Featuring:

Do

n’t

Ho

ld y

our b

reath!

Brian

Jennie

Just when you thought your body worked for you…

Dr. Dan

Vanessa Rx

About this book:

Students participating in the Bench to Bedside project at Winthrop University created this book about Asthma.

Contributing Authors: Olivia Marie Newton Antonio OrtegaOther student participant: Karen Zelaya

Artist: Renwick Lateef Allen-McDowell

School Liaison: Angelica Christie, MEd.

About the Project

The South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium partnered with the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Lowcountry AHEC Health Careers Program and Winthrop University for a health information literacy project.

Students were charged with researching public health areas and creating educational comic books about their topics so that middle school students could also learn more about important health issues.

In the process, students learned about helpful resources from the U.S. National Library of Medicine and valuable communication, research, and creative skills, as well as increased their knowledge about health careers and health literacy.

www.scahec.netwww.nlm.nih.gov

For More Information about asthma and other health topics check out:

PubMed MedlinePlus www.pubmed.gov www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus

The Centers for Disease World Health OrganizationControl and Prevention www.who.int www.cdc.gov

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

Series 3, Volume 3 Published April 2017 If interested in obtaining copies of this book contact: South Carolina AHEC online (www.scahec.net) or call 843-792-4431

Vanessa, Brian, jennie aND CLASSMATES ARE PLAYING SOCCER IN THEIR P.E. CLASS.

JENNIE tAKEs MORE breaks THAN HER CLASSMATES IN ORDER TO CATCH HER BREATH.

HER CLASSMATES do not know that JENNIE WAS

DIAGNOSED WITH ASTHMA SEVERAL YEARS AGO.

Come on Brian! We need to get ready to play!

Your words here...

Jennie is still on the sideline as brian and vanessa walk back to class.

Why does Jennie keep taking breaks?

She is making our class look bad.

Yeah! why doesn’t she play goalie so she can

just stand there?

You guys shouldn’t be talking that way about

Jennie. she was diagnosed with asthma a couple of

years ago.

she can still participate in sports.

She just has to be more careful.

Look at her! Is it our fault that she is

out of shape? She can’t keep up with the rest of

us.

After P.E. class is over…

So? What’s the big Deal?

Well, we still think it’s because Jennie is lazy!

RX wonders how to handle the situation. Then he has an idea.

Let’s go visit my pal, Dr. Dan.

He is a pediatrician. That means he is a doctor

who takes care of children. he can teach us about

asthma.

At the doctor’s office

Hey, Dr. Dan.

We have a friend with asthma.

Would you tell us about it so

they can be more

“understanding” about her

condition.

Yes, of course! Let’s get started

on the basics!

What is a trigger ?

Great question! A trigger is anything that causes symptoms in individuals with asthma. People have different triggers.

Triggers can be in the environment, such as dust, pet dander, smoke, and pollen. Asthma can Also be triggered by having a cold, exercising or even certain kinds of weather.

asthma is a disease involving the airways in the lungs. These

airways are the bronchial tubes. they allow air to come in

and out of the lungs.

When someone has asthma these airways can become inflamed

and swollen. Exposure to

“Triggers” make the muscles tighten up

and narrow the airway even more.

This can cause shortness of

breath, coughing, and

tightness in the chest.

Dr.dan points to a picture of the lungs with bronchial tubes.

Imagine two straws. one clearly has a larger opening tube than the other.

if you hold your nose and breathe through each straw, which one would it be easier to get more air through?

the one with the bigger opening…

obviously!!

You are exactly right! The bigger straw is like a normal airway. it is

easy to take breaths in and release them.

Now imagine the inflamed

airway coated with thick

mucus! This makes it even

harder to move air through.

The smaller straw is like an airway of someone who

has asthma.

wow! that is a lot of people!how many

people have asthma, doc?

OK… got it!

we have seen an increase in the number

of individuals diagnosed with asthma.

according to the centers for disease control, about 24 million americans

have asthma.

that is more than 7% of adults and 8% of

children.

Does everyone with asthma have the same

symptoms?

no, some have mild or occasional symptoms that only

occur in the presence of specific triggers.

Others have asthma that is more difficult to control.

mild flare-ups may only last a few minutes. more severe asthma attacks can last hours or even days! it varies

person to person.

THANKS TO MEDICATIONS AND TREATMENT STRATEGIES, KIDS DON’T HAVE TO SIT AND WATCH. THEY CAN ACTUALLY PARTICIPATE IN SPORTS.

WITH KNOWLEDGE AND AN ASTHMA MANAGEMENT

PLAN, INDIVIDUALS CAN LEARN TO BETTER

CONTROL SYMPTOMS AND FLARE-UPS AND LIVE LIFE

NORMALLY!

jennie and her doctor created an aSTHMA ACTION

PLAN.

The plan EXPLAINS HoW TO PREVENT

SYMPTOMS and how to care for them

if they occur.

How do you treat asthma?

I see JENNIE using an inhaler everyday. Is that for the

ASTHMA?

Yes. But Having asthma doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with sports and other activities.

Exercise is very good for everyone, including those with

asthma!

