Asthma Triggers

 

Article Body

We are seeing asthma flare up right now and thought it would be a good idea to go over what to do to help it. Certain things cause asthma “attacks” or make asthma worse.  These are called triggers. Some common asthma triggers are

• Things your child might be allergic to. These are called allergens. (Most children with asthma have allergies, and allergies are a major cause of asthma symptoms.)
• House dust mites
• Animal dander
• Cockroaches
• Mold
• Pollens
• Infections of the airways
• Viral infections of the nose and throat
• Other infections, such as pneumonia or sinus infections
• Irritants in the environment (outside or indoor air you breathe)
• Cigarette and other smoke
• Air pollution
• Cold air, dry air
• Odors, fragrances, volatile organic compounds in sprays, and cleaning products
• Exercise (About 80% of people with asthma develop wheezing, coughing, and a tight feeling in the chest when they exercise.)
• Stress

Be sure to check all of your child’s “environments,” such as school, child care, and relatives’ homes, for exposure to these same things.

Help Your Child Avoid Triggers

While it is impossible to make the place you live in completely allergenor irritant-free, there are things you can do to reduce your child’s exposure to triggers. The following tips may help.

• Do not smoke or let anyone else smoke in your home or car.
• Reduce exposure to dust mites. The most necessary and effective things to do are to cover your child’s mattress and pillows with special allergy-proof encasings, wash their bedding in hot water every 1 to 2 weeks, remove stuffed toys from the bedroom, and vacuum and dust regularly. Other avoidance measures, which are more difficult or expensive, include reducing the humidity in the house with a dehumidifier or removing carpeting in the bedroom. Bedrooms in basements should not be carpeted.
• If allergic to furry pets, the only truly effective means of reducing exposure to pet allergens is to remove them from the home. If this is not possible, keep them out of your child’s bedroom and consider putting a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in their bedroom, removing carpeting, covering mattress and pillows with mite-proof encasings, and washing the animals regularly.
• Reduce cockroach infestation by regularly exterminating, setting roach traps, repairing holes in walls or other entry points, and avoiding leaving exposed food or garbage.
• Mold in homes is often due to excessive moisture indoors, which can result from water damage due to flooding, leaky roofs, leaking pipes, or excessive humidity. Repair any sources of water leakage. Control indoor humidity by using exhaust fans in the bathrooms and kitchen, and adding a dehumidifier in areas with naturally high humidity. Clean existing mold contamination with detergent and water. Sometimes porous materials such as wallboards with mold contamination have to be replaced.
• Pollen exposure can be reduced by using an air conditioner in your child’s bedroom, with the vent closed, and leaving doors and windows closed during high pollen times. (Times vary with allergens, ask your allergist.)
• Reduce indoor irritants by using unscented cleaning products and avoiding mothballs, room deodorizers, or scented candles.
• Check air quality reports in weather forecasts or on the Internet. When the air quality is poor, keep your child indoors and be sure he takes his asthma control medications.
• Decreasing your child’s exposure to triggers will help decrease symptoms as well as the need for asthma medications.

 If you feel like your child may have asthma please call and schedule an appointment with your Primary Care doctor today. He/She would be happy to help and see if your child has asthma. If you child is having a lot of "flare" ups than you may want to also consider coming in to manage your childs asthma better. Please feel free to contact us for more questions.

**Info from healthchildren.org/ AAP

Helmets are for EVERYONE

Wear a helmet every time you lace up your roller blades or climb on your bike, skateboard, scooter or horse--no matter what your age!

To fit your child's helmet, follow these steps:
1-Place a snug-fitting helmet on the child's head
2-Adjust the helmet straps so the helmet cannot be moved from side to side or back and forth.
3-There should be about one finger width between the chin strap and the child's chin.

Remember to:
1-Ride your bike on the right-hand side of the street
2-Obey all traffic laws, signs, and signals
3-Ride skateboards and scooters on the sidewalk
4-Give cars and pedestrian the right-of-way
5- Wear a helmet and protective clothing, no matter how slowly you are riding, because a fall at any speed can cause severe head injury.

Set an example by wearing a helmet and encouraging your friends to wear them! Remember a helmet only works if you were it!

**info from PCMC

Report says US children are spending less time reading for fun

Summer is right around the corner! We suggest that you make reading a part of the FUN that you do for the summer. Dr Jopling found this wonderful report and wanted to share it. Your local libraries all have summer activites planned for the next few months. Drop by your local library to pick up a schedule and a few "FUN" books while you are there! Have a fun time reading!

