Hey, parents.
Trusty here.
You know what I hear constantly from homeschool parents in the Who's Smarter community?
Thank you for introducing us to IXL.
I get it.
My cousin homeschools her kids and raves about how much IXL helps.
We're heading into that stretch where families are finishing the year strong and then summer hits with travel camps and shifting routines.
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That's ixl.com slash smarted.
And now it's time for Who Smarted?
Hey, smarty pants, you are not going to believe it, but I am sitting across from some very special, very famous guests that you may have heard of.
Does this music ring a bell?
Here's another one of his compositions.
Here we go.
Any idea which famous composer composed those pieces?
Why, it's none other than Ludwig von Beethoven.
But wait! more.
I'm also seated across from the 26th President of the United States.
He was a larger than life character, a war hero, a Nobel Prize winner.
He initiated the Panama Canal, and also teddy bears are named after him.
Why, it's none other than Theodore Roosevelt.
Now, I'm sure you might be wondering, why am I sitting with Beethoven and Teddy Roosevelt?
Good question.
Can you guess what they have in common?
Is it A, they both composed music?
B, they both ran for president?
Or C, they both had asthma?
If you said C, they both had asthma, you're right.
Which means two things.
Number one.
Asthma doesn't get in the way of doing incredible things like being one of the greatest musical geniuses of all time or becoming president of the United States.
And two, asthma can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity.
But what exactly is asthma?
Is it A, a bad cold?
B, a condition that affects your airways.
Or C, a condition that affects your eyes.
If you said B, a condition that affects your airways, nice job.
But what are airways?
Are they places where airplanes fly structures in your body that help with eating or structures in your body that help with breathing?
If you said structures in your body that help with breathing, you're right.
Which means having asthma can make it difficult to breathe.
Yep, asthma commonly causes coughing fits, particularly at night or in the morning.
So why do some people have asthma?
What can trigger an asthma attack?
And what does the name asthma even mean?
Get ready to find out the answers to those questions and more, as we take another whiff of science and history on The Smart Act.
Who's smarted?
Who's smart?
Is it you?
Is it me?
Is it science or history?
Listen up, everyone.
We make smarting lots of fun.
But who's smarted?
Say, that was a nice theme song.
Of course, if you ever want a new one, I'd be happy to compose it.
Oh, I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Beethoven.
Please, call me Ludwig.
Sure thing.
Okay, now that we know asthma is a condition that affects your airways and can make it difficult to breathe, I'm curious just how asthma got its name.
Why is a breathing condition called asthma?
I can answer that one.
Ooh, President Roosevelt coming in hot.
What do you got, Teddy?
Did I say you could call me Teddy?
Whoops.
Sorry about that, Mr. President.
I'm just kidding.
Teddy is fine.
And the word asthma comes from a Greek word meaning panting.
Ah, that makes sense.
Smarty Pants.
If you've ever seen or heard a dog take quick short breaths, you definitely know what panting is.
It turns out humans can pant, too.
It happens when anyone needs to take short, quick breaths.
I see.
But why might someone need to take short, quick breaths?
Well, if you have asthma, your airways become swollen, narrow, and fill with mucus.
This can also cause you to cough or wheeze.
Gotcha.
But while that might sound like a lot to deal with, having asthma doesn't have to slow you down.
Especially today, because for one thing, there are lots of great options for medicine.
And for another, people know how to make an asthma action plan.
I wish they had all those medicine options available in my day, like those cool little inhalers.
Instead, I relied on, let's say, unorthodox methods of treating asthma, like smoking cigars and drinking lots of black coffee.
Yeah, those are definitely not the way to treat asthma.
I will say going for horseback rides helped.
That I can believe.
The rush of fresh air probably felt good.
Ludwig, what did you do to help treat your asthma in 19th century Vienna?
Trust me, you don't want to know.
Okay, but what I do want to know is, how or why do people get asthma?
Smarty Pants, what do you think?
Any guesses?
Call them out.
I heard some interesting ideas.
But the truth is, your guess is as good as mine.
That's because unfortunately, even with all of our modern technology and advances in medicine, we still don't really know the answer to what causes asthma.
And it's not for lack of trying.
Scientists have been attempting to figure it out for decades.
That is not music to my ears.
Not that I can hear too well.
Right.
But here's the good news.
While we still don't know why some people develop asthma, we do know some things that can trigger an asthma attack.
And we'll get right into that after this quick advertising break and a word from our sponsors.
Hey, Smarty family.
Trusty here with some straight talk.
The absolute best way for you to support Who Smarted is by subscribing to Who Smarted Plus.
