WHAT CAUSES IT Heavy breathing from exercise can induce asthma, as antigens are rapidly inhaled. The respiratory condition: Asthma is triggered by allergic reactions resulting in the contraction of the smooth muscle bands encircling the bronchial walls and partial plugging from the buildup of mucus. Both inhibit breathing, and the sufferer wheezes and coughs.Triggers Some antigens: pollen--dander--dust--normal air
If you've got asthma, get in the pool. "Of all the most vigorous aerobic exercises, swimming is the best for asthmatics," says Dr. Stanley Fiel, chief of pulmonary and critical-care medicine at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University.In the past, if you suffered from asthma, you could probably beg out of gym class. Not today; with new drugs, better understanding and more aggressive treatment,...
THE ASTHMA EPIDEMIC
Asthma, a disease once treated as a minor irritant, is now a global medical problem that has reached epidemic proportions.The number of cases in the United States grew more than 150 percent between 1988 and 2006 from 9.7 million to 21.3 million according to the most recent numbers available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of children under 4 with asthma grew from 1 in 45 in 1998 to 1 in 10 in 2004.But asthma remains a medical mystery.
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