Fitness Fears: Why Are Asthma Sufferers Afraid to Exercise?

You don’t need me to tell you that exercise is beneficial for your health; regular activity makes you feel good, prevents a variety of health concerns and helps you to maintain your weight. But did you know that exercise can enhance your wellbeing when you suffer from asthma? You might be concerned that physical activity will trigger your symptoms, but actually exercise can have the opposite effect.

 

As you age, exercise becomes more important than ever as you need to keep using your body to get the best out of it. Studies have shown that people who keep exercising through their middle years stay healthier than people who don’t. By staying active, you enable your heart, bones and digestive system to stay healthy, keeping your joints working, your reflexes sharp and your muscles strong. Moreover, exercise is good for your emotional wellness as it reduces your stress, releases endorphins that make you feel happy and energised, and helps you to sleep.

 

However, for asthma sufferers, exercise can be a mountain to climb. In fact, eight out of 10 asthma sufferers don’t do enough exercise, the commonly cited reason for which being concerns over aggravating symptoms. But you shouldn’t let asthma hold you back! In fact, exercise can help you to improve your lung capacity, which will help you to manage your asthma better. Exercise also gives you more stamina for everyday activities, such as cleaning and shopping. Plus, once you realise you can workout and still feel great, you’ll worry less about your asthma, and have the confidence you need to manage your condition.

 

When you’re getting started, the first thing you need to do is see your GP or asthma nurse. Not only will they be able to check whether your asthma is under control (meaning you rarely have symptoms), but they’ll also be able to help you find the best type of exercise for you and check you’re on the right medicines. If exercising brings out your asthma symptoms – such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or tightness in the chest – your doctor might advise you to take a few puffs of our reliever inhaler before starting the activity. You might also be referred to a physiotherapist who can develop an exercise programme suitable for you and your individual needs.

 

You don’t have to spend hours in the gym to get fit, and nor should you get started that way. According to fitness guru Rosemary Conley, who’s had asthma all her life, the best thing to do is ‘Go gently at first, but even a five minute walk three times a day will make a real difference. Walk to the shops, use the stairs more, mow the lawn – anything!’ If you haven’t been exercising at all, start with trying to do 5 minutes a day. Wait for this to become easy, and then move up to 10 minutes, gradually building up to at least 30 minutes a day. Remember to warm up and cool down before and after exercising, and include stretches so you don’t strain your muscles.

 

Finally, remember these safety tips:

 

1. If exercise still triggers your asthma, see your GP or nurse again.

2. Make sure anyone you’re exercising with knows what to do if you have an asthma attack.

3. Always carry your (blue) reliever inhaler.

4. If you have asthma symptoms when you exercise, stop, puff on your reliever inhaler and wait five minutes for your symptoms to disappear before you start again.

5. Don’t exercise outside when it’s chilly if cold weather exacerbates your asthma.

6. Don’t exercise outside the when the pollen count is very high if pollen is a trigger.

 

Categories: Asthma, asthma control, asthma sufferers, asthma symptoms, exercise, exercising, nbsp, reliever inhaler, Safety, Symptoms

Could a Drug Reduce Your Asthma Symptoms and Save Your Life?

If your wellness is affected by asthma, a new anti-viral drug could protect you from life-threatening symptoms. This is according to researchers from the University of Southampton and respiratory drug development company Synairgen, who say that their anti-viral drug – SNG001 – could lead to a cure for asthma.

SNG001 works to guard your wellbeing against respiratory virus infections (such as the common cold), as these can spread to your lungs and worsen your asthma symptoms. Viral infection is associated with an estimated 80% of asthma-related emergency department visits. Researchers recently tested the drug on 134 adult asthmatics with mild to severe symptoms, discovering that, compared to a placebo drug; SNG001 prevented two out of three asthma sufferers developing worse symptoms after catching a cold.

The scientists also found that, as a result of using the drug, the participants’ asthma symptoms were reduced by a whopping 65%, which allowed the sufferers to reduce the amount of times they inhaled a bronchodilator, which is an inhaler that increases airflow to your lungs. Now, the scientists hope that they will be able to create a commercial version of the drug, and change the lives of the 5.4m asthma sufferers in the UK.

In a statement, professor Stephen Holgate, founder of Synairgen, said, ‘This is a really promising breakthrough for the future treatment of asthma and one of the most exciting developments that I have seen in years. This is the first clinical study which appears to demonstrate that, by boosting the antiviral defences of the lungs of asthmatics rather than trying to inhibit rapidly evolving viruses, we can limit the adverse effects of viral infection significantly to prevent worsening of asthma symptoms in a high risk group of patients.’

Leanne Metcalf, assistant director of research at Asthma UK, commented, ‘This has the potential to be one of the biggest breakthroughs in asthma treatments in the past 20 years. We are incredibly excited by the possibilities this research could bring to reduce hospital admissions and deaths as a result of asthma attacks. Over 80% of asthma attacks are triggered by cold and flu viruses, and until now we haven’t had any effective treatments that can stop this from happening. This clinical trial demonstrates the potential of this anti-viral drug to prevent asthma attacks for thousands of people with severe asthma. We are incredibly proud to have played a part in the realisation of this research programme which should benefit people with asthma in a really significant way.’

Could a Drug Reduce Your Asthma Symptoms and Save Your Life?

Categories: anti viral, Asthma, Asthma Attacks, asthma sufferers, asthma symptoms, cure, Drug, drug sng001, Research, SNG001, viral drug, viral infection

Asthma: Changing Diet Can Offer Symptoms Relief

Being diagnosed with a chronic condition such as asthma can be life-changing for many people. As well as learning how to manage the disease, sufferers also have to examine their lifestyle to figure out if changes could benefit their health in the long term.

Diet is often the first thing to be reconsidered – what we eat can have a profound effect on our health. And the symptoms of a condition such as asthma, which is an inflammation of the airways leading to and from the lungs, can often be triggered or exacerbated by certain food products.

Eliminating the possibility of food allergies can be of tremendous benefit to asthma sufferers. You may already be aware of a reaction from some foods, often trigger the symptoms of an attack – food preservatives are particularly known for their effect on asthma sufferers. Common products linked with allergies include dairy, soy, wheat, peanuts and shellfish.

Talk to your doctor about your concerns if you believe you have a food allergy or an intolerance to certain items. Skin tests can be done quickly to establish what products you may be allergic to. You can also try eliminating suspect products from your diet one by one to check if they are responsible for bringing on asthma symptoms.

Histamine, a chemical occurring naturally in certain foods, is also released in the body as part of an allergic reaction – this is what will cause the typing symptoms of allergy such as itching, sneezing, wheezing and swelling. But histamine intolerance is also common and when present, can exacerbate the symptoms of asthma. Foods high in histamine include cheese, mushrooms, tinned vegetables, pickled foods, champagne, wine and beer.

To check if you have a histamine intolerance, get a list of food and drinks high in histamine and again eliminate them one by one from your diet.

As asthma is an inflammatory condition, it helps to include foods that are natural anti-inflammatories in your diet and cut out those known to aggravate inflammation. “Good” foods include those rich in omega 3 fatty acids, whole grains and fruit and vegetables. “Bad” foods include those containing saturated and trans fat and ones high in omega 6 fatty acids.

Asthma: Changing Diet Can Offer Symptoms Relief

Categories: Asthma, asthma sufferers, fatty acids, food allergies, foods, foods include, histamine, histamine intolerance, include, Symptoms