Asthma and Martial Arts

Discussion in 'Disabled Martial Artists' started by wrydolphin, May 10, 2004.

  1. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    You're right Chimp. People do often grow out of childhood asthma. I'd be interested in seeing numbers on how many people grow out of and into asthma. I've known several people do the latter.

    I developed it at 13 and never shook it. But then, my entire family is asthmatic to one degree or another.


    Stuart
     
  2. wrydolphin

    wrydolphin Pirates... yaarrrr Supporter

    I never had it as a child and only developed it after the move down south. There are a lot of environmental factors which can cause someone to develope asthma. I think I am allergic to mold and that might be what triggers the attacks. Which would also be why I haven't had much of a problem since moving back.
    My friend's Oma swears by chuahuas. She used to have very bad asthma (had an attack in the tub once and almost drowned) and got a chuahua as a last ditch effort and hasn't had an attack since. Or so she says. Don't know as to how good the chuahua as asthma cure theory is, but its a pretty prevalent one around here.
     
  3. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    What's a chuahua?
     
  4. wrydolphin

    wrydolphin Pirates... yaarrrr Supporter

    Its a little Mexican yappie dog. Big ears and big mouth with buggie eyes and not much else. Generally spelled chihuahua, rather then the misspelling I just realized I used.
     

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    Last edited: Dec 1, 2004
  5. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    Ah. I was wondering whether that's what you meant.

    Chihuahuas aren't really good for asthma. They're not curative or anything. They're just minimally bad for asthma. Certain breeds of dog are more hypoallergenic than others. We did some research on this before getting Scottish terriers. Poodles, schnauzers (sp?), etc. are good dogs (relatively speaking) for asthmatics. Chihuahuas too, by the sounds of it.


    Stuart
     
  6. wrydolphin

    wrydolphin Pirates... yaarrrr Supporter

    The only thing I can figure is maybe the stress reduction factor of having a pet combines with the fact that they don't seem to set off asthma attacks.
     
  7. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    Oh. Yeah. That's an excellent point. Can't believe I didn't think of it.

    Yeah, I found having a dog around to be really, really relaxing. Good call! I think they've also done a lot of studies of the effect on dogs on the longevity of residents in nursing homes, etc.
     
  8. wrydolphin

    wrydolphin Pirates... yaarrrr Supporter

    Thanks. I'll try not to let it go to my head. :p
     
  9. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

  10. snailfist

    snailfist Valued Member

    I have asthma, although I think i'm in the process of growing out of it :)
    I think how much it affects your training depends on your style and class. Soemthing like MT, for example, can require more anaerobic work than something a bit slower paced, such as form-orientated CMA ir the early stages of JJJ training.
     
  11. woodrow

    woodrow Banned Banned

    Hey Owen!

    When you get an asthma attack, where do you feel it and what does it feel like? Is it one side of the chest or the other? Lower or higher? Does it feel like tightness in the heart area? Do you feel it someplace else besides the chest? You ever notice anything in particular that precedes the asthma attacks?

    Hope you don't mind my inquisitive nature. ;)
     
  12. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    No mate. I don't mind. :)

    It feels like the tubes that take air to your lungs are smaller than they ought to be. Which is essentially precisely what's happening. Like if you have a water hose and then someone steps on it, so the water is reduced to a trickle. That's essentially the deal. It's like someone's stepping on your bronchial tubes. (Nice image that.)

    Nope, not one side or the other. I think asthma is typically the entire lung set. High up I suppose. I mean I couldn't really discern whether it's high up in the lungs. But it is exclusively the lungs. All the tubes are affected throughout the system as far as I know.

    There are predictors certainly. A lot of people (me included) have exercise-induced asthma. Allergies and colds will also trigger it. And stress. That's a less obvious one. But also has an effect.

    But in terms of anything preceding the attack... not really. There is acid reflux. That's usually connected with asthma. The symptoms are similar, but one also seems to trigger the other.

