Q&A about asthma with Dr Mike Thomas - ANSWERS BACK

[RachelMumsnet]

We are pleased to tell you that Dr. Mike Thomas, the Asthma UK Senior Research Fellow with the University of Aberdeen is returning to Mumsnet, to answer your questions about asthma. If you have a question for Dr Thomas, please post to this thread before midday on Friday 10th February and we'll be posting to his answers on Wednesday 22 February.

Asthma affects approximately 5.4 million people in the UK1. A recent survey in the UK shows that almost 50% do not have their asthma under control. Many people living with asthma are unaware of the Asthma Control Test (ACT), a simple 30-second test developed by leading asthma experts, which gives asthma patients a useful measure of their asthma control in an easy-to-understand score.

THIS ASTHMA Q&A HAS BEEN SPONSORED BY GLAXOSMITHKLINE

Please can you give info on link between asthma and nutrition?

Both of my children (7 and 4) have mild asthma (since they were 1). Although they have no allergies we try to avoid dairy products (we never have dairy in the house but they are not restricted when out of the house, ie. visiting friends etc). They also get a strong vitamin D tablet every day from October to April as my daughter tested low (should be over 75, was 68) vitamin D (at hospital, referral from P). Since these changes, last summer was their first summer without asthma inhalers, but as soon as the cold and especially damp weather starts, they cough when they get a virus, so back on inhalers on asthma nurse's recommendation.

Looking forward to the Q & A session!

I'm really sorry to have missed the deadline for this Q&A but wondered if I could squeeze these qs in. How effective do you think clenil modulite is? I'm interested because I had problematic allergic asthma as a child in the 1970s and there was no preventative medicine around then, just some hideous medicine called 'tedral' that I can still taste and smell, which I would take once an attack started. Then along came the 'spinhaler' which I think was preventative - a capsule that one placed in a sort of propeller. I read a very inspiring obituary a few weeks ago for a doctor who was credited with realising the importance of getting medication straight to asthmatics' lungs, so presumably this was all around the same period in time. Then in the 1980s I got blue and brown aerosol inhalers that look very much like what's around today. Thankfully I haven't needed to use them much but got viral asthma in the autumn. I was told to use ever-increasing doses of clenil, which had little effect. I then saw a different GP who recommended seretide as much more effective, which has been my very positive experience.

So my two questions are: was the 1970s / 80s a particularly exciting period in asthma developments and has there been a comparable phase since?and if clenil modulite has been around for 30 or so years and there are more effective treatments available, why is it still one of the first and most common treatments that seem to be prescribed? Thank you very much.

Most of these questions have to do with medications regimens and the side effects of the drugs.

My question is : Why do doctors and nurses ignore very substantial evidence for curing asthma by using specific breathing methods as described by Professor Buteyko. The Buteyko Method

It's not rocket science to change the way you breathe and cure asthma, but why aren't the medical profession clued into this cheap, easy Russian treatment? Are they really just drug pushers and not interested in a cure? How can you justify ignoring the documented evidence of a cure?

I've completely cured my asthma with this new way of breathing, and I'm not being trite. I understand how asthma effects your life: my own sister died of an asthma attack - inhaler in her hand, like so many others do.

Isn't it time we all learnt how to breathe and cured ourselves? How many more people have to die before we wake up to the fact the drugs don't work?

Hello, where can i find the outcome of the Q and A session? Thought the answers would be on the thread, have I missed it completely?

This Q&A is now closed. Jenster1976 we'll be linking to the archived Q&A from this thread on Wednesday 22nd February and also from 'Mumsnet Latest' which appears in a box on the right hand side of most pages.

We're afraid there's going to be a bit of a delay in getting Dr Mike Thomas' answers up and they won't be live tomorrow. We'll keep you posted on this but should hopefully have the full archived Q&A live by early next week.

bump

Any news?

Bit disappointing really.

Any answers yet?

Interested in this...

Why do doctors always keep us waiting?

MN please pull your finger out (medical terminology) and update us!

Mumsnet - have you seen there is an active topic regarding bad manners?? YOU last updated us three weeks ago.

Do we not, at the very least, deserve an explanation, apology...grovelling?

Okay, ready to grovel....I am so sorry there is still a delay with this. Although the Q&A is ready to go live our end, the PR company who we're working with are wanting sign off their end and this has taken somewhat longer than expected. I was ready to post on the boards to update you but was unable to get you a concrete answer the back end of last week, so held out 'til today. I assure you we are chasing and hopefully will have the answers up live tomorrow (if not later today). I'll update again tomorrow.

Here you go...

Q&A with Dr Mike Thomas

Big apologies again to you all for the delay.

I can't use the link on the crap iPhone app

Neither can I use the link via than app. Very disappointed here

I've asked techs to look into this but here's the URL:

www.mumsnet.com/qanda/asthma-triggers-and-treatments-dr-mike-thomas

@slalomsuki

Neither can I use the link via than app. Very disappointed here

The new version of the app will be out in early April and the links will work on that.

Very disappointing. After all that expectant wait, my questions haven't even been acknowledged or answered. I feel very let down

Me too

Very disappointed

It was all a bit of a "blue do" wasn't it and the medical profession not doing themselves any favours.