Asthma UK responds to Channel 4's Dispatches
06 April 2006

Following the broadcast today (6 April) of the first part of Channel 4's 'Dispatches' documentary 'How to beat your kid's asthma', Asthma UK has issued the following statement:

Asthma UK believes that all people with asthma should be on the lowest dose of medication which satisfactorily controls their condition. If their asthma is well controlled they should very rarely, if ever, experience an asthma attack or need to rely on their blue inhaler for relief. Reducing or stopping their regular asthma medicine could worsen their asthma symptoms and put their health at risk.

At Asthma UK we know that people are keen to learn about non-drug approaches to managing their asthma and we have funded and continue to fund research into this area. There has been a lot of research into allergen avoidance, some suggesting benefit and some not, but the evidence currently available is still conflicting.

Allergen avoidance is not a cure; it simply helps to reduce symptoms. It may work for some, but often people with asthma have multiple triggers, making it very difficult to achieve a sufficient reduction in allergen exposure. People with asthma should therefore speak to their doctor or asthma nurse before undertaking any allergen avoidance programme and should continue to take their prescribed medication as advised.