Asthma and exercise

fahey32 · Newbie Joined: 10 Apr 2006 Posts: 1

Hi, Im Josh. Ive been an athsma sufferer for as long as i can remember and have been subjected to numerous drugs and methods. Over time i have managed to improve my condition via exercise and am currently at what i consider to be a good fitness level. Being a rower i have come to grow sick of my loss of breath at early stages of any exercise and have had to push myself much farther over my own boundaries to maintain a good result. In the past i have handled these same exercises with a bit more ease but recently they seem to have gotten a lot harder and i have been more dependent upon my inhalers.

I think that this may be due to a build up of mucus in the pasageways of my lungs and am wondering if there is a way to clear my lung passageways of that. And also are there other alernatives. I've heard that Yoga apparently is helpful. I know that there is no cure sadly but im adamant that there are ways to minimise it.

pseudonim · Site Admin Joined: 25 Dec 2004 Posts: 488

Hey Josh,

I’ve read somewhere that many professional athletes have asthma. Generally, they suppress asthma with good exercise, but I think you need to be careful and to consult with your doctor before you do some excessive exercises.

You can perform any sport or exercise, except scuba diving. The exercise cannot cure your asthma but it could help you cope with your condition and it should be a plat of your asthma management plan. Some researches reported that people who exercise regularly have fewer asthma attacks! However, you need to be careful because exercise can also induce your asthma. This is called Exercise Induced Asthma (EIA) and it’s present by many people who do not even suffer from asthma. During exercise, your lungs increase need for oxygen and that makes you breathe faster and through your mouth. The colder & dry air makes your airways tighten and in that time you could feel symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest, breathlessness, etc.

To avoid possible EIA, you need to control your asthma properly. You should use your asthma medication 15 minutes before you start with exercising. Don’t forget to warm up before you start with exercising, because this is very important step, not only for your respiratory system but also for your muscles and other organs.

In case you get an attack during the exercise, you should stop with exercise immediately! Then take 4 separate puffs of your blue reliever (Asmol, Epaq, Ventolin or Airomir). It’s recommended to take one puff at the time via spacer device. Take 3 breaths from the spacer after each puff of medication! Wait up to 5 minutes and until you do not feel attack symptoms anymore. If the symptoms do not stop, then use your blue reliever as before and stop with exercise. Visit your doctor and inform him/her about it!

Generally, you should avoid exercise if your asthma isn’t under control or you have flu or similar respiratory infection.

Hope this helps!

Pseud0

paulygrl · Posted: 04/17/06 - 19:19 Post subject:

PseudO, I couldn't have said it better myself...very informative and lifesaving information. Thank you for sharing!

Good luck to you Josh, I hope you find success in treating your asthma.

to your good health,
paulygrl

Asthma and exercise

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