The medical establishment does not have an adequate explanation as to what causes exercise-induced asthma.

 

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America:

The dry and/or cold air is the main trigger for airway narrowing (bronchoconstriction). Exercise that exposes you to cold, dry air is more likely to cause asthma symptoms than exercise involving warm and humid air.

 

If cold or dry air were the cause of exercise-induced asthma, why does it still occur in warm or humid weather? I think we can come up with a better explanation.

 

I’m convinced that it is all about mucous. All healthy people have mucous in their lungs. The problem is that asthmatics have too much mucous. Due to infection, the mucous in an asthmatic person’s lungs becomes toxic. And here’s the key.

 

During exercise, the fast-moving air pushes the toxic mucous onto new tissue, spreading the toxins that cause constriction. So my hypothesis is that exercise-induced asthma is caused by the movement of mucous.

 

Bronchoconstriction (an asthma attack) usually occurs between five and ten minutes after exercise begins. It can be a life-threatening situation, and those experiencing an exercise-induced attack would be advised to stop and take their medications immediately.

 

But what if the asthmatic didn’t stop? What if they kept going with heavy aerobic exercise while experiencing an asthma attack? What if they took no medication to stop it? I’ll talk about that in a moment, but first a warning. Nobody should try this experiment, as it could lead to death. It is detailed here for academic purposes only, and should not be attempted by members of the public.

 

This is an experiment that a research institution is unlikely to do, even in a clinical trial, as it could result in patient deaths. If an untreated asthmatic can survive an exercise-induced asthma attack, and continue heavy aerobic exercise (such as running) at the same time, something interesting happens. After about 20 minutes of continuous running, the asthma attack reaches a peak, after which asthma symptoms begin to improve.

 

How can this happen? Once again, I think we’ve found the answer in the mucous. In the first five to ten minutes of running, the toxic mucous is displaced and moves to new tissue, triggering the attack. But after around 20 minutes, the rushing air removes much of the mucous from the lungs. It won’t be coughed up in large lumps, as happens during a traditional chest infection, but the asthmatic sufferer may experience it as clearing the throat in small “ah hem” coughs.

 

After around half an hour of continuous running, the reduction of asthma symptoms can happen within minutes. The movement of mucous is also a reason why those with asthma often experience it worse in bed, or when lying horizontally. A horizontal position also causes the toxic mucous to be displaced.

 

The idea that the movement of mucous is causing asthma symptoms is a hypothesis. But as we’ll see, it explains a lot of the factors that are related to asthma that fit no other explanation. When many pieces of the jigsaw puzzle of the mystery of asthma begin falling into place, there’s a good chance we’re on the right track.