A Common Sense Media report showed that 76% of 9-year-olds reported reading for pleasure at least once a week in 2013, down from 81% in 1984. Reading for fun was less prevalent among older children, with approximately a third of 13-year-olds and nearly 50% of 17-year-olds in one study saying they read for fun less than twice a year.
(Reuters Health) - Although American children still spend part of their days reading, they are spending less time doing it for pleasure than decades ago, with significant gaps in proficiency, according to a report released on Monday.
The San Francisco-based nonprofit Common Sense Media, which focuses on the effects of media and technology on children, published the report, which brings together information from several national studies and databases.
“It raises an alarm,” said Vicky Rideout, the lead author of the report. “We’re witnessing a really large drop in reading among teenagers and the pace of that drop is getting faster and faster.”
The report found that the percentage of nine-year-old children reading for pleasure once or more per week had dropped from 81 percent in 1984 to 76 percent in 2013, based on government studies. There were even larger decreases among older children.
A large portion rarely read for pleasure. About a third of 13-year-olds and almost half of 17-year-olds reported in one study that they read for pleasure less than twice a year.
Of those who read or are read to, children tend to spend on average between 30 minutes and an hour daily with that activity, the report found. Older children and teenagers tend to read for pleasure for an equally long time each day.
Rideout cautioned that there may be difference in how people encounter text and the included studies may not take into account stories read online or on social media.
The report also found that many young children are struggling with literacy. Only about one-third of fourth grade students are “proficient” in reading and another one-third scored below “basic” reading skills.
Despite the large percentage of children with below-basic reading skills, reading scores among young children have improved since the 1970s, according to one test that measures reading ability.
The reading scores among 17-year-olds, however, remained relatively unchanged since the 1970s.
About 46 percent of white children are considered “proficient” in reading, compared with 18 percent of black children and 20 percent of Hispanic kids.
Those gaps remained relatively unchanged over the past 20 years, according to the report.
“To go 20 years with no progress in that area is shameful,” Rideout said.
The report highlights some behaviors that have been tied to children being more frequent readers. Those behaviors include parents setting aside time to read with their children and parents reading themselves to model good behavior.

Utah Autism Waiver

 

Accepting New Applications!!!

 

 

From May 4th to May 18th, 2014 the Utah Department of Health will accept applications for the Medicaid Autism Waiver program.

 

This program assists children, ages 2 through 6, who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

 

For more information, please contact the Utah Department of Health at 801-538-6357 or visit the website at: http://heath.utah.gov/autismwaiver

 

If you need any help please contact our office and talk to our Home Health Coordinator/RN Noemi

On this website, you will find the following information:

• Documents/criteria needed to qualify
• Services offered in the program
• Sign up for automatic email updates 

Asthma Camp

The American Lung Association has announced the summer camp at Camp Wyatt. July 14-18 for kids ages 7-14 with asthma. It takes place at the Utah Elks Camp Wapiti in Tooele. They will canoe, swim, and zipline while learning to control asthma with new friends. Registration ends June 27th. For more information or to register please contact: 801-931-6990 glanham@lungutah.org

More tips on Poison Control Awareness Week

Safety tips at home:

• More than 90 percent of poisonings happen in people's homes, mainly in the kitchen or bathroom.
• Keep all medicines, household cleaners and garden chemicals up high where children can't see or reach them.
• Never store household cleaning products in containers looking like cups or bottles
• Never mix household cleaning products together. Mixing them can cause poisonous gas
• Swallowing a button battery can be deadly for a child. Call right away if a battery is missing from an electronic.

Spotlight on Prescription painkillers:

• The FDA is calling prescription drug abuse an "Epidemic". Prescription painkillers are responsible for a lot of addiction and abuse
• Get rid of prescription painkillers when you are finished with them. (you can take them to your local fire department or police station-no questions asked)
• If you are currently using presciption painkillers, lock them up so you are the only one that can use them.
• Prescription painkiller abuse does not draw boundaries, This epidemic hits the young, old, women and men and all income levels.

General Tips:

• Buy products in child-resistant packaging whenever possible. But remember, child-resistant is not childproof. They are designed to keep children away from the product for a short time period.
• Tell children what medicine is and why you are giving it to them.
• Never leave medicine out on a kitchen counter or at a sick child's bedside
• Always turn the light on when giving or taking medicine. Check the dosage every time.
• Clean out medicine cabinets periodically
• Use the measuring device that the medicine came with, not a kitchen spoon for instance
• Never share or sell your prescription medication
• Keep medicines in there original bottles or containers wherever possible. If you transfer medication to a different container, put in a high place where children can not see or reach the medication
• Laundry products labels contain first aid information and are valuable resource for consumers
• Teach children that laundry and cleaning solutions are not toys.
• Store food in a separate area than cleaning products and chemicals
• While working with chemicals wear protective clothing, goggles, gloves, etc
• Keep Magnetic toys and other magnetics items away from small children.
• Install carbon monoxide detectors in your home. One in every area of the home
• If calling poison control have the bottle handy to read all information for Poison Control

Tips on Poison Control Prevention Week

This week we will be giving you several tips and facts about Poison Control Prevention Week. We hope that this information is a great reminder on how to keep our children safe.

Children Act Fast....So do Poisons

• Over 50% of calls to poison centers involve children 6 Years and younger. Keep medicine locked up and out of reach
• Keep cleaning supplies and medicines locked up and away from children.
• When it comes to poison prevention, child-resistant is not child-proof. Layer the protection: re-seal, lock up, out of sign and reach
• Tell children what medicine is and why you must be the one to give it to them. Never call medicine "candy" to get them to take it
• Keep the Poison Control line number handy. Save it to your cell phone also

Poison Centers: Saving you Time and Money

• Poison centers are Fast, Confidential, and give expert medical advice 24/7 for free
• More than 90 percent of cases from the public can be managed over the phone without a hospital visit.
• Poison Centers save $1.8 billion a year by keeping people out of hospitals and getting them back to work and school sooner.

1-800-222-1222