is this good for my friend's health?

Question

i hav a she is athletic and a really good runner, in track-and-field,
but she has asthma.

she is the fastest long distance runner [of the girls] in my class but i noticed that she seems to breath harder then most people after 200 yards and her face gets a bit red.
when she is done running she usually the one who breaths the hardest [as in lik i can hear her from a feet or two] and her face get red. but after a lil while she get bac to normal and has her normal strength bac, but she has a lil bit trouble breathin 'normally'

is this good for her health to continue running in track-and-field? im just worried bout her...

Answer 1

From the symptoms you described of your friend's while running track and field indicate that she's suffering from sports-induced asthma. The dry wheezing indicate that she's short of breath exacerbated by the exertion.

Asthma is a form of allergy. Coming into contact with things like strong perfume, the dander on pets, or pollen in the air can trigger a reaction in some people with asthma. Cigarette smoke can start coughing up a storm


Playing for Keeps

Actually, playing sports would really helped with her asthma. The reason for this is that sport increases your lung capacity, and physical fitness is incredibly important to a person with asthma. Being in good physical condition means her "comfort zone" of activity is higher than if she didn't play a sport of any kind. Because of this, she could reach a higher level of activity without suffering asthma symptoms.


As opposed to soccer, which consists of a start-stop, start-stop style of running, in long distance running she can pace herself; She can maintain a stable breathing pattern until the very end, where she could sprint with everything she has left.


Taking control

The use of a fast-acting inhaler would stabilize her asthma if taken every 4 to 6 hours until the courh or wheezing stops. Another inhaler taken every day along with her daily pill.would prevent the asthma symptoms. Before she plays sports, during an attack, or if she has a wheezing cough, she should take her fast-acting inhaler. I'm sure she's not too fond of that fast-acting inhaler — it makes me jittery and shaky and hyper. But she needs to do in order to stay as healthy as she can.


Some days are just bad days. In the summer, if it is ridiculously hot and humid, she might have more trouble than usual. The same thing happens in the winter when it is one of those excessively dry, cold, and windy days. On these days she just have to work a little harder and maybe take her fast-acting inhaler more often. Whenever she feels that wheeze, that tight feeling in my chest, she should take that inhaler.


A friend like you makes the difference

You can encourage and support her. I'm sure she loves running, and it can get very frustrating sometimes. Days when she wants to run more, she wants to run faster, but she just can't breathe are the worst. You could encourage and remind her that she should work through them to the best of her ability. Sometimes it feels like every time she runs- it's a struggle between her and her breath. That last stretch is always the most grueling part of the race and the hardest test of her asthma. She should focus on that finish line and sprint with every fiber of her being, knowing that the end is just a few more strides away.


The burst of exhilaration and pride that fills her when she crosses that line is almost indescribable. It surpasses anything she has ever experienced. It"s what some call a "runner's high." This experience, asthma, running, everything, might teach her what it means to want something and to work for it, using every possible resource to get to where she needs to be. Remind her that once thought was a weakness could make her stronger. Knowing this may make all of the trials and tests worth it.

She's very lucky to have you for a friend who's caring ;attentive ;always ready to help.and cheer her on!!!!!.

Answer 2

its fine. perfectly fine. if it wasnt for running her asthma would probably even be worse. i have asthma and it wasnt until i started to play basketball and run track that i really got my asthma under more control than i ever had.
dont worry about her too much and continue to cheer her on. i know you're a good friend and keep it up

Answer 3

my friend has it to its not bad for them in an actual fact its quite good for them the more she does it the better her breathing will get.

Answer 4

Ask her if she has seen her Doctor or if she has used her inhaler when necessary. If she uses an inhaler.

Answer 5

only her doctor can answer that, but probably yes it is better to be active, i have been told it is easier to handler your ashma

Answer 6

i have bad asthma and i run 130 mile races every wednsday.

Answer 7

yes i think it's good for her so long as she doesn't over do it. but the exercise is good for her lungs.

Answer 8

Asthma in the Athlete

New help in dealing successfully with athletes who have asthma

When a young athlete experiences an asthma attack, it can be frightening and dangerous. Depending upon its severity, the attack may range from wheezing and tightness of the chest to extreme breathlessness that can progress to full respiratory failure. Asthma is a disease that is characterized by hypersensitivity of the airways to allergens and irritants known as triggers. For people who have exercise-induced asthma, exercise itself is a trigger. When a person with asthma is exposed to a trigger, muscles in the walls of the air passages tighten, shrinking the airways. Breathing passages are further blocked when the lining of these airways swells and produces thick mucus. Asthma is now the most common chronic childhood illness, with 4.8 million American youngsters suffering from it. So it is vital for coaches, trainers, parents and athletes to be prepared.

