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How To Treat Exercise-induced Asthma Without Medication

What Sports Commonly Cause Asthma Symptoms

What is Exercise-Induced Asthma?

If you have sports-induced asthma, you may want to choose certain activities over others. Endurance sports and activities that take place in colder temperatures are more likely to trigger symptoms. Thats because cold, dry air can constrict the airways and trigger symptoms of asthma.

Sports that are most likely to trigger symptoms of asthma:

  • Require constant physical exertion: Long-distance running, soccer, basketball and other endurance sports require you to breathe heavily and constantly with little rest.
  • Take place in colder weather: Skiing, ice hockey, ice skating and snowboarding commonly cause symptoms due to colder air temperatures.

Are There Natural Remedies For Asthma Attacks

The typical treatment for an asthma attack is a quick-acting inhaler with medication. Sit upright and take slow, steady breaths. Try to stay calm. Follow the asthma action plan that youâve set up with your doctor. If your breathing doesnât get better or if youâre so short of breath that you canât talk, get medical help right away.

Some breathing exercises can help with symptoms of an asthma attack.

  • Pursed-lip breathing. This slows your breathing and helps hold your airways open longer so your lungs work better. With your mouth closed, breathe in slowly through your nose. Then breathe out through your mouth, with your lips pursed like youâre whistling, for twice as long.
  • Belly breathing. This technique uses the same steps as pursed-lip breathing. But as you breathe in, focus on the movement of your belly. Picture it filling with air like a balloon. It may help to keep your hands on your belly so you can concentrate on the air going in and out.

How To Relax The Airways

Dr. Thiruchelvam says the primary goal is to ensure that you dont avoid exercise. Here are some practical things you can do if you have exercise-induced asthma:

Gaining and maintaining good control over exercise-induced asthma often requires teamwork. A primary care sports medicine physician can help you keep your asthma well-controlled, so that exercise is less likely to trigger symptoms.

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How To Treat Exercise Induced Asthma Without Medication

It is well known that exercise-induced asthma is caused due to excess production of bronchial mucus by the bronchial cells. This is mainly caused due to lack of oxygen in the body. So to combat this issue, one needs to try to breathe in as much oxygen as possible. One can do this by practicing deep breathing exercises. Also, if you need to go outside when you have exercise-induced asthma, make sure that you are properly dressed in order to keep your body warm. If you are suffering from this condition you need to understand that it is not your fault and that you are not alone..

How Do Healthcare Providers Diagnose Exercise

6 Ways to Avoid an Asthma Attack

Your provider will ask about your symptoms, including when you have them and how long they last. After listening to your lungs, your provider will ask you to perform an activity that usually triggers your symptoms . Then your provider will measure your lung function with a spirometry test.

During spirometry, you exhale as much air as you can as fast as possible. You breathe into a tube attached to a machine called a spirometer. The machine measures how well your lungs work after exercise.

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What Exams And Tests Diagnose Exercise

If you are having an asthma attack, your health-care professional will ask you questions about your symptoms, medical history, and medications. Answer as completely as you can. He or she will also examine you and observe you as you breathe.

He or she will assess the severity of the attack. Attacks are usually classified as mild, moderately severe, or severe. This assessment is based on several factors.

  • Symptom severity and duration
  • Degree of airway obstruction
  • Extent to which the attack is interfering with regular activities

If you have had symptoms and are seeking medical care afterward, the health-care professional will ask questions and perform tests to search for and rule out or exclude other causes of the symptoms. The evaluation will almost certainly include tests of how well you can breathe at rest and may include tests during exertion. These tests are done at rest, after six to eight minutes of exercise, and then at regular intervals until at least 30 minutes after you have stopped exercising. Proper diagnosis is essential to ensure that the most appropriate treatment is given.

Measurements of how well you are breathing can be assessed using the following methods:

No blood test can pinpoint the cause of asthma.

  • Your blood may be checked for signs of an infection that might be contributing to the symptoms.
  • In severe attacks, it may be necessary to sample blood from an artery to determine exactly how much oxygen and carbon dioxide are present in your bloodstream.

Can Healing The Gut Help Asthma

There is a medical term called leaky gut, and it is a condition where the digestive tract becomes porous. This means that the food you eat is able to pass through the gut lining, and leaves the body without any processing. Therefore, the digestive tract is unable to absorb the nutrients from the food, and can cause malnutrition. As the digestion is not carried out properly, toxins and bacteria from the gut can leak into the body, causing other complications. However, if the gut is healed, it can be a good way of reducing asthma and many other diseases..

