Is Swimming Good For Asthma?
New research reveals swimming is beneficial for young asthma sufferers.
It is widely acknowledged that swimming is a great form of exercise but people are still unsure if swimming is good for asthma sufferers. This month medical students at the University of Tasmania School of Medicine in Australia have found that children and teenagers with asthma can in fact reap the benefits too.
Asthma
Asthma is the most common chronic medical condition among children and adolescents. It causes intermittent wheezing, coughing and chest tightness and can result in trips to the hospital.
There have been concerns that physical exercise such as swimming could actually make asthma worse. Some parents have consequently discouraged their children from participating in swimming.
Asthma and Swimming Research
Research completed by students at the Breathe Well Centre of Research Excellence revealed that swimming has no adverse effects on asthma control and does not exacerbate the condition.
Director of Paediatric Education at the Royal Hobart Hospital Dr Sean Beggs, who assisted with the research, said: “The review aimed to determine the effectiveness and safety of swimming training in children and adolescents with asthma aged 18 years and under.
“Our research found swimming training is well-tolerated in children and adolescents with stable asthma, and increases physical and cardio-pulmonary fitness as well as lung function.”
Conclusion
There is now a strong scientific basis to recommend swimming to children and adolescents with asthma. Swimming improves physical fitness and increases lung function so this is great news for asthma sufferers and parents as they can now enjoy the benefits of swimming worry-free.
Read an extract from the report here.
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