattress and boxsprings, remove carpeting from your son's room, wash all linens and blankets in extremely hot water/then hot dryer each week, special pillow, remove stuffed animals from room, remove curtains or drapes from room and use blinds that get dusted every single week, buy a special vacuum, etc. Keep pets out of the his bedroom. It's amazing how dust mites aggravate allergies and then asthma. Good luck!!

Hi D.- My daughter suffered the first 3 years of her life with chronic "croup" that would leave her weezing at night, and unable to get a breath. We spent many a night in the ER, as you have. The best thing we ever did was get her on a nightly round of asthma medication. Her allergist did all of the tests, no allergies, but what she has is viral induced asthma. A common cold for her will last longer, and be more severe than other kids, and will happen more frequently. When she was about 3 1/2, we started giving her the nightly pulmacort (via a nebulizer), singulair and nasonex. The nebulizer has been a life saver. She gets sick only 3-4 times per year (versus monthly like she did the first 3 years of her life) and now her colds last half of the time and are not nearly as severe. If she does go into asthmatic distress, we keep zopanex on hand- it is the same medication they are given in the ER- and one to two doses of that keeps us from taking a midnight trip to the hospital. I know the idea of keeping your kids on medication when they are this little is scary, and no one knows what the future effects of them may be, but my daughter is now 5, and has been healthier since she has been on them. My suggestion is give the meds a try, maybe ask the doctor about a substiute for zyrtec (such as singulair- my daughter lovers the chewable cherry taste, and has no side effects). Good luck!

I would say take a look at your cleaning products. My second born was a premie and was diagnosed with asthma. He didn't have problems often but when he did he really struggled. About 7years ago we started using Melaleuca products. They are made from safer, enviromentally friendly ingredients and work very well. Shortly after we started using them we noticed that he hadn't needed to to use his meds. Since then the only time he needed them was a few years back when the Grand Prix fire went through our area.
Hope this helps,

RaeB

I had the same problems with my daughter. The coughing fits which would make her vomit, I learned the hard way she has asthma. We were at a party in the mountains and she started wizzing. The next morning, she got worse. I took her into see her dr. and was told she wasn't getting enough oxygen. My daughter has been on Singular, albuterol, and QVar for the past 3 years (she is now 9) From what I've learned, the allergies trigger the ashma. As I've kept her on her meds regularly we have not had any big episodes.
The coughing fits happen every once in a while...during a cold, or in early spring.

So sorry you both are going through this. My son had a severe allergy to milk when he was little, at about 3 years he seemed to outgrow this allergy. He then developed extreme allergies to pollen and pet dander. Later he developed asthma. When he was 11 I had a doctor (after many doctors who said nothing) tell me that they NEVER really OUTGROW their ALLERGIES, their body's just have to COMPENSATE for it in other area's. So at 11 years old, I pulled him off of dairy. After 3 months (it takes time to cleanse it out of your system) he had the worst asthma attack he had ever had, and that was it. The doctor said that the final asthma attack is normal--it was his body totally cleaning itself out. My son is now almost 15. He has never had another asthma attack. He can mow the lawn and do yard work. We have 4 cats and a dog. He does wrestling and track in High School (and he's actually quite good). He never could have done those things before.
Is it possible your daughter has an allergy to something common in her diet...milk? Wheat?
If not to dairy, try pulling her off anyway. Dairy causes mucus which aggrivates asthma.
Good Luck.

cal dr. chavarria in tarzana---pediatric pulomonolgist. my son had pneumonia and was hospitalized in ICU for a week and he took care of it.
###-###-####

E.

The Water Whisperer Swim School, owner and teacher
www.thewaterwhisperer.com

I would give your daughter exactly what the doctor prescribed. Why take her to a doctor if you're not willing to follow their advice? If you want a second opinion, fine, but those medications could be keeping her alive in the meantime!

I also have a daughter with asthma who is now 6 years old. We experianced this also. The cough always got so bad she would throw up mostly lots of phlem . She now takes QVAIR every morning and she doesnt have nearly the problems that she had . Only has problems when she catches a cold. Please let me know if you have any more questions. Y.