It's also the best way to listen to Who Smarted because there are no ads like this one.
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Now I get it.
Yay, another expense.
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That's S-M-A-R-T, the number two and the number zero.
Time is running out for you to get 50 off, while also supporting the show that you and your kids love laughing, learning and smarting too.
So subscribe to Who Smarted Plus today and, you know, make this the last ad you ever hear.
Hey, smarty pants.
Trusty narrator here.
Spring is here and you know what that means on the farm.
Baby chicks hatching inside their eggs.
Calves moving into their tiny little houses.
Flowers figuring out when it's time to wake up.
And yes, that smell.
You know the one.
If you've ever wondered why any of that happens, I have got the show for you the Super Smart Farm Show podcast.
But don't take it from me.
Take it from my friend Elmer, who actually lives this stuff and hosts the show.
This spring on the Super Smart Farm Show we're hatching chicks, visiting baby calves and yes, we are going to talk about why farms smell funny in the spring.
And trust me, once you know the reason, you'll never look at your garden the same way again.
See what I mean?
That's Super Smart Farm Show a family podcast that answers every question you never knew you had about farms, animals and food.
Playful, curious and genuinely smart from the Lancaster farming team, who've been covering agriculture since 1955.
Find Super Smart Farm Show wherever you get your podcasts. or at lancasterfarming.com.
Now back to Who Smarted?
Ah, very nice return from an ad music, Ludwig.
Anyway, as I was saying, Smarty Pants, what are some things that could trigger an asthma attack?
Do any ideas come to mind?
Go ahead, shout them out.
Mm hmm.
Mm hmm.
Hearing some good answers and some strange ones.
Here, let's see if you can guess which of the following could bring on an asthma attack.
Is it A, getting sick with a respiratory infection, like a cold or the flu?
B, allergies to things like pollen, mold, and pet dander?
Or C, irritants like strong perfume or pollution in the air?
If you said any or all of those answers, you're right.
All three of those conditions illness, allergies or irritants could trigger or cause an asthma attack.
But that's not all.
Other asthma triggers can include weather conditions, strong emotions, and intense exercise.
Wow, that's a lot of things.
Yes, and while it may seem like a good idea to try and avoid asthma triggers, you can't avoid all of them all of the time.
Very true.
Not to mention, exercise is good for you, even if you have asthma.
Of course, not everyone's asthma triggers are the same.
My health was often poor, which triggered my asthma.
And my asthma was usually triggered by city dust and being around animals.
I see.
But if asthma triggers are different for everyone, how can you know what yours are?
Good question.
Something that may help is keeping an asthma diary.
Smarty Pants, any idea what Beethoven means by an asthma diary?
It's where you write down when you had an asthma attack and what happened just before it.
That way, you can start to notice patterns and realize what your triggers are.
Whoa, you're a genius, Beethoven.
And come to think of it, another good thing to write in your asthma diary might be the medicines you use to treat it.
Like smoking cigars and drinking coffee.
No.
Once again, that is not how you treat asthma.
In fact, smoking anything like cigars, cigarettes or vaping is one of the worst things you can do if you have asthma.
Or even if you don't.
Right.
I'll just put this cigar out.
Thankfully, like I mentioned earlier, medicine has improved a lot since both your times.
Oh?
What kind of medicines are available today for asthma?
Smartypants, do you know?
Well, for one thing, these days some asthma medicines come in pills or syrups, but most are taken with Smarty Pants.
Do you know what that is?
It was mentioned earlier in the episode.
Did you say an asthma inhaler?
That's right.
This might be the single best thing if you're having an asthma attack.
Oh, wow!
That inhaler is like nothing I've ever seen before!
Right?
It's so cool!
But how does it work?
Smarty Pants, true or false?
An asthma inhaler is filled with air that you inhale to stop an asthma attack.
The answer is...
False.
An asthma inhaler is actually a medicine-filled canister that you press.
Once pressed, the medicine goes into something called a spacer chamber.
Once the medicine is in the chamber, you breathe it in.
So you're saying it doesn't go directly into your mouth?
Nope.
First you press.
Then you wait as the medicine fills up the space chamber.
Then you inhale.
That inhaler is also music to my ears.
But what is the medicine?
I'm pretty sure it is not coffee.
No, it's definitely not coffee.
There are actually two types of asthma medications.
Smarty Pants, any idea what they're called?
Are they A, rescue medicines and controller medicines?
B, attack stoppers and breathing starters.
Or C, nose medicine and throat medicine.
