Sports- or Intense-Effort-Induced Breathing Problems

Most forms of competitive sports are in NO way a guarantee to a long healthy life. Most often the reverse is true such as with sprinters and/or professional football players (an average age life span of 56 years - information obtained in 1993.)

Let's take a look at several athletes and see if we begin to see a pattern.

Recent News Clip. The week following a Los Angeles marathon, "13% of runners reported upper respiratory tract infections compared with only 2% of 'control' runners."

From Mike:
This should include hard style martial arts as well. You simply must do something to rapidly offset the accumulating breathing constriction of competitive sports.

What caused it? Flo Jo's autopsy reveals severe breathing problem.

See "Hyperventilation"

I hear doctors have told Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon to stay off the court for an unspecified time because of respiratory problems.

"He was re-examined today by a team of physicians and we've recommended that he not play basketball for a while," James Muntz, the Rockets' physician, said in a brief statement released by the team.

Olajuwon, 37, was diagnosed March 1 with a disease that restricts the flow of air through his bronchial passages during heavy exercise, causing spasms in his lungs. He has been taking medication for the condition.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Jockey Richard Migliore complained of difficulty breathing after leaping from his mount, Denver Mint, during Aqueduct's seventh race Wednesday.

The oft-injured Migliore was making his return to New York after racing in Florida during the winter. He said he would see his own physician for diagnosis.

From Mike:
The body posture of a jockey is VERY negative to deep easy breathing.

When Olympic swimming champion Amy Van Dyken races in the 50-meter freestyle event, she doesn't breathe.

"I take one breath, and I'm gone."

Van Dyken holds the record for the most gold medals won by an American woman at a single Olympics -- four.

But even when she's not competing, her breathing is still a critical concern. Van Dyken has asthma, a chronic inflammatory disorder that constricts the muscles of the bronchial airways, making every breath a struggle.

"I was diagnosed when I was 18 months," says Van Dyken. "Asthma has pretty much defined my entire life. But I wouldn't be who I am without it."

From Mike:
Same attitude as most AA 12-step members. Sad but true. WE can REDEFINE ourselves.

I want people to know that you can have asthma and still live normally, even be a professional athlete."

From Mike:
She's on the maximum regimen recommended for asthma maintenance." That means three or four different medications a day -- every day. Can we be ourselves using drugs every day and still be "healthy normal"? The drug industry would sure like that. I seriously doubt that most drugs and healthy normal are compatible.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Nolan Ryan had emergency double coronary bypass surgery Sunday at the Heart Hospital of Austin.

The Hall of Fame pitcher did not suffer a heart attack, Rangers spokesman John Blake said.

Ryan, 53, had shortness of breath and chest pains around 9 a.m. after taking a morning walk with his wife, Ruth, at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that asthma afflicts 150 million people worldwide and claims 180,000 lives annually. In the USA, over 17 million Americans suffer from the disorder. Of these, at least 5 million are children, and half of those are undiagnosed.

From Mike:
I wish I could reach just ONE of the following people. We could set the stage for backing thousands, perhaps millions of people away and/or off of inhalers and steroids.

Elizabeth Taylor, Martin Scorsese, Kenny G, Liza Minelli, Jason Alexander, Paul Sorvino, Loni Anderson, Steve Allen, Morgan Fairchild, Alice Cooper, Jim Ryun, Greg Louganis and Dennis Rodman.

By nightfall, when the team charter landed in Florida, the Braves could breathe a bit easier because Terry Mulholland could breathe a lot easier.

That was not the case earlier Sunday, on a hot and humid afternoon at Turner Field when the temperature reached 89 degrees and the Phillies reached base with ease. Mulholland had just allowed another hit, Philadelphia's fifth single of the fourth inning. That it was a two-run single by pitcher Andy Ashby hardly mattered. Having trouble getting batters out pales beside having trouble breathing.

"The pitch he threw prior to me coming out looked funny. I thought he'd hurt himself, his back," said pitching coach Leo Mazzone, who came to the mound with Philadelphia leading 5-0 and Mulholland in far greater distress than Mazzone realized. "When I got out there, he said, 'I can't breathe.' I told the umpire, 'I'm gonna stay here till he catches his breath. He never did."

