Most people in the developed world have drank through a straw before. Random, but true.
All the times you have done it, have you ever imagined what it would be like to breathe through it? Probably not. Imagine not being able to get air through your nostrils and all you can do is inhale and exhale through that tiny little hole at the end of the straw. Pretty hard right? Now imagine trying to play a sport like that or lift weights. Let's be honest: it's practically impossible.
What may seem like a trivial exercise is in fact a reality for, according to the National Center for Disease Control, about 1 out of every 12 people in the US suffer from asthma (a number which continues to rise over time), an incurable, chronic disease which, under a variety of circumstances, causes one's body to become his/her own worst enemy by reacting in a multitude of negative ways.
Asthma incurs a myriad of symptoms, but some of the most common are allergic rhinitis (allergic reaction from inhaling or eating something one is allergic to — includes teary eyes, runny nose, sneezing, itchiness), shortness of breath (inability to take in enough oxygen due to a constriction of the airways), wheezing, and coughing. Depending on the intensity of the bodily response (commonly referred to as an asthma attack) people may need to sit down and relax, use an inhaler (Called a bronchodilator), be treatment with a nebulizer, or even be hospitalized (According to the CDC again, the average length of stay is 3.6 days) - to put this in perspective, something as serious as a total knee replacement has a recovery period of only 3-4 days before you can walk and about 6 days before all bandages are removed and you check out of the hospital.
This isn't simply a plug for asthma, though having a father who suffers from extremely severe asthma does make me want to write exactly that, but more so an explanation - An eye opener that is supposed to help people understand why we all need to be a little more conscious of it; conscious of what decisions we make and how they can negatively affect others, specifically, those with asthma.
I believe asthma doesn't receive the attention it deserves in terms of funding for research or simple media coverage. Sure asthma doesn't kill nearly as many people as other diseases, but it negatively influences the quality of life of so any Americans that I find it quite hard to believe that it has not yet been addressed. Media doesn't help at all, in fact, it probably does the opposite. In most movies when someone is identified as an asthmatic, they are normally a larger, awkward child who has been cut out and alienated because of his "weirdness". It actually boggles my mind, since nowadays any movie which pokes fun at or generalizes negatively about anything which affects 2% of the population, much less 8% would be criticized and deemed brash.
That said, I believe the two things which most need to change for asthma are 1) The public interest in it (all aspects) especially in terms of funded research, and 2) The negative stereotypes which have prevailed in media and in turn transitioned into common perception, specifically that asthma afflicts some small and odd portion of the world's population. So, try to understand asthma for what it really is and I hope that some of you will have gained some respect for this seemingly minor ailment.
