Expert: Marc Rubin, RPh Asthma Educator - 10/31/2011

Question
Hi sir,
Thank you for creating this type of web pages. I am srinivas.I have two questons.I am suffering from asthama for 16 years. .Now i am 26years Means i am facing this problem more than my half of the age.  
1)I Would like to know what are the reasons for attacks the asthama.Is any physical factors in the human body reasons for asthama.how to i get permanant solution.
2)I am fat person. If I supose to run i am facing the problem with asthama.please let me know how to reduce my weight.

I am expecting solutions to my problems.

Answer
Hi Srinivas,

First, asthma, by definition, is a chronic disorder of your airways characterized by variable and recurrent symptoms: 1)airflow obstruction due to the muscles around the main air pipes squeezing them smaller, 2)these same muscle are over-reactive to irritants (which we call triggers: pollen, animal dander, mold, air pollution, smoke, etc,), and 3) underlying inflammation and swelling in the lung tissues.

So...at this point in medicine, we cannot cure this disorder, but we can reduce your symptoms through drug therapy, and education...which are of EQUAL importance. If you don't understand what is happening, and what triggers your problems, you then are unable to eliminate or avoid the risk of attacks. The medication available are terrific, but if you put yourself in unsafe situations, they can only help so much.

In childhood onset asthma, what is happening is an overactive immune system that over-responds to foreign proteins (pollen, mold), and irritants (smoke, ozone, perfume..for example). Each person has their own unique list of triggers. Some people are just sensitive to 1 or 2 things (like grass pollen)and only have occasional issues. Others are sensitive to a whole slew of things, and have constant problems year round. This results in very individualized treatment approaches.

The doctors best trained to treat you are allergists. They can thoroughly assess what your triggers are, and can arrive at the best treatment options for you. You can locate a specialist at:

http://aaaai.execinc.com/find-an-allergist/

No, there are factors which complicate asthma, and obesity is a major one. The reason for this is that when you are laying down, for instance, that excess weight is pushing back against the muscle that is trying to pull open your lungs to breath in air. This muscle is the diaphragm. This leads to a poorer level of oxygen getting in your blood, especially when sleeping, resulting in chronic feeling of tiredness with low every levels. As you reduce your weight, your breathing and quality of life will improve. Remember, your weight gain did not happen overnight, so the goal is generally 1-2 pounds a week. With your asthma, I'd shoot for 1 pound. But don't just look at the weight, get body measurements! There will be points during this process that you will not be losing pound, but inches! This is normal, and will leave you less frustrated. So start by measuring your bust line, waist, hips, around your upper arms and thighs. Only do this every 2-3 weeks. Also read labels on food packaging...watch those calories. If you can afford to do so, meet with a dietician. Some food stores offer this as a free service. They put on tours about healthy living with food. Supervalu stores do this, and probably Safeway and Kroger. Check their web sites. Also, check AllExperts for a dietician consultant!

For a starting point for your education, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology redesigned their site to make it patient friendly. Check it out! It updates frequently with new tips and knowledge:

http://www.aaaai.org.

Hopes this helps to better understand your problem and take control.
Sincerely,

Marc