Customer Reviews

The Harvard Medical School Guide To Taking Control Of Asthma

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a parent of a child just diagnosed with asthma, I was looking for a good reference for understanding what asthma is and how it is treated and managed. When I ordered this book, I was expecting a dry textbook type book long on theory and short on application. What I got was a clear well written and layed out book. It is easy to read and understand. It has up to date information on the current drugs and offers practical advice on how to manage asthma for the long haul. It has instuctions and advice on how to properly use the various medicines. It give me the knowledge to comfortably discuss asthma with my doctor and laid the foundation for establishing a long term treatment plan. Overall this is an excellent book on asthma.

I had asthma as a child, and now my daughter has it. This book is a reasonable introductory text, but you can find the same information on the internet. It provides an overview of asthma, covers medications, and medication delivery. Sentences like "We want to emphasize that even for the most severe asthma, highly effective, safe, and convenient medications are available" (picked at random) are strewn throughout the book, and give some idea of the authors' bias. Unfortunately, my daughter has experienced significant side-effects from her asthma medications. This book did not address this issue. The lists of medication side-effects are about what you'd find on the box. It does not discuss the pros/cons of various dosages, interaction of medications, or alternatives. If you or your child has just gotten asthma, and you are looking for an introductory reference book, this is probably a reasonable choice. Again, most of this information is easily found on the internet. If you are looking for more detailed information, I found this book lacking.

The book has special sections, e.g. Women, Children, Adult-onset, older folks, etc. I contracted adult-onset asthma and being a diver, the disease cramped my lifestyle. This comprehensive book helped me understand the causes of the disease, treatment, advances in medicine, asthma action plan, etc. It helped me to have an intelligent and informed discussion with my pulmonologist.

My mother is newly diagnosed with asthma, at age 68. Getting this diagnosis been a confusing process that hasn't been very well explained by her doctor. This book is full of good, medically based general information. I would recommend it for someone who needs an introduction to the subject that is fairly detailed but easy to understand.

I have suffered asthma for close to 2 years now, before I've
had allergy for a long time. The book explains very clearly what
asthma is and gives practical information on medication, answers
lots of questions that I didn't even know about. It also has
specific section for women regarding what medicine should be
used during pregnancy.