Life Right Centre for Health & Wellbeing

Pathway Notes on The Asthma Accumulation Trial

1. There is no gold standard for identifying Asthma. (Peat J, et al. continuing the debate about measuring asthma in population studies. Thorax 2001; 56: 406-11)

2. Asthma symptoms can be due to cardiac, neurological and drug related causes
(Dow. L. Asthma in Older People. Clin Exp Allergy 1998;28 (suppl 5): 195-202)

3. A base line spirometry exam can give clues as to pathology underlying to GPs in Asthma like symptoms. (Appleton S. et al J Allergy Clin Immunol 2005;116:976-82.)

4. The guidelines of the BTS / SIGN
http://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/clinical-information/asthma/asthma-guidelines.aspx
Can be used to identify those who have asthma like symptoms; breathlessness and cough

5. We will look for impacts to asthma during the trial and then compare this to previous 12 months. Asthma will be identified as per BTS guidelines. There may be a matched group who we will compare with any changes in the intervention group to possibly account for natural variation.

6. Those in the active group will have their new innovative care provided by the team at Life Right, Oakley Suite, Gillies Health Centre. GP’s endorse the involvement of the people they have put forward to be part of the trial. Patient is not denied any form of care.

Individual Beliefs about CAM

7. Those who take part in the trial will take a CAMBI Questionnaire to facilitate future referral pathway efficiency. (Bishop FL. Et al. Complementary and alternative medicine beliefs inventory Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2005) 13, 144—149)

Side Effects of Steroids used in Asthma Treatment

8. Choosing not to have corticosteroids benefits the persons health if they are able to cope without the drugs; especially in children (Varicella infection and inhaled corticosteroid use Journal of Pediatrics 123 (4) 577-579) and Dexamethasone decreases brain cell mitochondrial activity (International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience 25 (5) 309-316). The hypoglycaemic effect of dexamethasone could make brains more susceptible to excitotoxins and thus give rise to ‘abnormal’ behavioural patterns in children.

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