With the stakes being so high, it is only natural that Delhiites are reacting even as authorities are working at their own sluggish pace to clean the air around us. Recently, the BBC (no not the news network) but The Better Breathers Club, whose objective is to help Delhi learn how to breathe better, convened its first meeting at the India Habitat Centre. Highlighting the plan for fighting lung disease, BBC's Chairman, P. Bose, who is also the Director of the National Sleep Disorders Centre, said, ``First we want to increase public awareness by educating the patients of lung disease so that they can help themselves. This will be followed by introducing a school education program wherein children will be taught about the symptoms of the diseases.'' The club also plans to start a national initiative on asthma, seeking government legislation.

That the disease is rampant was more than obvious in the auditorium itself, which was filled with patients young and old, most of them coughing. As a matter of fact, asthma affects 4 to 8 per cent of the population, a majority of them being children. In most cases, the disease begins at childhood and, if not treated properly, has long-term ramifications spanning into adulthood. Having asthma means missing school days, not being able to run and exercise like other kids and generally keeping ill health.

Unfortunately, there is no treatment for asthma. But, the best way to handle the disease is to manage it better. ``In order to have an effective treatment there must be a good patient-doctor relationship. The patients have to realise that the disease demands a long-term treatment. In most cases, they keep shifting doctors looking for something more magical,'' points out J. Suri, Head of the Department of Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at Safardung Hospital. For proper treatment, the patient has to play detective. Advises Suri, ``Observe the circumstances when you have an attack and never leave home without an inhaler.''

For those of you who are are not patients, a little care in general will help you keep breathing diseases at bay. To begin with, exercise regularly, keep pets outside the house, and give them a bath once a week. Use washable curtains. Rather than using wall to wall carpets, go for something that can be periodically removed and washed. Pillow cases and bed covers must be washed regularly. Remove mould from the bathroom (from around the taps). In the pollen season keep the windows of your car rolled up.

Of course, no smoking. This is all the more important because in Delhi even a non-smoker is smoking twenty cigarettes a day anyway. ``It is important to think positive because attitude makes a big difference. Don't let the fact that there is no cure for asthma, get you down. A relaxed attitude and happy lifestyle with proper treatment can certainly help you contain your disease,'' adds Suri. And, if you are asthmatic, the bottomline is to stick to the schedule chalked out for you by your doctor.