Course Summary

It is not clear why some people get asthma and others do not. Asthma symptoms may be caused by a combination of environmental factors, and may include genetic or other risk factors. Asthma prevention and long-term control are key in stopping asthma attacks before they start. Treatment usually involves learning to recognize triggers, taking steps to avoid them and tracking breathing to make sure daily asthma medications are keeping symptoms under control. The successful management of asthma involves routine monitoring of symptoms and lung function, patient education and engagement, controlling environmental triggering factors and comorbid conditions that contribute to asthma severity, and pharmacologic therapy. Newer asthma guidelines specifically focus on people with intermittent, preventable asthma attacks, but severe enough to lead to hospitalization and emergency interventions. The step-wise approach to asthma treatment focuses on intermittent, mild persistent, moderate persistent, and severe persistent asthma with algorithms focused on quick relief therapy and long-term preventive therapy for each group category. No Test Required!

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

• I.              Introduction
• II.           Symptoms of Asthma
• III.         Causes of Asthma
  • 1.   Asthma Triggers
  • 2.   Risk Factors for Asthma
• IV.         Diagnosis of Asthma
  • 3.   Tests to Measure Lung Function
• V.            Asthma Classification
  • 4.   Complications
• VI.         Treatment of Asthma
  • 5.   Pharmacologic Management
  • 6.   Stepwise Approach for Asthma Symptom Severity
• VII.       Acute Exacerbations of Asthma and Prevention
  • 7.   Patient Response to Treatment
  • 8.   Prevention of Asthma Triggers
• VIII.    Asthma Burden on Healthcare
  • 9.   Case Studies: Adult and Pediatric Asthma
• IX.         Summary

Author

Marilyn Lajoie, MD, DC, CCSP

Dr. Marilyn Lajoie obtained her medical degree from Saba University School of Medicine in 1999, Her residency began with one year of Anatomical and Surgical Pathology at Orlando Regional Medical Center, before transferring within the same post-graduate residency program to Internal Medicine. Upon completion of residency, she went into private practice in Orlando, where she specialized in Internal Medicine, Sports Medicine and Rehab, as well as acute and chronic pain management. Before becoming a medical doctor, she had practiced as a Chiropractic Physician, graduating from New York Chiropractic College in 1980, practicing initially on Long Island, N.Y., before moving to Florida where she had a successful chiropractic practice and physical rehabilitation center, and gained recognition as a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician. Dr. Lajoie was also the Director of Physical Therapy at Horizon Hospital, a residential and outpatient psychiatric hospital, and later, continued in the same capacity at Horizon’s sister psychiatric hospital in Brooksville, Florida. Dr. Lajoie maintained her chiropractic license and continued to practice both Internal Medicine and Chiropractic throughout private practice, until moving to the Veterans Healthcare System in 2014. Continuing in both fields, she became the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Montana VA, where she completed her service in 2021. Dr. Lajoie now works predominantly in telemedicine, and in an Expert Witness capacity for both medical and chiropractic cases. Still living in Montana, she enjoys being able to treat not only the rural areas of the state through this technology, but also patients across the US where she maintains multiple active state licenses. She and her husband also own a llama ranch with over thirty llamas that are hand selected for rare genetics. At the llama ranch, the public is invited to come and visit to learn about these elegant creatures, and to see ranch life firsthand – llama style! Dr. Lajoie and her husband have six adult children, as well as seven dogs.