I've never had such a problem with my child, but maybe you should try natural medicine. The website below offers a section for babies and children. Maybe something natural can be an alternative to the medication that has been perscribed to her. Hope all gets better. I will keep your daughter in my prayers. God Bless.
http://www.naturalmedicine.com

I would take her to Dr. Kathryn Ballard here in Prescott. Good luck.

hi D.,

My 8 yr old daughter had pneumonia 3 times in 3 months, and I too was told she had asthma as well. She is on the same meds. that your daughter is on plus a nebulizer or breathing treatments 2-3 times a day. She also was prescribed Sulfamethoxazole w/tmp susp this is an antibiotic that is strictly for chronic pneumonia. She takes it daily and all this combined my daughter has slowed down on the coughing. This is all due to this very strong virus that hit back in Jan. and it still is out there and or you never got completely over it and it was still in the body. This is the same virus that killed Cameron Diaz's father last week.
For me I had it in Jan. went to the dr. got medication for pneumonia...got somewhat better..I thought. Then 2 W. ago I was in the e.r. My white blood cell count was low and I had an infection in the lining of my lungs to boot. Out of the 6 people in my family 4 were diagnosed with pneumonia.

The asthma was triggered by the pneumonia. Beat the pneumonia and you'll beet the asthma. They come together as a pair in our case.

Best of Luck.
P.

I know its hard to see your child suffering but I do suggest you see the specialist - my husband has a daughter who is now 14 and sufferered her whole childhood with her asthma she was in and out of the hospital so it happens - She had a nebulizer they called a treatment where she breaths in the medicine from a little machine its basically a steroid I believe that comes in plastic tubes you pour into the machine and after a treatment she would do better with her breathing and the coughing fits so you can ask the specialist about that option and she is also on a singular pill everyday and carries a inhaler puffer in case so there are lots of things to help just see a asthma DR - well one that is very up on this stuff - Every year she will get stronger I think so I am not sure this helped you but its a few things to ask about -good luck and god bless -

D.,

You are right for feeling cautious on the medications the dr is putting your daughter on. Often times these medications only mask symptoms while the problem still remains. I would take a look at house hold toxins. They are a major source of asthma and many other health concerns. I would love to help you narrow down toxins in the home and how to replace them. Feel free to PM or email me. ____@____.com

K.
mom to 7

Hi D.,
I'm sorry your little girl is so sick. I did read about a doctors office on the westside, Bee Well Kidz Clinic and they use acupuncture on children. Actually, I think it's acupressure but perhaps they might have some alternative methods that can help you. Good luck.

I had the same experience with my now two year old son. He was in the ER for croup, breathing problems, etc. 3 times in six weeks! I was being told every time I talked to my doctor that he was too young to have allergies. Finally I found a doctor who agreed that allergies caused sinus inflamation, the sinuses drain, agravate the respiratory system and caused the coughing. They finally started him on Zyrtec which has helped tremendously. The allergy induced asmtha is awful and the Zyrten did amazing things. It did take about a week or two before I actually noticed a difference. I would definitely suggest she have something in her stomach before she takes the Zyrtec though. As for the Advair, that is just to stregthen her lungs since they are so succeptible to infection right now. I don't think that is a permanent solution but should help her get stronger. Once the allergies are under control I'm sure you'll notice a major difference. Good luck!

I have asthma and allergies but they have been helped lot with certain non invasive techniques. I agree with what you say about the suppression of symptoms with drugs and how they can do more harm than good...
It's sometimes necessary to use certain drugs but I am willing to also do a complimentary or donation only healing on her if you PM me.
Blessings, A.

ps
Remember that the airways have become stressed and too tight so calm and relaxation - for you and her - soothing and helping her to realx and let go (and breathe OUT) is the key, if attacks happen however mild.

This has coincided with the baby?
Remember emotions are the reasons we get stressed and tight, and can trigger auto immune responses..

Hi D. :)

My daughter has asthma, eczema, and allergies. Just recently, she was coughing continuously so badly that I didn't know what to do as none of her inhalers were working nor her nebulizer really. She was also frequently throwing up, but she was not sick. We were back and forth to the doctor and pinpointed that she also has reflux after he put her on Prevacid and the coughing and throwing up stopped.

I completely understand your dislike for these meds. I don't like them either. I have no experieince with asthma or any of this stuff- it all comes from my husband's side of the family. I now understand how serious asthma is and with your frightening experience when your daughter stopped breathing, you've had enough, I'm sure. I know you said she had pneumonia, however the breathing can stop with asthma in and of itself. I didn't want to give my daughter Prednisolone among more breathing treatments, more inhaler puffs, more nasonex... by a doctor who had never seen her before. Then she explained the seriousness of it to me. It seems like A LOT to put into such a little body- my daughter is 5. I would suggest getting a stethoscope and learning what it sounds like when your daughter is having distressed breathing vs. when she's not, and go from there provided your doctor says that's cool. With mine, she never wheezes. She just starts to cough.

