http://library.nationaljewish.org/MSU/10n5MSU_EIA.html
http://w3.ouhsc.edu/phar5442/Lectures/Exerciseasthma.html

Assuming you and your GP or Pulmonolgist have your daily control meds
worked out, some of the more uncommon meds work pretty well for EIA.
See what your Doc thinks of these: Nebulized Albuterol and Nebulized
Intal before working out(using a portable nebulizer). Small dose of
Theophylline beforehand (200mg slow release. Atrovent trial. Maybe
Singulair(effective for some). The above links list a few others.
Sometimes the second line treatments hold some answers.
Good Luck. Let us know what you find.

Hi Michael,

Notwithstanding your apparent failure with TKD as a martial art I would
make the following comment.

By refusing to consider breath therapy or the "natural history" of
asthma strictly from the breathing as opposed to the drugs aspect,
pulmonologists are little better than useful quacks. Pulmonology is a
pseudo-science because of lack of adequate background research.

In the so successful martial arts breath techniques emphasis is placed
on sensing ki (or chi) and the effects of concentrating attention on
the upper chest or the diaphragm.  Does western physiology have to be
permanently foxed by this "input" and pigheadedly stick to avenues
of approach where new drug applications appear to be in the offing?

As the late Carl Sagan pointed out:

"One of the saddest lessons of history is this:
If we've been bamboozled long enough,
we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle.
We're no longer interested in finding out the truth.
The bamboozle has captured us.
It is simply too painful to acknowledge - even to ourselves - that
we've
been so credulous."

Like the competitors in the "Tour de France" with their heavy
asthma drug consumption and unnaturally high asthma incidence we may
all end up some day as pharma's performing circus animals.

I would very cautiously suggest the following for an athletic asthmatic
to get a quick experience of the effect of breathing on shortness of
breath (SOB) in asthma first download
http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~s3e0101/webserver/webdata/ParowHDA.pdf, a
German book just to use the diagrams.  Use Acrobat Reader version 5 and
not 6.

Stroke or massage your nostrils  (page 36) to stimulate diaphragmatic
breathing.  Classical pranayama exercises speak of thinking about air
flowing in the nose for this, but do not generally recommend nose
massage.

The effect of such a technique is to direct the breath into the loins
(figure 15 on page 36), see also figures 19 - 22 on page 61. This may
not be quite correct in western anatomy., but no matter, there does
seem to be a swelling and relaxing in these regions.

When doing this routine it is important to draw in the lower abdomen,
see page 63.  Causing it to expand unduly for prolonged periods may
lead to a real horror trip (pulmonary edema).

I find it most productive to use the routine during/after exertion.
There should be a feeling of prana radiating and causing a tingling
feeling.  Concentrating on the tanden (or tantien) as a center for
breathing like a chakra.  It is just below the navel. Regards,  Richard
Friedel s3e0101@mailin.lrz-muenchen.de

Common practice is to use the salbutamol  b e f o r e  exercise, as much
as ten or fifteen minutes before.

Good advice.
The sneaky way food responses can be delayed makes them difficult
to pin down without doing the elimination thing, but worth the effort
when finding and avoiding your culprits is successful.
 
 
 

That's too much reliance on rescue inhalers, imho. Could be dangerous
and make your asthma worse. Search 'Airway Remodeling' on this NG.

What else do you take for daily control?