Swimming Good For Asthmatics

What sport is good for asthmatics? Experts say one of them is swimming that won't trigger asthma attacks. Aside form being fun, swimming is good for your lungs.

"When you swim, your head, because it is in the water, is exposed to 100 percent humidity. So there is no drying, no evaporation, no cooling, and therefore no spasm of the airways. (However, the shock of diving into very cold water can also induce asthma, so it may be wiser to enter the pool toe by toe.)," according to Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld of the New York Hospital - Cornell Medical Center in "Modern Prevention: The New Medicine."

"One of my sons is an asthmatic. He was always athletically inclined and anxious to keep physically fit. Most sports provoked asthma, made him wheeze and left him short of breath. But he could swim virtually endlessly without any trouble whatsoever. So that's what he focused on, became a superb swimmer and ended up on his college swimming team," he added.

If swimming is not your cup of tea, what other exercises can an asthmatic perform? Here are more suggestions from Rosenfeld:

"If you do not have access to a pool, or don't happen to enjoy swimming, what are your alternatives? The sports most likely to give you trouble are those that involve sustained running, like football, soccer, tennis, handball or basketball. On the other hand, golf, weight lifting and bowling are almost always well tolerated. Whatever sport you choose, try to breathe through your nose, not your mouth. Doing so warms and moistens the air going to the lungs.

"But a great deal depends on how long you actually work out, under what circumstances, as well as the temperature and the humidity of the environment. It usually takes anywhere up to twelve minutes of continuous (as opposed to intermittent) exercise to precipitate asthma in a vulnerable person. The asthmatic attack itself begins a few minutes after the exertion ends, and may last for an hour or more. If for some reason you must participate in physical activity that you know will give you asthma, certain medications taken beforehand may prevent it," he said.

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