What is Asthma Rehabilitation?

"Asthma rehabilitation" is a term that I coined to describe what I think of as the process of physically training one's body to prevent future attacks of asthma. Some say it simply means exercise, but think this is a vague blanket term. I think asthma rehabilitation has several parts:

1. learning about one's body and listening to it carefully - your frame of mind. Meditate daily for at least a few minutes.

2. flexibility and coordination - yoga, martial arts, ballroom dancing.

3. aerobic endurance - the longer, the better.

4. strength - lift weights for as many muscle groups as possible.

5. diet - you are what you eat. If you eat lots of processed junk food, what do you expect your body to do with it? Turn it into pure unadulterated muscle? For this reason I recommend organic diets, smaller food portions 4-5x per day.

6. adequate rest.

You will be very hard pressed to find even a handful of other asthma specialists, from any discipline, that include this in their asthma care plans. I think this creates and maintains a strong foundation for the mind, the body and the spirit. There are lots of stresses in life, that will test the strength of your foundation. Have a strong foundation. You will live a happier and longer life.