Does your doctor use an electronic medical record or EMR? Do you think you get better care because of it? Are you able to go in and see your medical records? Would you like to see your doctor use this technology?

Take the poll, leave a comment, and go to the forum to join the discussion.

Learn More

• iPhone Apps To Track Asthma Symptoms, Triggers, and Medication Use

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Asthma Mom recently asked her readers about what they did when encountering someone smoking in public. This can be of great concern to those with asthma and it can be incredibly annoying when smokers are ignoring no smoking signs or laws. I think you will find her and her readers comments very interesting.

What do you do? Leave a comment to share with our asthma community.

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Should we consider banning peanuts from schools given the risk of exposure, and possibly life-threatening symptoms as a result, to children with peanut allergy? This is clearly a controversial topic, and would lead to other questions, such as banning other foods, who could/should be held responsible for enforcing such a ban, as well as implications of governmental control and the rights of non-peanut-allergic children to eat lunches containing peanuts. What are your thoughts?

Read more:

• All About Peanut Allergy
• Preparing for Food Allergies at School
• Should Peanuts Be Banned From Schools?

How asthma friendly is your or your child’s school? With schools getting started over the country is time to think about your school year asthma plan.

I thought I would take a poll to see how asthma friendly your school is?

Do you think your school is asthma friendly?

Take the poll, leave a comment, and go to the forum to join the discussion.

Learn More

1. Ten Tips To Help Your Child Cope With Asthma At School
2. Color Code Your Child’s Inhalers
3. Right to Carry Medications in School for Asthma & Allergies
4. Talking About School Asthma With Your Child’s Teacher

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I ran across Sarah’s asthma blog and I thought her list of pet peeves is very interesting. Do you have asthma pet peeves? Why not let us know what yours are?

Leave a comment here or join the discussion in the forum.

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Earlier this week I asked how asthma friendly your school was. As you go back to school, there are number of things you can do to make sure your child’s asthma is well controlled. Check out these suggestions from Asthma Mom. She provides a number of practical tips from an experienced Mom with asthma kids to make sure your child’s return to school is safe and smooth.

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Does your doctor use a certified asthma educator? Asthma educators have demonstrated knowledge, skills, and have passed a certification exam. Have you ever seen an asthma educator? What did you think? Take the poll and leave a comment.

Why would giving a person what they’re allergic to actually help their allergy symptoms? While it sounds strange, this is exactly what’s been accomplished by allergy shots over the past 100 years. Unlike homeopathic treatments, allergy shots acutally stimulate the immune system to stop making allergic antibodies against pollen, pet dander, mold and dust mites — common triggers for allergy symptoms. The body treats allergy shots like a vaccine — more like getting a tetanus shot — which stimulates the production of “infection fighting” antibodies against allergens, turning off the allergic antibody production. Allergy shots also make a person more “tolerant” to their allergens. All of these immunologic changes result in the reduction or elimination of allergy symptoms.

Learn more:

• What Happens During an Allergic Reaction?
• All About Allergy Shots
• What About Allergy Drops?

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that infects mice and makes them less afraid of cats. The fearless mice are more likely to be eaten by cats, and the parasite reproduces in the cats’ digestive tract. Toxoplasma’s ability to alter mouse behavior has led to a bit of evidence and a lot of theories about how human brains might be affected by the parasite. Since about a third of adult humans worldwide have toxoplasmosis, this is a pretty important question.

The most obvious starting point is behavior driven by fear or fearlessness. According to Stanford researcher Robert Sapolsky,  “Two different groups independently have reported that people who are Toxo-infected have three to four times the likelihood of being killed in car accidents involving reckless speeding.” Patrick House of Slate observes that countries where rates of toxoplasmosis are higher have better soccer teams. Less obvious but perhaps more intriguing is a possible link between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia. According to Physorg:

Evidence that T. gondii infections may be a cause of schizophrenia, while not yet conclusive, is growing, [Johns Hopkins researcher] Yolken said. A review of past studies, published last year by Yolken and Torrey, collected a variety of intriguing correlations. For example: People with schizophrenia have a higher prevalence of T. gondii antibodies in their blood. There are unusually low rates of schizophrenia and toxoplasmosis in countries where cats are rare, and unusually high rates in places where eating uncooked meat is customary. And some adults with toxoplasmosis show psychotic symptoms similar to schizophrenia.

Studies have linked a history of toxoplasmosis with increased rates of other mental changes, too, including bipolar disorders and depression. A 2002 study in the Czech Republic noted slowed reflexes in Toxoplasma-positive people and found links between the infection and increased rates of auto accidents.

A University of Maryland study last year found that people with mood disorders who attempt suicide had higher levels of T. gondii antibodies than those who don’t try to take their own lives. Still, the links between schizophrenia and toxoplasmosis are not simple. For example, most people infected with T. gondii never become schizophrenic. And not all schizophrenics have been exposed to Toxoplasma.

Even seemingly clear-cut research results are open to interpretation: witness Sapolsky talking about recklessness while the Physorg article connects the auto accidents to slow reflexes. The practical question of whether the symptoms of schizophrenia can be effectively and efficiently reduced by treating toxoplasmosis–which is itself a difficult task due to T. gondii’s talent for hiding and protecting itself–remains to be answered. Nonetheless, it’s always interesting to see physical causes suggested for mental illness, even as we stay wary of anyone offering a simple cure.

Does your doctor talk with you by email? Do you find this useful or do you wish your doctor would do this?

Take the poll and leave a comment or join the discussion in the forum.