Racing & Asthma

I want to add that it's best to have a doctor who knows athletes,
preferentially, a doc who knows XC skiers. There is an excellent doc
who used to do research on asthma in XC skiers in Lake Placid. I spoke
to him over the phone, and he has suggested the injections to me,
which I then communicated to my local doc. Email me privately at
if you want his name.

In addition, if they ever do a lung function test (spirometry) on you,
don't forget to point out to the MD that, as a racer, you may show
numbers far exceeding the "predicted" value of the average couch
potato of your age, even with your asthma. Make sure they do a
methacoline challenge test, or an exercise test.

Since the risk factor for asthma among XC racers is so high it does
not sound too crazy to take baseline spirometry measurements for
everyone before a racing season, or during symptom-free days. Can make
it much easier proving to your MD that you are sick if you get sick.
My numbers are still 130% of the predicted. I wouldn't be surprised if
they were 150% before I got sick - but there is no way of knowing.

Some good advice in your posts. It should be made clear that albuterol
and such, and chromolyn sodium are very different beasts. I can't
describe them pharmacologically, but as a user albuterol is much
stronger and in my case had me feeling, just sitting, like my heart was
going to come out of my chest. Show stopper. Chromolyn sodium is a very
mild powder-spin inhalant rather than a direct one. According to a doc
back in the 90s, chromolyn sodium was replaced with Azmacort for most
patients with mild need.

rm

" wrote:

I've always had mild asthma (as I now realize) which progressed as I
was training more and more seriously (without muchof a training
program, just all out most of the time). The mild discomfort in my
chest after a big push gradually grew into full-blown uncontrolled
asthma after a series of all-out races at high altitude, followed by a
hard training summer (inspired by an elite Birkie wave placement),
followed by a pneumonia. Currently I can't exercise at all. I am on
max doses of steroids, two anti-inflammatory drugs, and bi-weekly
antibody injections which cost $500 each, plus, I sleep in a bubble
with a continous air filtration - just to be able to breathe. It took
me 2 years to accept that I must stop racing, and during these 2 years
I still remember winning a race or two.

Go on Google Scholar and type in "asthma cross country skiers". You
will find that XC skiers are the most prone to development of asthma
of all athletes due to breathing dry cold air which penetrates deeply
into the lungs and causes permanent inflammation. According to some
estimates, 50% of all elite Nordic skiers have some sort of asthma.
Their particular form of asthma responds poorly to inhaled steroids,
probably, due to the fact that the steroids can't reach deep enough
into the airways to alleviate the inflammation. If there is ever a
"FAQ" section for this newsgroup, I could write a whole "XC skiers
beware" article for it. Bottom line - too much of a good thing is not
good for you.

I would strongly recommend consulting with a doctor to come up with an
exercise program that would allow you to ski with asthma. They usually
recommend albuterol and chromolyn sodium before exercise. Put a face
mask on the list, too, to warm and humidify air that you breathe. May
also have to avoid skiing in very low temperatures (every birkie I've
done started at 10F).

Obviously, those who are susceptible to allergies etc are likely to
develop more serious asthma than others. I've always been sneezing in
the spring.

There is an excellent book "exercise induced asthma" - do an Amazon
search. It's a part of a lung pathology series. Very thorough,
although a bit technical, review. Explained many things to me.

I am not giving up on the hope to ski again. I am currently building a
prototype apparatus for air filtration and conditioning for racing
with asthma.

On Feb 8, 5:50 am, wrote:
Some good advice in your posts. It should be made clear that albuterol
and such, and chromolyn sodium are very different beasts. I can't
describe them pharmacologically, but as a user albuterol is much
stronger and in my case had me feeling, just sitting, like my heart was
going to come out of my chest. Show stopper. Chromolyn sodium is a very
mild powder-spin inhalant rather than a direct one. According to a doc
back in the 90s, chromolyn sodium was replaced with Azmacort for most
patients with mild need.


with asthma.

Albuterol is a chemical analog of adrenalin. The idea was to keep the
broncho-dilating effect of adrenalin, but eliminate the its "wiring"
effect. As you point out, it did not work perfectly. Usually the
"shaking" induced by albuterol goes away in 10-15 min. Plus, the
"shaking" is a good indication that it's doing what it's supposed to
do (a positive control).

Nobody knows how Chromolyn Sodium works, but it's a very old and safe
drug. It works for some people, and some studis show that the best
protection is achieved when it's combined with albuterol.