More women, teen girls getting asthma

Q: My 16-year-old was just told that she has asthma. She’s about the sixth girl in her grade who’s been diagnosed with this condition. What can moms do to help their daughters deal with asthma? — Rebecca G., Evanston, Illinois

A: After puberty, females are much more likely than males to develop asthma. It turns out testosterone suppresses an immune system cell involved in allergic asthma.

Asthma demands an action plan that describes the daily treatment schedule and when to call the doctor or head to the emergency room. Your doctor should give you a written version, or you can print a form out at www.nhlbi.nih.gov. Search for “asthma action plan.”

Your daughter’s medication regimen probably will include a long-termcontrol medicine, such as an inhaled corticosteroid. Fully 40 percent of children with asthma do not take long-term-control medication regularly. That leads to asthma attacks, overuse of rescue inhalers and hospitalization. Her treatment plan also will call for having a short-acting rescue inhaler on hand — at school, in her backpack and at home. That can save her life if she gets a flare.

If your daughter and her classmates get regular medical care from an asthma specialist, follow the treatment guidelines and avoid asthma triggers, their breathing will improve, and they should thrive!

Q: I don’t know about these fidget spinners. My kids want them. Are they OK or just a distraction? — Jodi R., Tampa, Florida

A: For some children, a spinner can have a calming effect, and for others it’s a distraction. Some schools are banning them. But some special-ed programs are promoting these devices, and an Australian study found that such “fine motor activity” helps kids with ADHD do better in math .

If you’ve somehow missed this phenomenon, a fidget spinner is a three-pronged, handheld propeller-like toy that spins around your finger on a ball-bearing ring.

For fidgety kids (foot tappers, hair twirlers) and kids with stress, anxiety and attention disorders, it appears to calm them down and help them focus. For others, it can induce mindless distraction. The online magazine Education Week Teachers reports that 32 percent of high schools in the U.S. have banned the toys, and some schools ask that kids bring a note from their doctor if they plan on using them during class. Go with your doc’s advice.

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.