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What Is Exercise Induced Asthma

If you are diagnosed with exercise induced asthma, there are treatments available to help. If your asthma is under control, then there is no reason why you cant exercise safely and keep fit without worrying about triggering your asthma.Dr Zenon Andreou

If you are diagnosed with exercise induced asthma, there are treatments available to help. If your asthma is under control, then there is no reason why you cant exercise safely and keep fit without worrying about triggering your asthma.

About Asthma And Exercise

Exercise induced asthma

Exercise and physical activity are vital for keeping fit and healthy, and are an important part of good asthma management. Sometimes, however, exercising or being physically active can trigger an episode of asthma. This is known as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction . Previously it was called exercise-induced asthma.

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction affects:

  • up to 90% of people with asthma
  • up to 50% of competitive athletes
  • 18 to 26% of school children.

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction is usually easily managed and should be part of any asthma management plan. In fact, regular exercise will improve your overall health and wellbeing.

You should be able to exercise as often as you wish. If you regularly experience asthma symptoms during exercise, consult your doctor or respiratory specialist.

People with asthma should be able to participate in almost any sport or exercise. Scuba diving is the only sport not generally recommended.

Most people with asthma can exercise to their full potential if they have good asthma control.

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Are There Home Remedies For Exercise

Work with your health-care professional to develop an action plan. Follow your treatment plan closely to avoid an asthma attack during and after exercising. If you do have an asthma attack, the action plan will help you control the attack and make the decision about when to seek medical care.

If you should have an asthma attack, move to the next step of your action plan. Keep the following tips in mind:

  • Take only the medications your health-care professional has prescribed for your asthma. Take them as directed.
  • If the medication is not working, do not take more than you have been directed to take. Overusing asthma medications can be dangerous.
  • Do not take cough medicine. These medicines do not help asthma and may cause unwanted side effects.
  • Aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen , can cause asthma to worsen in certain individuals. These medications should not be taken without the advice of your health-care professional.
  • Do not use nonprescription inhalers. These contain a very short-acting inhaler that may not last long enough to relieve an asthma attack and may cause unwanted side effects.
  • Do not take any nonprescription preparations, herbs, or supplements even if they are completely natural, without talking to your health-care professional first. Some of these may have unwanted side effects or interfere with your medications.
  • Be prepared to go on to the next step of your action plan if necessary.

Lifestyle And Home Remedies

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for everyone, including most people with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Besides taking your medication, steps you can take to prevent or minimize symptoms of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction include the following:

  • Do around 15 minutes of warmup that varies in intensity before you begin regular exercise.
  • Breathe through your nose to warm and humidify the air before it enters your lungs.
  • Wear a face mask or scarf when exercising, especially in cold, dry weather.
  • If you have allergies, avoid triggers. For example, dont exercise outside when pollen counts are high.
  • Try to avoid areas with high levels of air pollution, such as roads with heavy traffic.

Also Check: Asthma Statistics Worldwide 2016

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Make An Asthma Action Plan

If you don’t have one already, work with your doctor to create an asthma action plan. This is something you talk about and write down. It helps you tell how well-controlled your asthma is and what to do about it. Your action plan might include:

  • How much medicine to take and when
  • A list of your triggers and ways to avoid them
  • What to do when you have specific symptoms of trouble

Managing Your Asthma & Exercising

dealing with exercise

Once you and your healthcare provider have established what your exercise regimen should be, keep the following in mind:

  • Follow your prescribed treatment plan and take your controller medication
  • Take your medication before starting to exercise if advised, and always carry your reliever medication.
  • Start your regimen slowly. Take your time before attempting more demanding exercises.
  • Always warm up before exercising, and cool down after.
  • If you develop symptoms while you are exercising, stop and rest. Take your reliever medication.
  • If you usually exercise outdoors and its cold out, op for indoor exercise.
  • If you usually exercise outdoors and the pollution or pollen counts are high, exercise indoors instead. You can check the Air Quality Healthy Index before planning to exercise outdoors.
  • Follow your Asthma Action Plan.

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What Else Can I Do To Prevent Symptoms Or Attacks

Depending on your triggers, you can keep an eye on the levels of allergens in the air and levels of air pollution and ozone , which vary each day.

Choosing to exercise indoors on these high-allergen or high-pollution days could prevent asthma symptoms.

Cold air can provoke asthma symptoms, too. So if you need to be outside when its below freezing, wearing a mask or scarf can help cut down on the temperatures effects on your respiratory system.

Warming up well before competing in sports can also reduce the risk of asthma symptoms developing during competition, in addition to reducing your risk of injury.

Most important: If youre diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma and prescribed an inhaler, that inhaler should be with you at all times so that you have immediate access.

If you have an asthma attack and panic because you dont have your inhaler handy, the stress of the situation can make your breathing even worse.

