British guideline on the management of asthma in children (continued)
Non-pharmacological management
Primary prevention
- Breast feeding should be encouraged
- Parents and parents-to-be who smoke should be advised of the many adverse effects of smoking on their children
Secondary prevention
- In committed families, with evidence of house dust mite allergy, multiple approaches to reduce exposure to house dust mite may help
- Parents who smoke and who have asthma should be advised about the dangers to themselves and their children with asthma and offered appropriate support to stop smoking
- Immunotherapy can be considered in patients with asthma where a clinically significant allergen cannot be avoided. The potential for severe allergic reactions to the therapy must be fully discussed with patients
Complementary and alternative medicines
- In difficult childhood asthma, there may be a role for family therapy as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy
- Air ionisers are not recommended for the treatment of asthma
