Have you had your inhaler switched?

A relevant but strangely ignored or not generally known fact about asthma and breathing troubles is that the change between weak (asthmatic) and strong (healthy) breathing is dependent on abdominal muscle tension. Slackening the muscles here causes abysmally weak and asthmatic breathing. Instead of describing an asthma attack as being like breathing through a straw (57,00 Google hits), attempting to breathe vigorously with relaxed abdominal muscles provides a more genuine illustrative example. Training the muscles, for example by “abdominal hollowing” (see Web articles) produces an antiasthmatic effect. Abdominal muscle tension plays a prominent part in Asian martial arts. So it is fair to assume that there is a natural breathing spectrum with an asthmatic tendency at one end and Ku Fu or Karate breathing at the other end. For a few words on the Japanese version of Asian breathing see http://www.lrz.de/~s3e0101/webserver/webdata/OBT.pdf I personally tend to breathe asthmatically after an evening meal or in pollen-laden air. Breathing powerfully into my lower abdomen with tensed muscles provides an effective cure for me. But then I’ve always been sceptical about medical wisdom on asthma: such a paradoxical and doctor-baffling increase in the last 40 years with modern, merely symptomatic inhalers. Respectfully, Richard Friedel

I have problems with generic MDIs ( the aerosol Inhalers) so now ensure I get the branded version. The generics have extra excipients in which affect my asthma. I prefer the branded nebules too. Also, some brands of prednisolone contain too many aditives so I check the leaflets. Other tablets, are mostly OK regardless of generics. The one they must not change is Theophylline tablets. Each brand is absorbed at different rates and this could over or under dose causing all sorts of problems. The key is to get friendly with your pharmacy and express your preference where apropriate. The only anoying thing about generic tablets is that they come in all sorts of different boxes and also the colour of capsules can be widely variable. this could be confusing for some people who know the 'pink tablet' is their water pill and the stripey one is the ' heart pill' . Consistency is also needed for compliance too! Especially with preventor inhalers. Kate

My son has previously been prescribed Pulmicort 200mg 1 dose twice a day in addition to a releiver he uses when required (not very often - mainly in the summer) and we have been very happy that his asthma is well controlled. However, having just picked up a repeat prescription this has been substituted for Symbicort, which in addition to 200mg of Budesonide also contains Formoterol, which we understand is a broncho-dilator (or reliever). We're very concerned that he will be using a reliever twice a day routinely when taking his 'preventer' - and what effects this might have long term is terms of dependancy upon a regular releiver when up until now he has not needed this routinely.

They tried to change my daughters ventolin inhaler from the larger one to the smaller one and personally my daughter did not cope well on it at all she said that after using it she felt worse as thiough she hadn't done it at all. It didn't suit her at all so I refused it and spoke to the asthma nurse at the surgery and she made sure that we were never given it again as she said that many people had complained it.