Training and the respiratory system--therapy for asthma and other obstructive lung diseases?

The possible value of increased physical activity in prophylaxis and therapy is examined with specific reference to asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease. In asthma, the immediate response to exercise is a provocation of bronchospasm, but nevertheless affected individuals can reach the highest levels of competition. The main long-term value of training is probably an enhancement of self-image, consequent upon a normalisation of physical fitness and habitual activity; nevertheless, this can be therapeutic, particularly where asthmatic attacks are of psychogenic origin. In chronic obstructive lung disease, the main benefit of training is probably a breaking of the vicious circle of dyspnoea and decreased physical activity. Subjective gains are often remarkable, but immediate changes of pulmonary function are slight. More study is needed to determine the influence of such increased activity upon the long-term prognosis of chronic obstructive lung disease.