Tori+DeLusant

Tori DeLusant 1/03/11 1. The current Air Quality levels in our area are good with the principal pollutant being fine particles according to Weatherchannel.com. As of 12/31/10, the pollen count for Mays Landing, NJ was zero according to Leonard Bielory, M.D. STARX Allergy and Asthma Center in Springfield, NJ. 2. Olympic Swimmer Amy Van Dyken is a professional athlete that has asthma. Her asthma was so bad that she could not climb a flight of stairs. When she was age 6 years old she took advice from her doctor to take up swimming. Her doctor thought that the rhythmic breathing of the humid air might help her stretch her lungs. She was not able to swim 100 meters until she was a teenager but with the help of her medication and despite asthma attacks, she worked her way up to become an Olympic swimmer and won 4 gold medals in the Olympics. 3. While doing the breathing exercise, I felt tired, could not breath and a little dizzy. My lungs also started to hurt. 4. My life would change if I had asthma. I would have to use an inhaler or take medication. I would always have to be careful of the pollen count and the weather. I think I would also have trouble during swimming. 5. Why do more people have asthma now then 20 years ago? Studies have shown that stress can worsen asthma. One study showed that a parent with a lot of stress affected asthma rates of young children who were exposed to mothers that smoked during pregnancy. Many things in the environment cause an asthma attack including air pollution, second hand smoke, and pollen. Some of the worst cities to live in if you have asthma are Richman, Virginia because it has a lot of pollen, poor air quality and incomplete smoke free-laws. St. Louis as well as Chattanooga, Knoxville and Memphis Tenn. are also not good cities to live in if you have asthma. Wind off the water helps blow away irritants so some of the best asthma cites in 2010 are, Minneapolis, MN, San Francisco, CA and Daytona Beach FLA. 6. A person with asthma can cope with this condition everyday by properly using asthma medication such as anti-inflammatory and bronchodilators. Asthma can be controlled but there is no asthma cure. In addition to taking medication, warming up prior to exercise and cooling down after can help in asthma prevention. For those with allergies and asthma, exercise should be limited during high pollen days or when temperatures are extremely low and air pollution levels are high. Infections can cause colds, flu and sinusitis. It is best to restrict your exercise when you are sick.