| Diana, a young mother in Dallas, was devastated | | | | decrease in pollution, and, while there has been a |
| when she discovered her four-year-old son had | | | | recent increase in the rate of smokers, those |
| asthma. She kept thinking she could have done | | | | numbers, too, have generally decreased since the |
| something—maybe even while she was | | | | '70's. One study suggested that women who did not |
| pregnant—to have prevented it. "I've heard | | | | receive adequate amounts of Vitamin E during their |
| drinking cow's milk and eating eggs while you're | | | | pregnancy could cause the disease in their children. |
| pregnant can cause it. I don't know. You always | | | | The higher percentage of inner-city children affected |
| wonder." | | | | also provides an interesting spike in the data; |
| While there have been controversial studies | | | | exposure to diesel fumes and cockroaches might be |
| suggesting this, the data is not conclusive, and many | | | | to blame. Obesity may be the culprit; there is a |
| physicians disregard it. In all actuality, Diana's story is, | | | | correlation between obesity and asthma, and the |
| unfortunately, not uncommon. Incidences of asthma | | | | (also) dramatic increase in childhood obesity would |
| have increased dramatically in the last two decades, | | | | seem to confirm this…but, once again, the link is |
| and we're still not sure why. | | | | not yet clear. The majority of the healthcare |
| Children, particularly those living in the inner cities in | | | | community now believes that most asthma cases are |
| Dallas, Houston and other Texas cities, seem to be | | | | caused by multiple factors, but identifying the |
| particularly affected. Of the 20 million people in the | | | | possible multiple causes for each case is a different |
| United States who suffer from asthma, 6 million are | | | | story. |
| children. From 1980 to 2003, the prevalence of | | | | Perhaps encouraged by more young adults open to |
| asthma in children increased by 60%; from 1980 to | | | | different suggestions, possibly also a result of more |
| 1994, the prevalence in children under five increased | | | | young practitioners in the field, more and more |
| 160%. | | | | attention is being given to the role of emotional |
| That means those young ones at the beginning of | | | | states as a likely cause of the increase in treated |
| this flux are now in the healthcare system as | | | | asthma cases, or at least as an enhancement of |
| adults—as practitioners, as patients—and | | | | many conditions. Utilizing a writing exercise created by |
| dealing with all the insurance issues that come with it. | | | | Dr. James Pennebaker of the University of Texas at |
| Approximately 5,000 in the U.S. die from the disease | | | | Austin, a young Dr. Joshua Smythe conducted a |
| every year, and deaths worldwide could increase by | | | | double-blind study of chronic asthma and rheumatoid |
| 20% over the next ten years. Clearly, something is | | | | arthritis patients while at the State University of New |
| not right. | | | | York (Stony Brook School of Medicine). |
| So what's going on? Part of the problem is that, while | | | | The study included 107 patients afflicted with |
| Texans and people throughout the rest of the | | | | mild-to-moderately severe asthma or rheumatoid |
| country get swept up in the latest health | | | | arthritis. One group (the variable) was instructed to |
| scare—bird flu, West Nile virus, Lyme's disease, | | | | write for a continuous twenty minutes about "the |
| whatever—the true killers garner less attention. | | | | most stressful event they had ever undergone" for |
| Though asthma is a constant problem growing | | | | three consecutive days, while the control group |
| worse, the fluxes in Lyme's disease on the East | | | | wrote only about neutral events for the same time |
| Coast, or a bad season of the West Nile virus in | | | | period. After four months, the variable group was |
| between North Dakota and Texas, are the stories | | | | twice as likely to have improved, and over five times |
| that grab the media's attention. The truth is, twenty | | | | as likely to have not degenerated. It was significant |
| times more people die from asthma every year than | | | | enough for the assistant professor to warrant |
| those who died from West Nile in its peak season. | | | | considerable attention, and to open up the health |
| The other problem, of course, is that for as long as | | | | community to considering more integrated |
| asthma's been around, still, no one's sure what causes | | | | approaches to treating patients with chronic |
| it. And that's frustrating, particularly for the increasing | | | | conditions. |
| number of adults who have been dealing with it their | | | | Since the cause of the dramatic increase in asthma |
| whole lives. It could be environmental, genetic, | | | | cases being treated during the past two decades has |
| symptoms of allergies, poor nutrition, weight gain, | | | | gone more or less unsolved, children affected by the |
| stress; it could be exposure, or lack of exposure, to | | | | pandemic in its early days are not only entering the |
| microbes…it could be a combination of all, or a | | | | healthcare system as adult asthma patients, but also |
| few factors, and (just to make it even more | | | | as healthcare practitioners with asthma. This provides |
| interesting), it's probably different for everyone. | | | | for an interesting twist that was rare twenty-five |
| Asthma is considered an autoimmune disorder, and, | | | | years ago: asthma patients studying and treating their |
| like all autoimmune disorders, complicated. Therefore, | | | | own group. The insights this may provide could prove |
| it's difficult for science to pinpoint sure causes. These | | | | invaluable as we discover better methods of |
| conditions are a combination of reactions between | | | | research, data collection, and diagnosis, and become |
| the internal processes of the body and the sensitive | | | | more open to the possibilities of integrated |
| and varied external processes of the world at large. | | | | approaches. |
| Environmental factors have been the focus, as | | | | So, once again, we see that young adults may be |
| genetics do not evolve quickly enough to affect such | | | | our greatest hope—those entering the medical |
| a mass population so quickly. | | | | and research fields with sharp, edgy minds open to |
| Roughly half of all asthma cases are believed to be | | | | possibility, backed by the advantages of not only the |
| caused by allergies, but that just begs the question: | | | | latest advances, but also by the motivation of |
| What's causing such an increase in allergies, then? | | | | personal experience—either through their own |
| Tobacco smoke and pollution are easy targets, but | | | | suffering or the suffering of a loved one. The |
| data doesn't pinpoint them specifically. | | | | growing asthma pandemic may not be solved yet, |
| While individuals diagnosed with asthma have | | | | but we now have perhaps the strongest ally in the |
| increased throughout Texas and nationally, many | | | | fight to date: personal experience. |
| areas of the country have actually experienced a | | | | |