Helping Malaysians Breathe

Now we can get correct facts and useful tips about asthma with just a few clicks, thanks to the good people of Asthma Malaysia.

- Lim Teck Choon

Ask any Malaysian whether he or she has heard of asthma, and chances are, the answer will be yes. But how much do we really know about it? Probably not enough, as according to Dr Helmy Haja Mydin and Dr Sundari Ampikaipakan, the co-founders of the non-profit organization Asthma Malaysia, there are still many people with asthma who are not managing their condition adequately due to lack of knowledge, wrong information or both.

“I’ve had patients who come to me, who have had asthma for years, but still do not know how to use their inhaler properly,” Dr Sundari shares.

Dr Helmy nods, adding that there are a considerable number of patients who have doubts and uncertainties, but are reluctant to voice their concerns to their doctor due to reasons such as embarrassment. One of the missions of Asthma Malaysia is to break down such communication barriers between doctors and people with asthma.

“There are no stupid questions where we doctors are concerned,” Dr Sundari says. “In fact, we want to help you, and we’d love to take time to explain things to you. But you have to let us know what you are unsure of first.”

What we are sure of, though, is that we could use more information on asthma to improve our management of the condition. Dr Sundari and Dr Helmy are more than happy to share some advice on this matter.

The Importance of Knowing

Asthma Most of us have heard of the 6th century philosopher Sun Tzu’s famous quote, “Know your enemy”. But do you know that the full quote is: “Know your enemy, and know yourself, find naught in fear for 100 battles.”?