People who suffer from mild asthma are apparently as well off to take their inhaler only when they need it and to skip the prescribed daily steroid dose. Interestingly, the author of the report – results published in the New England Journal of Medicine yesterday – said that many people just stop taking the steroids because either they get no instant relief or they worry about the side-effects.
That's me. I love being in charge of what I take and frequently just opt out of the prescribed steroid (I'm worried I'll test positive when I get my big break and join the Mets). Now I have some science to back me up.
My brother, however, claims that his daily use of the steroid a few years ago "cured" him. He hasn't used his inhaler since and his asthma was a more serious condition than mine. So, I still don't know, but I'll probably keep doing what I've been doing.
