Part II

Understanding Asthma Triggers

In this part . . .

You don’t need to be Cyrano de Bergerac or Jimmy Durante to know that your nose is a special organ of your body. If you have symptoms that indicate allergic rhinitis (hay fever), you need to understand that your allergy has a strong connection with asthma. Furthermore, it can often have more serious consequences than just annoying sneezing, a runny nose, a scratchy throat, and watery eyes.

Chapters 5, 6, and 7 offer detailed information on the various allergic and nonallergic triggers of respiratory symptoms, explain how to effectively avoid or at least reduce your exposure to them, and discuss how asthma and allergies are so closely linked.

For some asthmatics, respiratory symptoms can be triggered not just by exposure to airborne allergens and other types of inhalant triggers, but also by allergic reactions to certain foods. But are the adverse reactions that many people may experience at times to various dishes the result of food allergies? Mostly, no, as I explain in Chapter 8. In Chapter 9, I explain what triggers symptoms of exercise-induced asthma (EIA) and the ways you can prevent it, so that you can keep yourself in great physical shape while also keeping your respiratory symptoms at bay.