Asthma, however, is more than an isolated event — if we want to heal ourselves, we must find a way to make sense of an illness that we are taught to believe is random and unfair. From the mindbody perspective, asthma is a crucial reminder. It tells us that we have neglected essential parts of our being — that we are living according to standards that do not match our unique blueprint, our personal truth.

Your Committee, those false selves that resist change and demand proof, want no part of this blueprint. They may well interfere, getting you stuck in internal dialogue such as “Let’s see, do I really believe that? And if I don’t, why should I be doing these exercises?’’ These seeds of doubt can be distracting. But as you get to know your Committee you will find that the more it protests something’s existence and value, the more certain you can be that it’s acting in its own best interests, not yours.

Losing touch with your blueprint is analogous to losing touch with your personal nature or truth. This leads to falling into a dark hole sometimes described as depression, anxiety, and emotional or physical illness Viagra Australia. The following poem sheds light on what happens when this occurs. It’s called “Autobiography in Five Chapters.’’

• I walk down the street.

There’s a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I fall in.

I am lost… I am hopeless. It isn’t my fault.

It takes me forever to find a way out.

• I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don’t see it. I fall in again.

I can’t believe I’m in the same place.

But it isn’t my fault.

It still takes a long time to get out.

• I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk

I see it is there.

I still fall in … it’s a habit

My eyes are open

I know where I am

It is my fault.

I get out immediately.

• I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.
• I walk down another street.

The main issues addressed in the FUN program lead to a comprehensive healing and are mirrored by this simple poem. They include: attachment, loss, truth, personal responsibility, change, and freedom. Take a few moments now and look back over the poem. See where these issues arise, and how they are resolved through using the elements of fun. Notice how the healing process is ongoing, a continuum that begins with the pain of attachment to a victimized view of life (“I fall into the hole, and it’s not my fault”). Yet when the light of truth begins to shine and responsibility is owned in the third stanza (“It’s a habit; I know where I am; I get right out’’), a change quickly ensues.

Another important consideration is that of illicit drug use, particularly crack cocaine use, which is a major social problem in the United States, particularly in large urban populations. A number of cases illustrating a temporal association between heavy crack use and severe acute exacerbation of asthma, including fatal asthma, have been reported.

The increase in cocaine use seems to parallel the increase in asthma morbidity and mortality, suggesting there may be an association between the two. Levenson et al reviewed cases of asthma deaths in the Chicago area. Their findings were that 29 of 92 cases (31.5%) were confounded by substance abuse (including cocaine) or alcohol use. Thus far, the prevalence of cocaine use among patients presenting with acute asthma is unknown, and crack cocaine may be unrecognized as a precipitant for asthma exacerbations.

This study addresses the prevalence of illicit drug use—particularly cocaine—among adults presenting to an inner-city emergency department (ED), and the relationship of cocaine use and severity of asthma exacerbation. A secondary aim was to assess the frequency of use of various treatment modalities for asthma, particularly inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and P₂-agonists, with reference to the 1997 National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) guidelines.

Materials and Methods

We conducted a prospective study to determine the prevalence of cocaine use and its impact on severity in adult patients presenting to an inner-city ED with acute asthma exacerbation.