Natural Asthma Remedy Risks

As you consider the different types of natural asthma remedies, itâs very important to carefully balance your desire to breathe easier with the possible dangers of the treatments, which may be unknown. Keep these things in mind:

  • Never use any dietary supplement before checking with your doctor.
  • Some natural herbal products, such as bee pollen, may trigger an asthma attack if youâre allergic to the specific plant.
  • Never stop using your asthma drugs without your doctorâs knowledge. If you donât follow your treatment plan, the results can be very serious and even deadly.

If youâre not sure about the claims on a natural dietary supplement product label, call your doctor before taking it. They can check the product to let you know if it has any health benefits.

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Are Sports Good Or Bad For People Who Have Asthma

Physical exercise also has important health benefits for people with . People with asthma who know how to deal with asthma attacks â and how to use medication in order to prevent their symptoms from getting worse â can still do sports. You have to know your own limits, though.

Research suggests that sports and exercise reduce symptoms in the long term. But its important to choose activities that match your level of fitness. This may mean, for example, taking a break or doing something less strenuous if you notice signs of breathing difficulties. Warming up before doing sports, and gradually increasing the intensity of physical exertion, can help too. Studies also suggest that interval training can prevent exercise-induced asthma. In interval training, high-energy exercise is alternated with periods of rest.

Its important to keep a reliever medication on hand so you can react quickly if you have an attack. Sometimes it may help to use reliever medication before doing exercise. You can ask your doctor for more information and advice.

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Don’t Rely Only On Quick

Understanding Asthma: Mild, Moderate, and Severe

You can also use pre-exercise drugs as a quick-relief treatment for symptoms. However, you shouldn’t need to use your pre-exercise inhaler more often than your doctor recommends.

Keep a record of how many puffs you use each week, how often you use your pre-exercise inhaler for prevention and how often you use it to treat symptoms. If you use it daily or you frequently use it for symptom relief, your doctor might adjust your long-term control medication.

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What Types Of Sports Are Best For People With Eib

Activities most likely to trigger EIB:

  • Sports or activities in cold/dry weather
  • Sports or activities that need constant activity

Activities least likely to trigger EIB:

  • Sports or activities that use short bursts of exercise
  • Walking or leisure biking
  • Swimming in a warm, humid environment

It is important to consult with your health care provider before beginning any exercise program. Pace yourself. With effective management, people with EIB can perform and excel in a variety of sports. Many Olympic athletes and professional athletes with EIB excel in their sports.

What Are Symptoms Of Exercise

If you have EIB, youll likely experience one or a combination of four symptoms: shortness of breath, a dry, non-productive cough, chest tightness, or wheezing .

Some of these symptomssay, trouble catching your breathcan be easy to confuse with the effects of just pushing yourself too hard, or being a little out of shape. So how can you tell if its EIB?

Typically, symptoms of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction are pretty precisely-timed. They tend to begin during the first six to eight minutes of exercise, and peak five to 10 minutes post-workout, says Wang. Thats because, initially, exercise expands the airways. But as you continue to move with EIB, or when you stop, your airways can constrict more than usual.

If you have EIB, symptoms usually subside within 30 to 60 minutes, he adds. Thats different than a short-term exertion, like if youre pushing yourself really hard in a sprint. In that case, youll regain your breath much faster than this, Wang notes.

If youve done your run and shortly following your run, your chest is tight, maybe youre coughing a little bit, that should go away, notes Taliercio.

If those symptoms persist after that time frame, or get worseespecially if you have a history or asthma and have used a quick-acting inhalerthey may be signs of an asthma attack. In that case, you should seek immediate medical attention, as it can be life-threatening if not treated, notes Wang.

Also Check: Asthma Action Plan American Lung Association

Best And Worst Workouts For Asthma

Team sports that involve short bursts of exertion like volleyball, gymnastics, baseball, and wrestling are good, and so are solo or group leisure activities like walking, biking, and hiking. Swimming is also a good choice because you usually breathe in plenty of warm, moist air while you do it. Itâs also a great way to build upper-body strength.

Activities that involve long periods of exertion, such as soccer, distance running, basketball, and field hockey, may not be as easy. Also, cold-weather sports, such as ice hockey, cross-country skiing, and ice skating, may pose challenges. But many people with asthma are able to fully take part in these activities.

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What Happens During Exercise

How To Survive An Asthma Attack When You Don

Symptoms of the condition typically occur a few minutes into your exercise routine. These symptoms evolve from mild to severe if you ignore your symptoms for 20 to 30 minutes. It takes about 5 to 10 minutes for the symptoms to become worse.

Sometimes, people with asthma also experience a second wave of symptoms. This occurs 4 to 12 hours after they have stopped exercising, which is why people must stop working out if they feel any symptoms.

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