What is World Asthma Day?
World Asthma Day is an annual event organised by the Global Initiative for Asthma [GINA], a World Health Organization [WHO] collaborative group founded in 1993. World Asthma Day is held every May to raise awareness about asthma and its effects worldwide.
GINA is aware that too many of the public aren't clued up on how asthma affects millions across the globe. That's why they've fought hard to update the public on this respiratory condition since 1998.
Debunking asthma myths
This year, the theme for World Asthma Day is Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions.
Many people – including people living with asthma – believe the hundreds of asthma myths passed down over the years.
Such myths include:
- Asthma is infectious
- Asthma is a childhood condition that you grow out of before adulthood
- You can't exercise with asthma
Thousands or more believe in these misconceptions, leading to the condition being stigmatised or not taken seriously.
GINA recognises that educating the world about asthma and debunking these myths will lead to better care for the condition.
To join forces with World Asthma Day, Life Effects have collaborated with another Teva initiative called Let's Talk Respiratory.
What is Let’s Talk Respiratory?
Let's Talk Respiratory [LTR] is an initiative by Teva that helps patients understand and manage their respiratory or lung conditions. The three conditions currently covered are asthma, COPD, and cystic fibrosis.
LTR aims to be an educational program of supportive materials, resources, and the latest news in respiratory for people wanting to learn more about the condition. The program aims to support and encourage anyone managing asthma, COPD, or cystic fibrosis and make a real difference in their lives.
In the Asthma section of LTR, there are three sections to help you control your asthma and continue with your everyday life:
Under “Living with Asthma”, you'll also find a range of articles from our very own Life Effects website. You'll find top asthma-managing tips, ways to asthma-proof your home, and how to keep good health during the tail-end of the pandemic.
Life Effects, Let’s Talk Respiratory, and World Asthma Day
As well as introducing you to the wonderful Let's Talk Respiratory resource, we've handpicked some of Life Effect's best asthma and COPD articles for World Asthma Day.
Editor's note: Some articles have been adapted to make them more appropriate for the current COVID-19 situation.
Asthma:
For teacher Cróna Tansey, the classrooms are now open. Here's how she made sure that she and the school were asthma-ready.
Cróna Tansey discusses how the global pandemic has put asthma in the spotlight.
Cróna Tansey highlights the often-unfair portrayal of asthma in mainstream media and why this needs to change.
As someone who lives with asthma and works with children, Cróna Tansey is well-placed to give her top tips for teaching children about asthma.
Kerri MacKay is living with asthma. In this article, she lists a few things she is tired of hearing from people who don’t have the condition. She also offers ways to respond to those comments.
COPD:
It's possible to have COPD without ever having smoked. John Bottrell separates the facts and fiction about this common condition.
In this piece, COPD educator John Bottrell shares a few important questions everyone with COPD should ask themselves and their doctors.
As lockdown restrictions ease, Steven Hudson now feels hope. Here's how he deals with COVID-19, mental health, and his COPD diagnosis.
There is a lot of stigma associated with COPD, and yet, most people know very little about the disease. This means that people can sometimes say hurtful things. Barbara Moore explores how to deal with this.
NPS-IE-NP-00264 May 2021