ALLERGIC DISEASES IN CHILDREN: REHABILITATION HOMES, CAMPS AND SCHOOLS FOR CHRONIC ASTHMA
Rehabilitation Homes for Chronic Asthma
Denver has one of the largest institutes in the United States operating under the principle of parentectomy in their asthma rehabilitation program. There are many excellent asthma institutes throughout the country, in most major cities. Some of them do not require the child to live in, but try to provide help on an out-patient basis. These centers may set up small groups for weekly classes in physical fitness. The age limit is usually from six to sixteen, with groups selected according to age and severity of asthma.
Breathing exercises taught in these centers seek to:
a. Teach the best use of respiratory muscles, especially the diaphragmatic muscle
b. Teach how to use exercises to stop an asthma attack in its early stages
ñ. Improve on exercise capacity d. Develop self-confidence
Breathing exercises are not curative. They represent only one additional tool to use in the management of asthma.
The Asthmatic Child at Camp and School
There are many asthma camps located in pollen-free areas which have a resident physician and which will keep a child all summer so that his return home coincides with the end of the allergy season. While at camp, the child must have an identification card containing his name, his phone number, his address, the name and phone number of his doctor, his blood type, his Rh factor, a list of his allergens, the dates of his immunizations, and an emergency kit to use for insect and bee stings. If he has eczema as well, he should avoid sweating (by controlling physical exercise) and excessive exposure to sunlight. He should swim in the ocean, but not in chlorinated pools. His desensitization program should continue while he is at camp.
The school of the asthmatic child should be an allergy-free place in which he may develop his personality, increase his knowledge, and learn to accept his shortcomings. While going to school in winter, he must be properly dressed, not with coarse woolen clothes, but with soft woolens* or synthetics, all of which must be taken out of storage and aired a few days before wearing. On cold days, he must wear a mask while in the street to avoid breathing frigid air. If riding a bus, he should sit near the driver where the fumes are less prevalent. In class, he should not erase blackboards or do cleaning chores that stir up dust or be near flowers, pets, or plants. His lunch should be prepared at home so he may avoid the foods to which he is allergic.
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Tags: Allergies