People who have asthma sometimes have trouble breathing. When people who have asthma have this trouble breathing, we call it an asthma attack. When your lungs are exposed to irritants, the muscles around the airways get tight. This narrows the airways. The linings inside the airways swell and the airways become even smaller. These linings also produce extra mucus, which clogs the airways even more.

During an asthmatic attack the bronchioles become swollen, go into spasm and fill with mucus. Asthmatics feel as if they’re being strangled; they struggle to get air into their lungs and once in, the air is trapped behind the mucus and then it’s nearly impossible to exhale! Asthmatics struggle for every breath, literally gasping and wheezing for life. Attacks can last from several minutes to several hours and vary greatly in severity. In some patients the wheezing, gasping and struggling can go on continuously to a greater or lesser degree. In long-time sufferers, “The chest becomes…’a barrel chest’ (permanently enlarged).” Attacks may be triggered by allergic reactions, but they may also be set off by emotional stress, physical exertion or irritants like cigarette smoke.

Asthma was never a killing disease: “Medical folk-wisdom used to hold that “no child ever dies of asthma,” but since the 1960s there has been an “epidemic” of asthma deaths among young persons.” In 1985 there were about 300 deaths from asthma but since 1994, 5,000 Americans die from this condition each year with over fifteen million suffering from it. Asthma is now the leading chronic illness among children. Why? Many scientists do not know. Childhood vaccinations have been suspected as a possible cause for this increase.

To sum it up, the symptoms typically include:

• coughing
• wheezing
• respiratory distress
• muscle retractions
• nasal flaring
• cyanosis

• animal dander drugs (especially aspirin) pollens
• cleaning products dust mites air pollution
• cigarettes exercise second-hand smoke
• cigars and pipes fatigue some foods
• cold air molds viral infections (colds and flu)