MIAMI -- Atlanta Braves pitcher Terry Mulholland still can't explain the shortness of breath he experienced in Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies and neither can the doctors.

The left-hander, who was transported to Piedmont Hospital by ambulance, was treated and released Sunday, then caught an afternoon flight and rejoined the team Monday evening.

"I take a lot of pride in being in good shape," said Mulholland, who tried to convince manager Bobby Cox that he could continue pitching. "I've pitched in worse heat than that and being so fatigued in the fourth inning, that was the scary part."

The doctors told Mulholland his shortness of breath was caused by a bronchial spasm, though what triggered it remains a mystery. It could have been a reaction to pollen, the heat and humidity or something he ate for breakfast.

"Ever had the wind knocked out of you?" Mulholland said. "You're only able to take real shallow breaths for about 10 minutes. That's what it felt like."

From a leading martial artist...

Dear Mike:
Once in my early training years I witnessed, and helped, one of my teachers in Judo. Do you remember when Ingemar Johansson, the boxer who won over Floyd Paterson once, on his second match I think it was, was knocked out. People where talking about his shivering foot. One of his feet was moving because of the damage the knockout from Floyd gave him. I am not sure this is what happened for my teacher, but this was the situation.

He was wrestling on the mat with his opponent. He ended up under his opponent, who got a judo-strangulation around his throat - and I saw one of his feet started to move as it did with the Swedish ex-champ. I yelled STOP and let go, since he had fainted because of the lack of oxygen. This was 1968, and I was at that time not so well aware of how the hazardous way the Martial Art strangulation hold could be handled. Well, he came back with some dizziness, stood up and thanked me. I don't think I saved his life, but I did a good thing for him, since his opponent didn't see what was happening.

Later during the years I have been studying more of the strangulation techniques. It is a ART in itself. Sorry to say, it is a killing art. One Japanese friend of mine, he is dead now, rest his soul, not by strangulation though, he died from diabetes. He told me about one of his teachers in Japan. For the Japanese (some) it seems as "close death experiences" is close to orgasm. This teacher had a way of doing it by throwing a wet towel around his neck and from that reach the goal of "almost" strangulation. It worked always for him, except one time, when he could not remove the towel from his neck - he died from the strangulation (maybe a fantastic death considering his view of sexual pleasure).

In Judo, i.e. there is at least ten to fifteen different strangulations. Some going to the windpipes, others attacking (don 't know the word for it) other places in the throat.

Once when I was in Japan, my teacher, Ishizuka-sensei, showed me the following thing; "Bo-san look," he said. Called for another student and hit him with his thumb (a special technique we use) in his throat and the guy lifted from the mat and landed two or three meters from were he had been standing.

All those strangulations are very dangerous handled improperly. Sometime Martial Artists say, "You can take a strangulation for ten seconds". This is a lie. I ended up in a choke-hold and I had to give up straight away, the other person was so powerful so I felt the blackness coming over me.

I think, Mike, that it could be a good thing if you from your side, as a breathing-specialist, wrote about the hazardous ways of handling opponents while training. In this so called Ultimate Fighting, where it obviously is correct to hit and choke ones opponent until he is unconscious. Some of the contestants get hurt real bad. In the East, Russia i.e. there have been at least a couple of deaths from those so called gladiator-games.

I get very angry when it comes to those spectacular games. In the end, a person can die. We all die, it's the only real truth in life. But as I have learned from much of your writing, through the proper breathing we can live longer, instead of shorter. B.M.

From Mike:
This is an important insight, though very extreme examples, that will add to other's understanding of the importance of healthy breathing and longevity. Many thanks.

Chief Seattle said many years ago that if the white man continued his life in the direction it was going that he would spend most of life surviving instead of living. Breath is life. I think the ones to really watch are the ones that do NOT abuse their bodies and die anyway. They are far in the majority then the fighters whom we know often push the limits beyond reason and sanity.

My friend Margo Anand who wrote The Art of Sexual Magic and teaches Tantra in the form of spiritual sexuality would absolutely have a fit at someone trying to choke themselves to achieve ecstasy. Ecstasy stems from the breath being greater, deeper and easier. From being directed to specific areas of the body in great amounts. i feel sad for these "choking "people.