If you said A, rescue medicines and controller medicines, well done.
The words rescue and controller kind of make me think of superheroes.
And actually, these medicines can be kind of like superheroes in your body if you have asthma.
Really?
How so?
Smarty Pants, true or false?
Rescue medicines are only taken during an asthma attack.
You said true.
Nice job.
Ah, but when is controller medicine taken?
What do you think, Smarty Pants?
Controller medicine is taken every day to help prevent asthma attacks.
Ah, good idea.
But how do these medicines work?
Well, bronchodilators are a type of rescue medicine that opens your airways by relaxing the muscles around them.
Corticosteroids are another type of rescue medicine that relieves the swelled blocking of your airways.
They can be taken as a pill or liquid during a serious asthma attack.
You can also use an inhaler to take corticosteroids and long-acting bronchodilators as a controller medicine every day.
Ah, much better than coffee.
Question, can people know when they are going to have an asthma attack?
Sometimes.
There's usually early warning signs before an asthma attack.
Such as?
Well again, everyone's early warning signs are different, but they could include a dry cough that is not from a cold.
Or a cough that gets worse at night.
Wheezing is always a good sign.
Other signs might include an itchy throat, feeling less hungry, having a stomach ache, changes in sleep or feeling cold or hot.
Interesting.
As someone who always had health problems, I feel most of those all the time.
And I don't recall feeling any of those ways before an asthma attack.
Well, if you missed the early warning signs or thought they were from something else, there are also late warning signs.
You don't say.
And what might those be?
Late warning signs show that the asthma attack is serious.
They can include tightness or pain in the chest, excessive wheezing.
Difficulty breathing when laying down, vomiting from coughing, the skin around the eyes and lips turning blue or gray, fast breathing.
Tightening of the stomach muscles.
Or difficulty with walking or talking.
Ah, now those I can relate to.
Smarty Pants.
If you're experiencing any of these signs or see someone who is, please know it is serious.
You should get an adult to help or call 911 because the person needs medical assistance.
But how do you know if you have asthma?
Great question.
And we'll find out right after this quick ad break and a word from our sponsors.
Hey Smarty Pants.
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Now back to who smarted.
Okay, smarty pants.
My new friend Ludwig von Beethoven was curious how do you know if you or someone you know has asthma?
Any ideas?
I'm guessing your doctor could tell you?
That's correct.
To be diagnosed with asthma you need to have attacks of wheezing or trouble breathing.
That happen more than once.
More than once?
Yes, Teddy.
While it would definitely be scary to have trouble breathing one time, that doesn't necessarily mean that you have asthma.
Interesting.
Say, do you need to be a certain age to be diagnosed with asthma?
What do you think, Smarty Pants?
Yes or no?
The answer is yes, sort of.
While people can develop asthma at any age, the diagnosis usually isn't made for children younger than one year old.
Since people can develop asthma at any age, is there a cure for asthma?
The bad news is there is no cure for asthma.
But the good news is that treatments for asthma have improved a ton over time and doctors and scientists have developed a much better understanding of asthma and how to treat it.
No more drinking coffee or smoking cigars.
For sure.
The other good news is that, while there is no cure, many children with asthma find their asthma often goes away or gets less serious as they get older.
But I had asthma as an adult.
And so did I. I know.
Unfortunately, some people still have asthma as adults.
But hey, asthma doesn't need to stop you from doing the things you want to do, like creating some of the greatest music the world has ever known.
Or being a great president whose face is on Mount Rushmore.
Keeping asthma under control means taking the medication your doctor prescribes you, doing your best to avoid obvious triggers and having your inhaler nearby at all times.
Ooh, speaking of inhalers, how would you guys like to help me inhale some hot and delicious pizza?
Sure.
Sounds good.
Um, what's pizza?
It's like a symphony mouth.
Trust me, you're gonna love it.
A super deluxe shout out to several amazing smarty pants.
First a big thank you to ronan in leesburg virginia, who loves smarting to who smarted all the time.
And then there's Henry in Ramsey Minnesota, who loves listening to Who Smarted in the morning and in the car.
And last but not least, Aiden in Sydney Australia, who is a big fan of Who Smarted and smarts with us every morning on the way to school, because it's the best way to start the day.
Aw, thank you all so much.
I'm so glad to have you and your families as part of our Smarty family.
This episode Asthma was written by Sarah Swetek and voiced by Timmy Morgan, Mike Pravetti and Jerry Kolber.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn.
Our associate producer is Max Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex-Davis.
Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex-Davis and Jerry Kolber.
This has been an Atomic Audio production.
