European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 30, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sufferers help is nearby Sas John Bohmer / Hove Perak measures his lung capacity with a Peak flow Monitor while his Friend Bathsheba Amant watches. Diane Amante left is chairwoman of Lan Stuhl s asthma resource group. Sas John Bomar All members of the Shoff family air Force staff sgt. Carey wife Janine and children Erika and Perak have suffered from asthma at one time. In front of them is some of their daily medication. By Steve scholar medical writer Rika Shoff said it was Yucky and bad and makes me  the 8-year-old was t talking about eating cauliflower or watching a frightening movie. She was talking about having a chronic breathing disorder that affects one child in 10 and millions of adults. The disorder characterized by bouts of wheezing coughing and a suffocating feeling is asthma. " medical experts say asthma is a disease whose sufferers experience episodic and reversible narrowing of the breathing Airway the narrowing happens because the Muscles in the airways react to certain things. The triggers that cause the allergic reaction and contribute to the constriction of the airways include pollen from Trees grasses and weeds Strong doors from perfumes or paints air pollution cigarette smoke or animals. Sometimes experts say the cause is unknown. According to some medical literature asthma seems to have a genetic Fink with a predisposition to run in families but fortunately Many children who have thana outgrow it. The Shoff family a by con a experts at turn with asthma Jane her 5-year-old Ion Perak. And Inka 4 suffer from the disorder while her husband Carey an aircraft electrician at Ramstein a Germany had it As a child. The family connection seems evident to the scoffs and  their children will ultimately outgrow it. But Forjin Evv the children s asthmatic spells seem  one of the kids get it the other usually follows. Fortunately Perak s in t As severe Janine Shoff said. We Don t know if allergies cause Erika s and Perak s asthma. Erika is being tested. For allergies but Perak is too Young. They both seem to have an episode when they get some kind of infection their father said. One of the biggest things that s helped the scoffs Cope with their family s asthma is the asthma resource croup at the Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center in Germany the resource group serves As an educational and supp9rt group said chairwoman Karen Manter asthma is a completely reversible disease. That s one of the ideas that the group tells people. The group which meets monthly helps  about asthma and How to Cope with it she said. The group helped the scoffs learn what equipment and services were available at the medical Center. One Type of equipment that the scoffs use daily is a Peak flow Monitor which measures the amount of air coming from the lungs some experts Call the Peak flow monitoring system which Calls for a person to blow into a plastic device to get a advice for asthmatics the asthma resource group and lands Huhl army regional medical Center offer the following advice for Peop a with acute asthma attacks. Take medications exactly As directed. Some asthma medications Are taken at different intervals. Read directions carefully. Drink plenty of fluids. Gel plenty of rest. It is important during the acute phases of an asthma flare up. Exertion or Normal activity May aggravate symptoms. Avoid irritants such As aerosols hair sprays room deodorizers Strong doors Etc. They May trigger an asthma attack. Avoid infections. Respiratory infections often complicate asthma attacks. If you Are having a fever or discoloured mucus is being produced after coughing Check with your doctor regarding the possible need for an Antibiotic. Steve scholar Reading of How Many liners of air is exhaled each minute an Early warning system for asthma attacks. For Erika 230 liners per minute is Normal. If it drops below that i can be pretty sure that a breathing attack is not far away her Mother said. Those using the device can see when the breathing output decreases and can take extra Medicine to help Lessen or control a possible attack Amante said. It allows a Parent to keep track of their child s breathing she said. Another Lari Stuhl furnished device that has helped is a Nebulizer. The Nebulizer is a machine that takes a liquid Medicine and turns it into a Mist which is breathed through a mask taking medication with a Nebulizer is easy especially for kids. It also saves on trips to Lan Stuhl Amante said. Both Erika and Perak also take plenty of medication to help control their asthma. Their Mother rattles off names like theophylline  erythromycin and prevent like a trained pharmacist but the medication some of which is taken daily and some Only when an attack appears to becoming makes the difference Between living a Normal life and not being Able to breathe. And Erika for one does t seem to mind her daily doses of medication. I can do everything. I Don t mind taking my  a our group Cail to american he com 06371 8 � 2ft to you he fit its it Merano them. In the mc4i Cen Urt my Way cric. 18 Thi Itati Aho St Ftp. Now 30,