Ireland has the fourth highest prevalence of asthma in the world with 7.1 percent of the adult population and 18.9 percent of 13-15 year olds living with the condition.
If you're lucky enough to not to suffer from it, imagine being paralysed by fear as you struggle to breathe, unable to speak, unable to ask for help. That's what an asthma attack feels like.
For many, GP-prescribed inhalers are a life-saver. You can go from desperately gasping for breath one moment, to breathing normally and recovering the next.
Vitally, there are different types of inhaler prescribed for different uses. For instance, a blue reliever inhaler is advised when experiencing an asthma attack or sudden short-breathing. Whereas the brown inhaler is a preventative treatment to be taken every day. It contains steroids that reduce the inflammation in your lungs.
But this very deliberate colour coding doesn't seem to matter at all to an enterprise looking to make the inhaler into a fashion statement, with a number of designer capsules that "match both your look and lifestyle"...
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the products have been lambasted by medical professionals, who see them as both needless and dangerous. Dr Keir Shiels was amongst those warning against the concept:
https://twitter.com/keirshiels/status/814091706949894144
https://twitter.com/macauley22/status/814102682373881856
https://twitter.com/HollyCMusic/status/814248781952798724
https://twitter.com/Philippa_Perry/status/814110464967868416
https://twitter.com/Lucie_911/status/814146721248899072
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