Many thanks, Bo. You are a friend and colleague, I honor and value our relationship.

Namaste.

From Steve:
Unfortunately I think some of them don't care if they shorten their lifetime or even die. They are doing what they love and are willing to die for it. It is almost like a Samurai Warrior. He knew he could die tomorrow, but he kept on training as hard as he can and continued to be a Samurai. I also saw this analogy with rock climbers who climb without ropes. They love living on the edge of life. If they die, even their survivors say they died doing what they loved. There was also a story about these guys who jump from cliffs with bungee cords but stopped above the tree line. This one guy tried to aim below the tree line so he would go between 2 trees. He missed. To each his own, I guess.

Asks the question:

Q. Does the ventilation system limit exercise capacity??*

Article about overtraining featuring heart specialist

From Mike:
* The bigger question is "does certain kinds of exercise/physical exertion limit the ventilation system and how does one offset this limitation?"

ATLANTA (AP) -- The conditioning provided by the Tour de France was evident in today's Olympic cycling road race.

All three medalists raced in the Tour, while American favorite Lance Armstrong, who withdrew because of illness, faded in today's race.

"I said before the race that the winner would come from the Tour de France," said American Frankie Andreu, who finished fourth. "Because when you come out of the Tour de France either you're flying or you're dead.

Pascal Richard of Switzerland overtook Denmark's Rolf Sorensen in the final 20 meters to win by a bicycle length in the first Olympic road race open to professionals.

Richard covered the 138-mile course in 4 hours, 53 minutes, 56 seconds. He swung left of Sorensen at the last moment and crossed the finish line with arms upraised, while Sorensen slapped his handle bar in disgust.

Maximilian Sciandri of Britain the bronze medal, finishing two seconds behind the two leaders.

With professional cyclists invited to the Olympics for the first time in Atlanta, today's field of 194 of the world's greatest cyclists was the strongest ever for an American road race.

Andreu of Dearborn, Mich., was the top American finisher, 1 minute, 14 seconds behind Richard. Armstrong led for about a lap but faded in the final 25 miles and finished 12th, 1 minute, 29 seconds back.

Armstrong dropped out of this month's Tour de France because of bronchitis and strep throat, and his lack of top conditioning caught up to him.

"The ideal preparation for this race is the Tour de France," said Andreu, the only American to finish the Tour de France this year. "Then you rest up and for a one-day ride, you're in perfect shape."

Steven Bauer of Canada said it was evident Armstrong was gassed.

"I guess he didn't have it in the end," Bauer said. "As we can see, one, two, three were guys who did the Tour de France, and everyone was saying they may be tired. But I knew anyone who rode the Tour de France was going to have the top conditioning."

All the world's best were here, with the exception of Switzerland's Tony Rominger, whose skills are more suited for mountain courses than the 8.1-mile course that wound its way through the plush neighborhoods of Atlanta.

The race -- 17 laps on a course winding through the heart of Atlanta -- began at 8:30 a.m. on rain-cooled streets and the temperatures were relatively tepid -- the opposite of what Armstrong had hoped for.

Armstrong, a two-time Tour DuPont winner and a two-time Tour de France stage winner, figured a hot, humid day would have hurt the Europeans. But the weather wasn't that hot or sticky.

The field included Miguel Indurain of Spain, whose five-year reign as champion of the Tour de France ended this month when he finished 11th to Danish rider Bjare Riis.

National coaching director Chris Carmichael did everything he could to give Armstrong the upper hand.

The four other Americans in the race -- Andreu; Steve Hegg, of Dana Point, Calif.; George Hincapie, of Charlotte, N.C.; and Greg Randolph, of McCall, Idaho; -- raced for one purpose: to help Armstrong win a medal.

All but Hegg came from the Motorola-sponsored professional riding team led by Armstrong.

Recommended Program for offsetting harm done by gasping and breath heaving.
Hyperventilation

BRANDON -- After two days of fitness drills, two days of aching legs and shortness of breath, coach John Tortorella knows what will make his players feel a whole lot better.

