第2807期:How exactly do inhalers work?(1)

Early 20th century writer, Marcel Proust, finished his magnum opus “In Search of Lost Time” from bed— in a cork-lined room to keep allergens out. Proust suffered from severe asthma. At the time, there weren’t great treatments. When breathlessness set in, he’d burn powders that filled the space with smoke and fumes. Or, for a quick fix, he’d smoke a doctor-recommended anti-asthma cigarette. These powders and cigarettes commonly contained thorn apple, which can open your airways. However, both were clearly terrible ideas. Smoking and fumes bring damaging, carcinogenic toxins into your lungs.二十世纪初的作家马塞尔·普鲁斯特，在床上完成了他的鸿篇巨著《追忆似水年华》——他住在一个用软木塞包裹的房间里，以隔绝过敏原。普鲁斯特患有严重的哮喘，而当时并没有有效的治疗方法。当他呼吸困难时，会燃烧一些粉末，使房间充满烟雾和气味；或者，为了快速缓解，他会抽医生推荐的“抗哮喘香烟”。这些粉末和香烟通常含有曼陀罗成分，可以帮助打开气道。然而，这两种做法显然都是糟糕的主意——吸入烟雾会把有害的致癌毒素带入肺部。Thankfully, today we have inhalers— simple but powerful devices that deliver lung medications straight to the source and without the nasty side effects of smoke inhalation.幸运的是，如今我们有了吸入器——这种简单而强大的装置能将药物直接输送到肺部病灶处，而不会产生吸入烟雾带来的副作用。Inhalers are mainly used to treat two conditions: asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. And there are two main types: preventative inhalers and rescue inhalers. Preventative inhalers can be used every day to control symptoms. There are also rescue inhalers, which are great in an emergency, but using them regularly can be dangerous.吸入器主要用于治疗两种疾病：哮喘和慢性阻塞性肺病（COPD）。吸入器分为两大类：预防型吸入器和急救型吸入器。预防型吸入器可以每天使用，以控制症状；而急救型吸入器在紧急情况下非常有用，但若经常依赖使用则可能带来危险。