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Dear Kathy:
It's sure tough for anyone without asthma to imagine; after all, breathing is such a breeze: air
just enters and exits your nose or mouth, coasting smoothly into your windpipe (trachea), through
bronchial tubes and into your lungs. If you have asthma, however, taking in air can be a perilous
challenge. In fact, it can make you feel like you're drowning.
Asthma is a lung disease that involves having overly sensitive tissues in your airways. These
tissues are always inflamed, even if you don't feel irritated. Dust, pollen, mold spores, strenuous
exercise and even cold air can trigger reactions in those tissues, making the bronchial tubes
swell, excrete thick mucus and plug smaller air passageways. This can make your chest feel tight
and cause coughing, wheezing and breathlessness for several hours or longer unless you use special
medications. Researchers say that people in crowded cities are particularly at risk for asthma
attacks because they're exposed to more icky allergens like dust mites, air pollution and cockroach
droppings.
While people don't really outgrow asthma, about half of all kids who have it will experience
few, if any, symptoms by the time they become teens. That's because small amounts of narrowing have
less impact on airways as they grow larger. Kids who grow up also grow smarter by following their
doctor's orders, routinely taking asthma medication and avoiding triggers like cigarette smoke and
other irritants. And that's how they can enjoy everything that other kids do and feel free as a breeze.
Signed,
Wendell
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