Jewish Hospital’s Frazier Rehab Sports Medicine Program is taking special steps to address this situation. A program called “Asthma and Sports Medicine” is being spearheaded by Judah Skolnick, M.D., pulmonologist and Chairman of the Asthma and Sports Medicine Task Force, and Ronald Morton, M.D., pediatric pulmonologist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Louisville. According to Linda Shelburne, Director of Network Services at Jewish Hospital’s Frazier Rehab, the program has three primary goals:

1. Develop a screening tool for identifying athletes with asthma.
2. Develop a process by which these athletes can get the help they need.
3. Develop educational programs and materials for coaches, trainers, team physicians and athletes.

“A pilot program involving 800 athletes at U of L and Bellarmine University is being conducted,” explained Shelburne. “Based on our experiences there, we plan to fine-tune the program and present it to the Kentucky and Indiana High School Athletic Associations next spring.”

The educational aspect of the program has already begun as well. At this year’s annual Sports Medicine Symposium sponsored by Jewish Hospital’s Frazier Rehab, coaches, certified athletic trainers and student athletic trainers received the latest information on working with athletes who have asthma. The presentation was provided by Dr. Skolnick and Wesley Cox, a former basketball player for U of L and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. In addition, an outstanding article entitled “Coaching the Asthmatic Athlete” was co-authored by Dr. Morton; Nemr Eid, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Director of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine at the U of L and Director of Pulmonary Medicine at Kosair Children’s Hospital; and Mark Kaelin, MS, CSCS, Exercise Physiologist and instructor in the Department of Biology at Bellarmine. The article recently appeared in the Journal of Strengthening and Conditioning.

Encouraging news for athletes

Many athletes are reluctant to report asthma symptoms to a coach out of fear that they will no longer be allowed to play. So, when discussing asthma with athletes, it is important for them to be reassured that with accurate diagnosis and proper management, they can still participate, even at the highest levels of competition. It may help them to keep in mind that one in six athletes representing the United States in the 1996 Olympic Games had a history of asthma. And studies show that almost 22% of the athletes who participated in the 1998 Olympic Winter Games for the United States had a previous diagnosis of asthma. Yet, the USA team captured 143 medals that year.

For more information on asthma and athletes, call Jewish Hospital’s Frazier Rehab Sports Medicine at [phone].

Exercise Induced Asthma: What Coaches and Trainers Need to Know

Exercise-Induced Asthma: Symptoms include persistent cough, wheezing, chest
tightness or pain associated with exercise or vigorous activity.

Questions to Ask the Athlete

Do they have an asthma action plan?

Do they use a rescue inhaler for quick relief of symptoms? (i.e. albuterol [Ventolin] or
pirbuterol [Maxair])

Asthma Triggers

Exercise – Running or playing hard, especially in the cold

Upper Respiratory Infections – Colds or flu

Laughing or crying hard

Allergens – Pollen, mold, dust, animal dander, cockroaches

Irritants – Cold air, weather changes, cigarette and tobacco smoke, strong smells and
chemical sprays including perfumes, paint, cleaning solutions, chalk dust, lawn and turf
treatments

Acute Symptoms Requiring Prompt Action

Coughing or wheezing

Difficulty in breathing

Chest tightness or pressure reported by the athlete

Other signs, including low peak flow readings as indicated on the asthma management
plan.

Actions to Take

Stop the athlete’s current activity.

Follow the athlete’s asthma management/action plan.

Help the athlete use his/her inhaled medication.

Observe for effect.

Get Emergency Help If:

The athlete fails to improve.

Any of the symptoms listed on the athlete’s asthma plan as emergency indicators are
present.

Any of the following symptoms are present. Consider calling 9-1-1.

- The athlete is hunched over, with shoulders lifted and straining to breathe.
- The athlete has difficulty completing a sentence without pausing for breath.
- The athlete’s lips or fingernails turn blue.

When to Return To Play

Participation in a practice session or competitive event should only resume if the athlete
can breathe easily and is free of symptoms. If symptoms do not go away immediately, or
if they return upon resumption of the activity, the athlete should be excused from
practice for that day or be pulled from competition.

Suspension of practice or competition should be presented to the athlete as a question
of safety – not of punishment. Reassure the athlete that they can participate in sports.
However, this flare-up of their disease must be evaluated to insure they can practice
and compete safely.

SOURCE: http://www.jewishhospital.com/carecenters/sm_asthma.html