American Lung Association Family Guide to Asthma and Allergies [Hardcover]

American Lung Association (Author), Norman H. Edelman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1997

A complete guide to asthma and allergies in both children and adults answers questions about triggers, treatment, and preventive help, and offers suggestions on how to recognize the symptoms of these common problems. 25,000 first printing. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Like most asthma sufferers, you probably stumbled onto the disease, completely incognizant of why you suddenly couldn't do something as simple as breathing. For the estimated 14.6 million Americans who suffer from asthma and related allergies, the American Lung Association's Family Guide to Asthma and Allergies is the essential aid in preventing and treating asthma. The first chapters walk you through the underlying causes of asthma. They identify common triggers and explain the biochemical reactions these triggers set off in the body in easy-to-understand terms, clarifying the interconnected relationship between asthma and other allergies. The rest of the book offers thorough, practical instruction. A chapter on allergy-proofing your house leaves no dust mite or speck of pollen unaccounted for. Each chapter provides checklists to help you manage everyday situations, such as educating the babysitter, preparing for a vacation, or even teaching your child how to use different medications and gradually learn how to control his or her own condition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Especially helpful for those newly diagnosed and for parents with asthmatic and allergic children, this practical book is well designed with lists, questions, tips, and personal stories. It identifies common triggers, explains how to allergy-proof your home, and reviews unconventional testing and treatments. Includes a good resource list. (LJ 6/1/97)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown; 1st edition (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316212717
• ISBN-13: 978-0316212717
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,785,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Eerily similar to another book, May 24, 2007

By 

Patrick Price "Sara Spalding" (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The American Lung Association Family Guide to Asthma and Allergies (Paperback)

When I picked up this book to read the section on dust mites this afternoon, I felt terribly confused because it sounded just like the book I read earlier this afternoon. I checked to make sure I hadn't accidentally acquired two versions of the same book, but no, I hadn't. The other book, Taming Asthma and Allergy by Controlling Your Environment: A Guide for Patients by Robert A. Wood, was published three years earlier and didn't appear to have any link to this one. Dr. Wood is not an author of the ALA book, and his book is not credited in the dust mites section (although it is listed as a reference on page 221 of the ALA book.

I compared the two books line-by-line, and they were eerily similar: the American Lung Association's section on dustmites copies the structure of the prior book, with some slight paraphrasing and editing. For example, here's a breakdown of one paragraph found on page 65-66 of the Wood book, and p. 79 of the ALA book:

WOOD: "The next step is to remove all unnecessary fabric items, especially stuffed animals."
ALA: "The next step to controlling dustmites is to consider removing all unnecessary fabric items from the bedroom. Try to get rid of as many stuffed animals as possible."

WOOD "Other items you should remove from the bed include extra pillows, canopies, and comforters -- especially down comforters. Replace them with items that can be laundered easily, and wash all items in a hot cycle at least once every two weeks."
ALA, p. 79 You should also remove extra pillows, canopies, and thick comforters (especially down comforters) and replace them with items you can readily wash. You should wash all bedding in hot water at least two weeks to kill mites.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing common sense for a governmental publication, September 23, 2002

By 

Richard C. Jensen (San Diego, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The American Lung Association Family Guide to Asthma and Allergies (Paperback)

This book provides a good baseline start for controlling environmental allergies for parents with highly allergic or asthmatic children. Of course, the parents themselves can also benefit by following the procedures indicated in the book. Two things that I did not find in the book were: a comprehensive plan for dealing with food allergies/food sensivities, and also what nutritional supplements people with allergies/asthma should be taking. Vitamin C should be taken by all people who have allergies and/or asthma, because high doses of Vitamin C block mast cell degranulation, which inhibits histamine release (thus Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine). Also, Vitamin C has bronchodilator effects. For more information about Vitamin C's myriad functions, read the book The Failures of American Medicine.