' Message of the Day - Wednesday

December 5, 2001

TAKE A DEEP BREATH! 12/5/2001

Oh, the holiday season is here, but there seems to be something in the air

besides coldness – something that seems to tickle our throats and cause some

medical problems. The combination of the weather and all those germs out

there seems to give many people asthma at this time of the year. I must have

met 20 people today, and all of them had breathing problems!

I`m not new to this for I suffered with asthma the first sixteen years of my

life. I don`t really know where it came from. Was it the dampness of the

south? Was it certain foods that I was eating? Most probably it was a

combination of both.

Asthma is when you feel that wheezing sensation and a lot of air can`t go in

or come out. Asthma is very serious, and it does a job on the lungs. Then

there`s that sinus drip that makes it even worse.

Now I`m gonna say a word to you right now, and I hope it doesn`t offend you.

Mucous – not such a pretty word, but it does say it all, doesn`t it? Mucous

is produced in the body, and it`s not a very pretty thing. Where does all

this mucous come from? Something irritates the body to make it so abundant.

You try to cough it up, blow it out, and clear your throat a thousand times

a day. There are all kinds of medications to take – sprays, pills. Some dry

you out, and some don`t seem to do too much for too long.

If you would like to breathe better this season, listen to me. Watch dairy

products. Cheese and milk are the 2 biggest culprits. Professional singers

never have dairy products before they are about to sing because it seems to

make that mucous grow, grow, grow.

Foods high in iodine do the same thing! Remember, I was in New Orleans

eating crawfish, crabs, clams, oysters, shrimp, and lobster. Wow, those

critters are filled with iodine, and for some reason, the throat gets fuzzy

and the lungs get heavy.

Another thing you should do when you have these feelings is get into the

shower and breathe that hot steamy air. There are also mini facial steamers

that will clear your nose, throat, and lungs right up. You can also go to a

doctor and have an allergy test that will tell you other things you

shouldn`t eat.

The most important thing you can do to stay out of asthma land is to breathe

deeply. Slowly inhale through the nose and let all that air fill up your

lungs, and then exhale slowly, and you`ll be surprised how great you`ll

feel! So many of you write me and tell me about your asthmatic experiences,

and I truly understand. So take a breath and feel better!

Love,

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