War,
poverty, racism, natural disaster, isolation, hunger, noise, chaos, disease, environmental pollution, and violence are some stressors
that many around the world have to suffer with. I have a friend that is from
Visalia, California. Visalia is an agriculture city in the Central Valley of
California (near Fresno, CA.) of which suffers from air pollution from various
sources (i.e. agriculture, airplanes, vehicles, manufacturers, etc.). Many of
my friend’s family members suffer from asthma, a “long-term lung disease that
inflames and narrows the airways” (What
Is Asthma?. (n.d.). Today, my friend and her family still continue to
live in Visalia, the same city that could have been the cause to their
development in asthma. From my knowledge, in order to cope with this
environmental stressor, my friend and her family use inhalers. Inhalers open
the lung airways when they are feeling tight, thus bringing more air into the
lungs.
Louisiana
is in southern part of the United States, of which experiences many hurricanes.
Hurricane Katrina, hit Louisiana in 2005, and has taken many years to jump back
from this natural disaster. Several children experienced many trauma symptoms
including: depression, distrusting people, anger, feeling disconnected, anxiety,
and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Kelly,
W. S. (n.d.). In order to minimize harm after Hurricane Katrina, many of the children
received social support, which did reduce mental distress. This information can
help future events and establish further emotional protocols if a disaster were
to hit again.
References
Bankrate, D. W. (2013, May 27). Nbc News Business. NBC
News. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from http://www.nbcnews.com/business/10-states-most-natural-disasters-6C10088195
Kelly, W. S. (n.d.). The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on
Adolescent Psychological Adjustment and Adaptation Southeast Lousiana. Digital
Commons. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from
http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1330&context=doctoral
Visalia, California. (n.d.). (CA) profile: population,
maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs,
hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news. Retrieved November 23, 2013,
from http://www.city-data.com/city/Visalia-California.html
What Is Asthma?. (n.d.). - NHLBI, NIH. Retrieved
November 21, 2013, from
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/asthma/
Thank you for sharing your story Elizabeth! It's so sad to hear that people have to go through all these health problem from where they live and where they should be comfortable and secure staying.
ReplyDeleteChildren in urban areas also have issues with pollution related asthma. Trash to steam generators and such have been linked to higher instances of asthma among children. Many of the children serviced within the district I teach have this type of asthma and deal with inhalers and nebulizers. Its a shame that these conditions are still causing issues with our children's health.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth,
ReplyDeleteGreat post!!! I remember when Hurricane Katrina hit, it was my freshmen year of college. I was attending school in Arkansas. We was affected by lots of rain from Hurricane Katrina. I have some friends who work in a program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences that goes out into the urban and rural communities to promote awareness about asthma in young children.
Alisha