By Aaron Cordy
ASTHMA is little thought of by those who don’t have it, and often misunderstood by those who do, with many people being misdiagnosed with their asthma, which leads to incorrect self-medicating. The unknown tragedy is that over 450 Australians died from asthma-related deaths each year between 2022 and 2024.
For two years, pharmacist and APLUS pharmacy asthma educator, Sherri Barden, has been conducting monthly respiratory clinics and respiratory care for the Mooroopna and surrounding communities at Paul Whickham Pharmacy. Going through local patients’ medication and teaching them how to correctly use their inhalers for the best health outcomes that improve quality of life.
“I saw that real gap in healthcare where we needed to provide more education around chronic conditions, because people die from asthma. So, this work is really important. There has also been a recent important update to the Australian Asthma Guidelines that patients and health care professionals need to be aware of,” said Sherri.
“We now have an anti-inflammatory reliever on prescription for people 12 years and over that can be used as your preventer and reliever in one, and because asthma is an inflammatory lung condition, the blue puffer alone is not enough to treat asthma, even if you only have mild, infrequent asthma and have never had a flare-up.” If you are on a blue puffer alone for asthma and 12 years and over, I would recommend you see your doctor for a review.
“There is a huge range of inhalers that we have, but knowing which one to use, when and how to use them is important. Everyone can swallow a tablet, but they can’t necessarily use their inhaler correctly. Statistics show that up to 94 per cent of patients do not use their inhaler correctly. They might be doing one or two things wrong or not at all, so not maximising their outcomes.
“Up to 80 per cent of patients with asthma have hay fever (allergic rhinitis), and recent data suggests one in four Australians, which is really prevalent in our community. Hay fever can affect a person’s day-to-day functioning, sleep, concentration, driving, and their quality of life. We need to really control that upper airway, which is a big trigger for asthma as well. So, I also have a special interest in hay fever and love doing hay fever clinics in the pharmacy. There’s lots of information that comes with both conditions, and someone with moderate to severe hay fever will not get enough benefit from an antihistamine alone.”
Sherri Barden is at Paul Wickham Pharmacy on the third Tuesday of every month. To book a FREE appointment, visit them at 83 McLennan Street, Mooroopna, or call (03) 5825 2144. Please note, Sherri also sees patients with COPD or anyone using an inhaler.
Sherri’s knowledge and wisdom in asthma, hayfever and eczema education has helped a multitude of patients in our community. The staff take pride in offering Sherri’s service to our customers and we cherish the positive feedback we receive,” said Paul Wickham.