"I think," he said, "they want to see some pucks."

Players will get that chance at 10 a.m. today as the Lighting holds its first practice of training camp at the Ice Sports Forum.

But Tortorella warned the emphasis on fitness will not be overlooked. The coach said that after the 40-minute scrimmage that will start practice, most of the work on and off the ice will continue to focus on conditioning.

"We're not doing this in a punishment type of way," Tortorella said Wednesday. "Conditioning is an important part of getting out of the gates and it is something we can control."

Wednesday's workouts looked particularly tough. Each player skated 15 laps three times, with only a short rest in between.

But Nikita Alexeev said that was nothing compared to Tuesday's breathtaking (literally) drill that had each player skate three laps six times.

Alexeev said when it was over he had "a headache, pressure in my head. The blood goes everywhere. It's pretty much the toughest drill I ever did."

"I think it's fun for them," Tortorella said. "It's like a battle. "You're not going to break me.' I think they enjoy the challenge of it."

Whether he enjoys it or not, defenseman Jassen Cullimore called the drills a necessary evil.

"It's going to get you better," he said. "It will get you to the peak of the season. There's a time during the year you can say you're feeling really good. Hopefully, this will get us there quicker."

• Breathing Development for Amateur Athletes
• Breathing Development for Professional Athletes

Overtraining is an important topic for athletes and sports competitors, especially those who play two sports at the same time, go right from one sport season to the next without taking a break or train hard year-round for a single sport.

A reader sent me an e-mail, asking why competitive swimmers seem to get an inordinate number of colds and illnesses. Since he was a swimmer, he wondered if this was due to overtraining and if so, should he be concerned?

It's true that swimmers, like other athletes who overtrain for their sport, are more susceptible to upper respiratory infections. In fact, we know that regular, moderate exercise helps decrease susceptibility to such infections, but prolonged, high-intensity exercise increases risk.

The exercise habits of the reader who e-mailed me are such that he swims 20-30 minutes, three to four times per week. I can almost guarantee that exercise at this level rarely is associated with overtraining.

Overtraining is a physiological and psychological state that occurs when high volume or high intensity training is combined with inadequate periods of rest. Another term sometimes given to overtraining is "staleness."

In addition to being at increased risk for developing an upper respiratory infection, athletes who overtrain often complain of feeling "whipped" or "wrung-out" even before they work out. Additionally, athletes who are overtrained experience decreased levels of performance. This is due to decreases in aerobic endurance, muscle strength and agility and coordination. Also, body weight may fluctuate and heart rate during exercise is higher than usual -- indicating exercise is more taxing. Finally, sleep habits and appetite are often disturbed, compounding further the poor health status of the athlete.

As a parent or coach, every reasonable attempt should be made to avoid having an athlete become overtrained. Strategies to accomplish this include proper nutrition, allowing days of rest, monitoring total exercise amount and varying exercise intensity to include both moderate and high intensity workouts. Once an athlete becomes overtrained, it may take several months to fully recover.

For athletes who are obsessed with training and elite level performance, overtraining can pose a real problem. And these days it seems more likely, as one sport season blends into another or year-round activity becomes the norm. Avoid becoming overtrained by balancing your exercise habits with proper amounts of rest.

Dr. Steven Keteyian is program director of preventive cardiology at the Henry Ford Heart and Vascular Institute in Detroit. Write him in care of Health & Fitness, The Detroit News, 615 W. Lafayette, Detroit, MI 48226, or send e-mail to him at health@detnews.com.

See also Hyperventilation

Elite marathon runner Lornah Kiplagat of Kenya was expected to be released from Northwestern Memorial Hospital late Monday after being admitted Sunday for observation. Chicago Marathon officials and a hospital spokesman said Kiplagat was admitted after complaining of shortness of breath.

Kiplagat, who was expected to challenge winner Catherine Ndereba of Kenya for the women's title, dropped out just past the 21-mile mark. She was in third place but well behind Ndereba, who went on to win the race in a world-record time of 2 hours, 18 minutes, 47 seconds. Jeanie Chung

Breathing Development for Amateur Athletes

Breathing Development for Professional Athletes