Mr. Asthma » Exercise Asthma » Exercise!!!
Exercise!!!
Question:
I also agree wholeheartedly. My therapeutic exercises include martial arts (tae kwon do and tai chi), Iyengar yoga, and swimming. — Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free/Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing/This is the Ultimate! -Chuang Tzu- A peaceful place/or so it looks from space/a closer look reveals the human race -Weir/Barlow-
Response:
>Maybe everyone should consider a little aerobic exercise to strengthen >the lungs. Let me know what you guys think!
I definitely have to agree. I notice an incredible increase in performance when I’m keeping up with exercise. Not everyone can do this, but by going to school in maine gives great opportunities for x-c skiing. I don’t have it in me to run for more than 3 minutes or so, but the resistance in skiing is a lot easier to take, and gets your lungs working much more gradually. I find that a couple hours 3 times a week really makes life a whole lot easier. -Louis
Response:
Yes, it does help to exercise. I started on a full gym program notwithstanding I have restrictive lung disease– 50% lung capacity — and bad asthma. So it was very hard, and still is, but I got a trainer, and a little at a time I’ve gotten stronger and can function more freely, even though my lung capacity hasn’t changed.
Response:
> Yes, it does help to exercise. I started on a full gym program > notwithstanding I have restrictive lung disease– 50% lung capacity — and > bad asthma.
I feel the best after a tough game of squash or good aerobics – something that really makes the air move in and out of my lungs! Swimming is good too, but the effect is not quite the same. Then again, dispite all my allergies I don’t actually have asthma (that’s what my pulmonologist says after the histamine exposure test and from my PEF figures), but some sort of restrictive lung disorder. I guess she doesn’t yet really know what’s wrong with me. I haven’t had real attacks, never wheezed and I don’t even cough that much. I can live without my Bricanyl though it helps when I occationally feel worse (I hate the shakes so I rather not take if I can do without). But I have tightness of chest, a lump in my throat, thick mucous and I can’t breathe freely. I’m now on Pulmicort and Atrovent comp. They help a little, but don’t really do the trick. I’ve been following this group, since the symptoms and meds are pretty much the same. I’d like to know, if there are other people like me – and Martin here – with some kind of restrictive lung disorder/disease – apart form asthma, who follow this group? And can anyone tell me anything about their symptoms and how they handle it? … Martin? This is all very new to me – the thing started getting worse after my last bronchitis in October, and it’s still not okay – so I’d really like to hear about other peoples experiences. Is it possible to get this under control? Will I be on meds for the rest of my life? I guess nobody knows that for sure, but has someone gotten rid of them, or use them just occationally? What causes this? I guess the virus which originally caused the bronchitis is already gone… Any and all replies are very much appreciated! — Heli
Response:
For me, it depends a lot on the kind of exercise. Running sets it off, uphill walking can set it off, but I’m usually OK with cycling, swimming, and exercise machines. I think it’s got something to do with whether the movement is jerky or smooth. — What I desire is mercy, not sacrifice voice: +44-1223-873837 (Hosea 6:6) fax: +44-1223-872519
Response:
>the same. I’d like to know, if there are other people like me – and Martin >here – with some kind of restrictive lung disorder/disease – apart form >asthma, who follow this group? And can anyone tell me anything about their >symptoms and how they handle it? … Martin?
