Coimbatore : It is very important to change the perception towards Asthma and Inhalation Therapy, which can play a crucial role in reducing the impact of asthma on people’s lives, a top chest physician said Thursday.

“Inhalation therapy works to control asthma by preventing and relieving symptoms and reducing flare-ups, but they will work if patients work in partnership with their GP and take them in the way they are prescribed”, Dr Jayamohan Unnithan of Kovai Respiratory Care and Research Centre Hospital here.

Speaking on the occasion of World Asthma Day, Dr Unnithan said that it was important to note that *symptom-free is NOT asthma free* and this remained one of the biggest challenges to the management of asthma when there was discontinuation of the medication once the symptoms have subsided.

Dr.Neminathan, Pediatrician, Coimbatore Child Trust Hospital, said that ongoing education is of paramount importance in chronic diseases like asthma.

This is precisely where #BerokZindagi will lead to “Winning against Asthma” and will enable patients to participate and have a more effective role in their own treatment, working together with doctors to achieve optimal inhaler use and disease control, thereby living life to the fullest., he said

*Myths associated with the treatment needs to be busted. Inhaled corticosteroids have been recognized and widely accepted as the mainstay of asthma management, Dr Unnithan said.

#BerokZindagi, a public awareness campaign to educate and encourage patients suffering from Obstructive Airway Diseases and Chronic Respiratory Diseases to effectively manage their condition has been launched under the aegis of Cipla.