Toward a Normal Life

Abstract

Asthma has dozens of causes and a few means of treatment. The narrowing of the smaller bronchial tubes that causes the typical gasping and wheezing of the asthmatic child can restrict his activity and open him up to infection by other diseases. But most of the three million asthmatic children in the United States are not destined to be invalids, according to Dr. Elliot F. Ellis, chief of pediatrics at the National Jewish Hospital in Denver, which specializes in asthma and other respiratory diseases. What's more, a moderate amount of exercise seems to improve the condition, as a recent experiment with more mature asthma patients showed. The 39 patients, aged 15 to 35, were divided into two groups to find out what effect physical exertion had on them. They had been sent to the hospital by their physicians because of failure to respond to outpatient treatment. During a three-month period, one group took part in routine hospital activity only, while the other group had two hours of exercise each day. The first hour was devoted to such calisthenics as push-ups, weight-lifting and pedaling a stationary bicycle. During the second hour they took part in competitive sports such as basketball and soccer. At the end of three months the groups exchanged places. None was made worse by the exercise. Three out of four showed an increase in oxygen uptake. The results of the experiment have been applied to younger patients, and exercise therapy is a regular part of treatment at the hospital for asthmatics who can handle it without harm. The restriction of activity to the quiet side of exhaustion still holds, however, and exercise therapy is only one of the partial palliatives for the disease. Most