If you would like to contact me, I will give you my doctor's name and number. He is right over by Mission Hospital and he is fantastic! He wrote Asthma and Allergies for Dummies and he is recognized and awarded as a top doctor in his field. He really cares about the children and I have 100% confidence in him.:) One more thing- I also had my daughter allergy tested- horrible, but completely necessary. Usually along with asthma comes allergies so you might want to find out if there is anything your child is allergic to that will trigger her asthma if you haven't done so already :)

Best of luck to you guys. I hope she grows out of it :)

Blessings,
Jennifer

You have received terrific advice regarding the medications.

I just want to give you the perspective of the child. As a child, I had asthma and miserable allergies. Back then, all the medications made you extremely sleepy so I always missed stuff in class and barely kept up. Also, no one tested me to find out what I was allergic to so I was surrounded by triggers (we had a cat and a bird in the house!). I had an aunt who meant well but was a little nutty who had me go in for the shots with her children but the shots were for the stuff HER kids were allergic to, not me!

When I read your post, I thought of how wonderful it must be for your child to have these medicines available to her. She will be able to focus in school and not struggle to remember things through a "fog". She will avoid the fearsome asthma attacks that plagued my cousins and nearly killed them. Isn't it great that you can give her this peace?!

Of course, beyond that, you can have her tested, eliminate her triggers, refine her diet and watch her health improve. In my case, I got better and better through the years and finally got completely off all medication about two years ago (with doctor's approval). Best wishes to you!

M.

I am so sorry about your little girl and the medical problems she is having. One thing that you want to do is get all the toxins and chemicals out of your house that can cause allergic reactions as well as the asthms symtoms. My grandson who is 5 has had allergies most of his little life and they also diagnosed his asthma this past year. After doing all the testing they said he is allergic to everything and because he has been sick on and off for so long with these problems his immune system is compromised. All the doctors agree that it is essential to make sure he is not exposed to chemicals found around most homes and since they have started using non-toxic natural based cleaners etc. it has made a huge improvement in his health. I will keep thoughts and prayers going for you and hope your little girl responds well to whatever treatment you decide on. If you would like more information from me just let me know.
http://www.saferisbetter.com/sharons

I am not sure what all the meds are...but, I think that advair is a steroid? My father in law is a retired cartiologist, and he is obsessed with my daughter's asthma.... he also has asthma. He said that the reason that children have problem with asthma later in life is 1) not having a plan for treatment 2) not using meds that are anti-inflamatories (sorrya bout the spelling). My pediatrician also said this to me...If you only treat the asthma when it gets bad, or only for the wheezing with albuterol, then you develop scarring in the lungs over time..and this cause permanent damage (from what I understand). I think (again not sure) this takes time though...so you are wife with waiting a week... But, personally I would just do, at the very least the steirod (we use pulmicort daily with any sign of a cold)....I also read this on a website that reviews hospitals. The study looked at how Drs prescribed meds. spcifically looking for pulmicort like meds..not just albuterol... My obessed father in law does not think all the allergy meds are very good...I guess there is research that says they can hurt asthma...but, I cannot confirm...just do advair and stop the antihistamines (zyrtec and Nasonex if you are worried...but the other one will control and heal her lungs....so, if you were my sister....I would say please do not stop that)... I totally babbled sorry, I am tyoing and getting up and doing things...so its a little sloppy...but I really wanted to share with you...

Hi D.,
It makes me so sad to hear about children suffering.
If you are ready to make some major changes in life........which it sounds like you are, let me know.
I can help you learn about getting the toxins out of your home that may be causing a lot of these issues.
I represent a wellness company and I help educate moms about living healthier lives and keeping their families safe.
I would love to show you a few very SIMPLE and cost effective ways to keep you and your children safe and alleviate many of your health issues!
We are on a mission to educate people as well as to help moms be where they need to be.........at HOME and available for their families!
;)
S.
____@____.com
www.MomsOnAMission.US

Do you have asthma? Do you know what it feels like to be unable to breathe? Give her the medicine! The Pulmonary Specialist can pull her off the medication if he feels it not necessary, but in the meantime please give her what the doctor has prescribed. Two trips to the ER in 4 months should be reason enough.