Well, I suppose I count. Last year, around this time, I was extremely ill with a progression of bronchitis, pneumonia, and whooping cough. As a result of the permanent lung damage, every time I get sick (cold, flu, whatever), I become incapacitated for a week or three. My doctor thinks it’s a result of the mucus in my sinuses draining down my throat into my lungs, which irritates something and makes me cough for extending periods of time. Gian-Paolo
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Yes, it does help to exercise. I started on a full gym program > notwithstanding I have restrictive lung disease– 50% lung capacity — and > bad asthma. >I feel the best after a tough game of squash or good aerobics – something >that really makes the air move in and out of my lungs! Swimming is good >too, but the effect is not quite the same. Then again, dispite all my >allergies I don’t actually have asthma (that’s what my pulmonologist says >after the histamine exposure test and from my PEF figures), but some sort >of restrictive lung disorder. I guess she doesn’t yet really know what’s >wrong with me. >I haven’t had real attacks, never wheezed and I don’t even cough that much. >I can live without my Bricanyl though it helps when I occationally feel >worse (I hate the shakes so I rather not take if I can do without). But I >have tightness of chest, a lump in my throat, thick mucous and I can’t >breathe freely. I’m now on Pulmicort and Atrovent comp. They help a little, >but don’t really do the trick. >I’ve been following this group, since the symptoms and meds are pretty much >the same. I’d like to know, if there are other people like me – and Martin >here – with some kind of restrictive lung disorder/disease – apart form >asthma, who follow this group? And can anyone tell me anything about their >symptoms and how they handle it? … Martin? >This is all very new to me – the thing started getting worse after my last >bronchitis in October, and it’s still not okay – so I’d really like to hear >about other peoples experiences. Is it possible to get this under control? >Will I be on meds for the rest of my life? I guess nobody knows that for >sure, but has someone gotten rid of them, or use them just occationally? >What causes this? I guess the virus which originally caused the bronchitis >is already gone… >Any and all replies are very much appreciated! >– Heli
Odds are that you can get this under control, but you will probably have to use some meds for the rest of your life. My dr. recommended I see a nutritionist when this all started. She put me through the food allergies testing diet — you first clear your system by eating nothing but rice, water, and vitamins for two weeks (Ugh!); then add one new food every weeks. Anything which causes the slightest reaction is out. Also, I eat NO pre-packaged food. I make everything myself from scratch — including bread, jams, jellies, pickles, etc. This way, I can avoid the intense number of food additives and colorants in most prepared products. I have gotten so good at this over the years that it seems to take no time at all; and it is definitely cheaper than buying all this stuff! On rare and widely separated occasions, I will eat in a restaurant; but never more often than once a month; and NEVER anything to which I showed an allergy reaction. (This requires major self-restraint — I lost both chocolate and strawberries in the food testing!) Drink at least a gallon of water every day — not juice, not tea, not soda —> water! This is in addition to everything else you drink. This helps keep your system flushed out; and really ups your resistance to colds, flu, etc. Make sure you get enough sodium and potassium, as well as other minerals and water-soluble vitamins to go along with this. Get mild, regular exercise. I swim a mile 3 – 4 times a week. (Swimming is good for asthmatics; because it puts less stress on the pulmonary system. It is good exercise as you grow older — I am 37, and the veteran of several severe sports injuries — because it puts less impact stress on joints. The point is to do a little, regularly; as opposed to a lot intermittantly. Find out what triggers your asthma, and keep away from it! This seems like such simple advice; but so many asthmatics I know don’t have the slightest idea what, specifically, triggers their attacks; and, even when they do, they don’t avoid it. If you have wall-to-wall carpeting, either replace it with wood / tile / stone floors; or, at least, get someone else to vacuum it daily for you. Damp mop all floors twice a week and beat out all area rugs at the same time. Work with your dr. to find a balance of meds which works for you, with minimum dosages. This will take some time; but keep at it. Not taking anything, especially when you are still having problems, is asking for a trip to the emergency room. See if you can vary the dosages seasonally. After the first hard frost, I am usually able to cut back to nothing but inhalers until things start blooming again. This may seem like, and is, a major revision of your life. However, the effort invested now will ensure a long, healthy one. Good luck. Chris Owens
Response:
>>the same. I’d like to know, if there are other people like me – and Martin >here – with some kind of restrictive lung disorder/disease – apart form >asthma, who follow this group? And can anyone tell me anything about their >symptoms and how they handle it? … Martin? >Well, I suppose I count. Last year, around this time, I was extremely ill >with a progression of bronchitis, pneumonia, and whooping cough. As a result >of the permanent lung damage, every time I get sick (cold, flu, whatever), I >become incapacitated for a week or three. My doctor thinks it’s a result of >the mucus in my sinuses draining down my throat into my lungs, which irritates >something and makes me cough for extending periods of time. >Gian-Paolo
I don’t know which category I’m in–they say I have "reactive air waves". It started with bad colds that became bronchitis and lasted a couple of months; now I pretty much count on the first cold of the winter making my liungs spasmic for the rest of the winter until it gets warm again–but you symptoms–lump, mucus etc sound a lot like me. I have wondered whether vitamin D wqould work–because I seem to get it in the winter and I don’t drink milk. Has anybody tried that? My doctor treats this like asthma but doesn’t call it asthma…
Response:
I have been asthmatic since a few months old. I have found that exercise actually helps me to live without inhalers. As I exercise and increase fitness over time I feel as though I break through a barrier, where from that point onwards I have fewer problems. When my cardio-vascular fitness is up to scratch, most of the normal triggers do not affect me unless thay are an extreme dose (such as smoke). Over the last year I have unfortunately let my fitness lapse, and am now relying far too much in my inhaler. I’ve been silly enough to let things go so far that it has been very difficult to regain fitness. Of course I cannot go anywhere without the inhaler, a situation which will remain until I get fit once more. nellus… mmm…