First Aid

ASTHMA WEEK IS ON 1-7 SEPTEMBER    

It’s Asthma Week from 1-7 September, and this year we’re exploring the role stigma plays in asthma. That’s thoughts like “it’s not that serious” or “they should take their puffer in private”.

These thoughts can leave you feeling self-conscious or alone. It might even make you feel awkward about taking your asthma treatment in front of others. This stigma can have a direct impact on your health and affect how you manage your asthma.

To further understand the issue of stigma, we did a survey asking Australians about their views on asthma. We uncovered some hard truths, especially about workplaces and puffer use in public.

You can access the survey results here, along with some helpful information to share with your friends, loved ones and your workplace about how they can help remove asthma stigma. 

Paramedic Urges - Don't delay asking your doctor about asthma 

Paramedic, Jude Barnes, reflects....  when it came to acting on her own breathing difficulties, she admits she was partly in denial about having asthma, even to the point of being stubborn about treatment. This is despite long overnight shifts responding to people in medical crisis, including asthma attacks.  Read the Blog here

About 80% of people with asthma also have hay fever. Both create sensitivity in your airways.

Asthma creates sensitive lungs, while hay fever is in the nose. Your nose and lungs are connected, so hay fever can trigger your asthma. Treating your hay fever well is one of the best ways to improve your asthma control.

Asthma preventers take 2-4 weeks to reach full effect for most people, occasionally up to 12 weeks. Guidelines recommend starting at least 2 weeks before your trigger season if you don’t take them year-round.  

Allergy nasal sprays (steroid sprays) take a few days to reach their full effect. It takes between 3-36 hours for them to kick in after first dose. Get ready for pollen season by starting them before your allergy symptoms begin. Learn more here