Hi D.,

As I was reading your request, I couldn't help but think about all of the families that I've seen come through my Dr.'s practice. I work for a chiropractor in Seal Beach and I have to tell you that in the 8 years that I've been his assistant, I've seen many children with allergies and asthma come under his care and get fantastic results. In case you weren't aware, chiropractic treats the nervous system, which controls every function in our bodies. If you take care of your nervous system, then your body can take care of itself.

Many of the patient's we've taken care of have been able to stop taking medication and live a healthier life and children, in particular, respond to chiropractic beautifully. I really encourage you to consider bringing your child in to see us. I can schedule a consultation at no charge for you. Feel free to give us a call at ###-###-#### and say C. referred you. You'll get the chance to help your daughter live a better, healthier life. I get the satisfaction of knowing that I made a difference in someone's life, too.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Yours in health,

C. Spinosa
Seal Beach Chiropractic Center
###-###-####

Hi D.,
Take your child to Dr. Christine Anderson. I believe her office is in LA. Her website is www.kidchiropractic.com
She specializes in children.
Good luck,
C. Tanaka, DC
www.naturallifechiro.com

My toddler has the same problem. I am not a doctor, so please don't take this as "advice" but our doctor gave him singulair chewable tablets, once before bed and it works great. SOmethign for you to inquire about :)

Hi D....first you have to determine exactly what is setting off the coughing spasms. The best way to do that is to keep a diary of what is going on when the coughing starts. If the asthma is mild then all she needs is a quick-relief medication such as albuterol. If the asthma is more persistent then she will need a daily medication such as an inhaled cortocosteroid. It sounds as though the allergist is treating your daughter for allergies instead of asthma.
S. (NP at CHOC)

D.,

Not to downplay the severity of your daughter's illness but was Jan was the 1st occurrence of 'coughing fits' or has this been an ongoing problem, when she has a cold do they last 10 days or more? Is she still having the coughing fits? Do they occur more at night, are they brought on by activity? I'm sure these are just a few of the questions the Dr.asked, since there isn’t one diagnostic test that proves that a child has asthma,the medical history is a very important component in making a diagnosis.

Here are a few facts about asthma and treatment.
Asthma is a CHRONIC lung disease characterized by 1.airway inflammation
2.hyper-responsiveness to a variety of stimuli 3.airway obstruction (or airway narrowing) that is partially or completely reversible either spontaneously or with treatment.

Asthma is chronic because the inflammation that happens in the lungs with asthma is going on all the time.
Asthma medications are either short term relievers (bronchodilators/rescue drugs) or long term controllers(inhaled steroids).
By definition asthma responds to bronchodilators and steroids.
Using inhaled steroids(long term controllers) is the most effective treatment for asthma. The goal being to control the inflammation.
The NIH has a National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. They promote what is called the "Stepwise approach to therapy" a ‘good rule of thumb' guide to coordinate treatment and put members of the health care team ‘on the same page'.
As a pediatric Respiratory Therapist having regularly treated children with asthma I have found this approach very effective.
I always encourage parents to give their children more water,dairy products tend to thicken secretions, making it more difficult to cough them up. Quite often children swallow their secretions which can upset their stomachs making it difficult to say if any vomiting was a side effect of the medication but it's something you want to mention to her doctor.
I did find it an interesting combination of medications for treating your daughter's asthma.
Zyrtec is an antihistamine used for allergies.
Nasonex is a synthetic steroid hormone used for the treatment of nasal allergy.
Advair is a combination of a bronchodilator and corticosteroid, though it is prescribed for ages 4 and up it's usually recommended for use when other medications have not been effective.
It does have a bronchodilator component (salmeterol),But it is NOT a rescue medication.

These are the drugs I have most commonly seen prescribed for Pediatric asthma patients.
Long term controller; Pulmicort Respules
(inhaled steroid) approved for use in children 12 MONTHS and up.
Short term relievers; Albuteral or Levalbuteral(Xopenex) both bronchodilators are rescue drugs used during acute episodes.

If you have any other questions you can email me and I'd be glad provide you whatever information I can or tell you of various resources.

Take Care,
D.

About 4 years ago, Roger and Sloan Barnett purchased Shaklee, which has been around for over 50 years, because they were able to drastically reduce their young son's asthma by getting all the toxic cleaning chemicals out of their home and switching to Shaklee's nontoxic cleaners. This may or may not be the answer to your son's issues, but the respiratory irritants in regular household products are frightening. Let me know if you want more information.

J.
www.shaklee.net/healthyfriends/prodHou