Back in my High School days at Kitsilano I ran track with a kid who had Asthma. I can still remember the sound of him wheezing and groaning while we were paced through practice sessions around Connaught Park. Memorable not only for his agony but also for his determination in keeping pace with the others.

He ran to force his lungs to grow in size while his body was still growing and although his biggest challenge was to push himself to control his breathing, it really sounded more like he was punishing himself.

His efforts were in many ways planned out to some degree. Decent warmups, reasonable time targets and set distances.

Here are some tips for running with Asthma.

1. Take extra time to warm up so that your airways can adjust. Push yourself to get used to running for a certain period of time before pushing yourself over distances. The aim is to complete the distances with your breath under control.

2. Carry an inhailer and start walking as soon as your chest tightens.

3. Asthma as seen from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective is a condition that stems from the kidneys and small intestine. Dr. Andrew Taylor in Coquitlam, suggests that improvement can only be done by taking the activating ingredients out of the diet. Avoid, eggs, wheat, and although goat is good, avoid dairy products from the cow.

Tilman von der Linde, RMT.

Muscles in Motion – Vancouver