Asthma: New Advice Says Work Through It

About 80 percent of people who suffer from allergic asthma suffer from exercise- induced asthma, so it seems sensible that those people should cool any action on the exercise front, right? Not right, says this story in the L.A. Times, although for many years that was the recommended solution. These days, however, experts are pushing patients to push themselves, although gently at first. Dr. Guy Soo Hoo, a pulmonary critical care specialist with the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System in West L.A, told the Times that a lack of exercise can make things worse, while an improvement in cardio endurance you can deliver more oxygen to muscles, so people have to breathe less to do the same amount of work. The story points out that the list of great athletes who battled asthma includes track star Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Olympic swimmers Debbie Meyer and Amy Van Dyken, champion figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and NFL running back Jerome Bettis.