Does swimming or running help eliminate or decrease the effects of asthma?

I need an answer please.

EDIT: Yes I realize what asthma is as I have it. My mother is just paranoid about me getting rid of it even though it doesn't even affect me, unless I get sick and it flares up. She has the idea stuck in her head that if I swim enough, my lungs will get stronger and itll be gone.

Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise for people with asthma as it is less likely to trigger asthma symptoms than other forms of exercise. Swimming is also excellent for improving muscle tone and general fitness.

Evidence shows that regular swimming can increase the volume of the lungs and help develop good breathing techniques. But it will NOT cure it.

Some pools may make asthma worse for some people if they are chemically sensitive, or if it is not adequately ventilated. Do you need to know your triggers.

If you do decide to give swimming a go, make sure that you always take your medication with you.

Running can make asthma worse, due to having to breath through mouth and nose, sucking in more pollutants & pollens etc.

Asthma appears to be more prevalent in athletes than in the general population. One survey of participants in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., showed that 15% had been diagnosed with asthma, and that 10% were on asthma medication.

There appears to be a relatively high incidence of asthma in sports such as cycling, mountain biking, and long-distance running, and a relatively lower incidence in weightlifting and diving. It is unclear how much of these disparities are from the effects of training in the sport, and from self-selection of sports that may appear to minimize the triggering of asthma.

These statistics have been questioned on at least two bases. Athletes with mild asthma may be more likely to be diagnosed with the condition than non-athletes, because even subtle symptoms may interfere with their performance and lead to pursuit of a diagnosis. It has also been suggested that some professional athletes who do not suffer from asthma claim to do so in order to obtain special permits to use certain performance-enhancing drugs.


One of my friend also suffers from asthma but swimming did help her to cure her disease to a great extent.

asthma is when the tubes to your lungs have build up in them that other people dont have and when your doing physical things that you need more air for your lungs are working at a faster rate and the tubes get tighter making it hard to get the air in thats why you need the inhalers to relive the tightness. you cant eliminate asthma by exercising alone. you can be fit with the aid of your inhalers but basically you just have to live with it because it cant be completely cured

Yes when you have asthma exercising is one of the best things to do. It will adventually decrease. Keep up the exercises often as well it will help. It may not go away but your lungs will get stronger.