People with asthma need to avoid triggers. a flare-up may occur if they push themselves too hard

causing fast, hard breaths, wheezing, and fatigue.

that’s why jennie moves to the sidelines! She is

controlling her breathing to prevent an attack.

so does that mean jennie isn’t out of shape? exercise is what triggers

her asthma?

SOME asthma medications ARE IN PILL FORM, BUT most ARE breathed into the lungs using AN INHALER OR A NEBULIZER.

THERE ARE TWO basic strategies to tREAT ASTHMA:

LONG-TERM CONTROL using medications that should be used daily to prevent flare-ups

AND

QUICK-RELIEF “RESCUE” using MEDICINES to RELIEVE ASTHMA SYMPTOMS when they occur.

Your words here...

Jennie uses her inhaler everyday.

why isn’t she cured of asthma?

asthma can be controlled, but not cured. From time to time symptoms may occur. symptoms can last for a long time when

constantly exposed to triggers.

Treatments vary depending on the

severity and frequency of the symptoms.

With a good plan in place, individuals can

do just about anything they want.

Here are some more healthcare professionals who specialize in asthma treatment and care:

- Physicians

- Respiratory Therapists

- Pharmacists

- Physician Assistants

- Immunologists

- Pulmonologists

… just to name a few.

Here are some famous athletes who have asthma:

David Beckham - World cup Soccer

Jerome Bettis - NFL

Dennis Rodman - NBA

Kaitlin Sandeno - Olympic swimmer

Jackie Joyner-Keasee - Olympic Track

… just to name a few.

Cigarette smoke is one of the most common triggers. It is very important for Children with asthma to avoid exposure to second-hand smoke.

Now I feel bad about

accusing Jennie of being lazy and making P.E. not fun…

How about we apologize to Jennie

for treating her poorly?

Me too. I now understand that asthma

is a disease that makes it harder for her to breathe.

It isn’t her fault that she has it.

Brian and vanessa head to the gym to find Jennie.

When you have healthy lungs, breathing is easy. A muscle called the diaphragm does most of the work to fill your lungs with oxygen, then

sends out the stale air and gases.

With asthma, my lungs don’t expand and contract as well as yours.

Stale air gets trapped in the lungs and fresh air doesn’t have room to come in.

Breathing exercises help me get rid of the stale air. I get more oxygen and the diaphragm has a

chance to do its job…. helping me breathe!

Now,,,, let’s play some basketball!

We now know you are just following

Doctor’s orders!Hey,

Jennie. We feel so badly about

being mean during PE, we didn't

realize you had asthma.

The diaphragm is the most efficient muscle of breathing.

Deep breathing, or Diaphragmatic breathing, helps the diaphragm work correctly.

Here are some tips to try when you can’t seem to catch your breath during exercise:

1. Stop your activity2. sit down and try to relax. Relaxing makes breathing easier.3. Lay down and place a light object, like a soccer ball or pillow on your stomach.4. As you breathe in, make the object on your stomach rise up.

This is just one technique. others include breathing through your nose slowly and breathing through pursed lips slowly.

Take a deep breath!!

Unscramble the following words you learned in this book:

Find the words associated with asthma:

Available titles in Series 2:

Smoking Stinks

Double Cup Dilemma

Mind Over Matter

Burns Don’t Take A Holiday

Available titles in Series 1:

Prescription Strength

The 1st 72 Hours: Earthquake

The Expert Investigator

Choosing the Way

Download copies at www.scahec.net/hcp/comic

A Special Thanks to:

Sandra S. Garner, Pharm d, BCPS, FCCPProfessor, Department of Clinical

and Outcome SciencesSouth Carolina College of Pharmacy

Medical University of South Carolina Campus

Other titles in Series 3

Not All Wounds Are Visible: The Mysterious Circumstances Known As Robert

Superbug Is My Name, Resistance Is My Game!

Diabetes: Ball’s in Your Court

South Carolina AHEC CENTERS

Regional AHEC Centers provide services to healthcare providers and students in all counties of South Carolina. The nature of the service and its delivery may vary among Centers. Please call or visit their web sites for specific information.

Lowcountry AHEC(843) 782-5052 www.lcahec.com

Mid-Carolina AHEC(803) 286-4121 www.midcarolinaahec.org

Pee Dee AHEC (843) 777-5343 www.peedeeahec.net

Upstate AHEC(864) 349-1160 www.upstateahec.org

Interested in a career in HEALTH CARE?

The South Carolina AHEC Health Careers Program works to increase the number of students entering the health professions in South Carolina. Emphasis is placed on underrepresented minority and disadvantaged students in order to address disparities in the health professions workforce. The Health Careers Program (HCP) is designed to develop academically proficient and self-confident future health care professionals.

For more information visit: www.scahec.net/hcp/hcp.html

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/healthcareers

AHEC Project Coordinators

Deborah Stier Carson, Pharm d Associate Program Director for Education

Angelica E. Christie, M EdDirector of Health Careers Program

Paula M. Jones, BHS, MBAHealth Careers Program Coordinator

Alicia McMenamin, MADirector of Communications

David R. Garr, MDExecutive Director