For a couple of weeks we have talked about licensure and burnout. Let's focus on some things to avoid the burnout and help us through the licensure trials. Some may question why I write about such things, but being a well-rounded therapist means you have to look at life from all angles, not just from inside the hospital walls. A respiratory ...

The New York Daily News has released a story about how the smoking rate in the South Bronx is among the highest in the United States, along with the asthma rate. The article provides some loose correlation between smoking and asthma. While respiratory therapists and asthma educators have known about this correlation for years, the article may help ...

Asthma patient Rob Bonora, 22, of Nutley, N.J., and his friend Anthony Greco, 23, are walking across the U.S. Their mission is to stress the importance of a healthy lifestyle and raise money for the Gail's Angels Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support to families that have a mom with breast cancer and also care for ...

In recent months, I have been trying to win a grant from Pepsi in their ''Refresh Everything'' challenge. Although I have not won yet, I have come close a few times. What I have done is involuntarily give myself lessons in marketing, social relationships, team-building, data collection, performance measurement, and outcomes. These are lessons that ...

Well, it's May. Time for spring to finally bust loose, tornadoes to crisscross the Midwest, and my annual ''Walkin' for Wheezers.'' I started WFW last year, walking about 90 miles across my county. It's a way for me to raise asthma awareness and money for asthma programs in the local schools. My county has a higher than average asthma rate. I'm ...

We started a new group here in Lexington, Mo,. to help stem the growing problem of asthma in the area. Our ''Asthma Champions'' met for the first time at the Lafayette County Health Department on March 10. The turnout was better than expected and even included a couple of nursing students from the local LPN program. It's hard work. I spend a ...

Spring is springing in Missouri, and that means conference season is around the corner. AARC's Summer Forum at Marriott Marco Island, Fla., runs July 16-18. The Association of Asthma Educators has its annual conference from July 30-Aug. 2 at the Hilton at Disney World. Go be a kid and get in touch with your inner Mickey Mouse. If you look around ...

This year, Super Bowl commercials cost somewhere around $2.5 million for 30 seconds. Just imagine if the money spent on each of those 49 spots went into health care. That's $122.5 million that could have gone toward spacers, inhaled corticosteroids, and education for people with lung disease. Close to 50 million people walk around the U.S. with no ...

As someone who is always looking for money to fund my asthma projects, I have applied for a $5,000 grant from Pepsi. The company is making grants available to people who want to ''refresh'' their lives and the lives of others. There are too many rules to go through them all here, but basically the contest involves making a video of your idea, ...

As we toil through our days, remember you're not alone in your quest to improve the health of your community. Don't forget many valuable resources exist. Pharmaceutical companies are normally willing to help out. The rules have changed in the last few years, but these folks are still a great resource for printed materials and up-to-date ...