    How's that? :)


    Stuart
     
  13. Gary Crawford

    Gary Crawford New Member

    Greetings all,This is my first post here.I lived with severe asthma through childhood,but fortunately for me,I grew out of it.From my personal experience,adolescent asthma is both phisical and psycological.I don't think it was any coincidense that I outgrew my asthma about the same time I recieved my black belt at age 14. Here is some info about adult asthma you may find interesting.8071 -- 1/25/00

    LATEST ON LATE-ONSET ASTHMA

    Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

    Doctors diagnose late-onset asthma when an adult develops chronic coughing and wheezing, that does not appear to be caused by allergy, irritants or an obvious infection. Researchers at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville report that they can control late-onset asthma with medicines that kill fungi (1).

    Until now, the only effective treatment for non-allergic people who develop asthma after puberty are cortisones that have horrible side effects, such as osteoporosis, high blood pressure, obesity amd so forth. So the vast majority of people with late-onset asthma are treated with inhalers that contain cortisones and when that doesn't work, they are given cortisones that can be taken by mouth.

    A previous study at National Jewish Hospital in Denver shows that many late-onset asthmatics are infected with an intracellular bacteria called mycoplasma (2,3) and studies at the University of Wisconsin and others (4,5,6) show that some get better when they are treated with the antibiotics, doxycycline, minocycline, Zithromax or Biaxin, but their symptoms often return when they stop taking antibiotics).

    Asthma may be caused by infections with viruses and fungi, as well as by baceria. This latest study from the University of Virginia shows that some late-onset asthmatics can be controlled by taking medication, such as fluconazole, to kill fungi, but the symptoms often return when they stop taking the medication. A study from the Mayo Clinic shows that 96% of people who develop late onset asthma and chronic sinus infections are infected with fungi (7).

    1)GW Ward, JA Woodfolk, ML Hayden, S Jackson, TAE PlattsMills. Treatment of late-onset asthma with fluconazole.Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 1999, Vol 104, Iss 3, Part 1, pp 541-546.

    2). M Kraft, GH Cassell, JE Henson, H Watson, J Williamson, BP Marmion, CA Gaydos, RJ Martin. Detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in the airways of adults with chronic asthma. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 158: 3 (SEP 1998):998-1001.

    3) JAMA 1997 (December 17);278(23):2051-2.

    4) Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 1998(Jan);80(1):45-49.

    5) Hahn DL. Treatment of chlamydia pneumoniae infection in adult asthma: A before -after trial. J Fam Pract. 1995;41:345-351.

    6) JD Klausner, D Passaro, J Rosenberg, WL Thacker, DF Talkington, SB Werner, DJ Vugia. Enhanced control of an outbreak of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia with azithromycin prophylaxis. Journal of Infectious Diseases 177: 1 (JAN 1998):161-166.

    7)A Homberger et al. The diagnosis and incidence of allergic fungal Sinusitis. Mayo Clinic Proceedings 1999(Sept);73(9):877-884.



    To receive Dr. Mirkin's free health & fitness E-Zine each week, send a blank email to subscribe@drmirkin.com

    www.DrMirkin.com
    More reports on: Fitness * Diabetes * Nutrition * Women's Health * Men's Health * Heart Health * Joints & Bones * Other Health Issues
     
  14. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    Good stuff! Thanks!!
     
  15. wrydolphin

    wrydolphin Pirates... yaarrrr Supporter

    And so much more informative then my misspelled Mexican dog theory. :)

    Thanks for posting, Gary!
     
  16. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    Believe me, I had to look up the spelling. :)
     
  17. Gary Crawford

    Gary Crawford New Member

    Owen,it might be a good idea to print that and take it with you on your next visit to your doctor if he isn't treating you with antibiotics.I hope that helps.
     
  18. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    No mate, I meant the spelling of "chihuahua." :)

    I'm pretty good on the asthma front these days.
     

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