Question
My son will be 4 years old next month, he has been diagonised with bronchial asthma, He is allergic to dust ,pollen,powders ,change of weather etc and gets bouts of dry allergic cough . I would like to know whether swimming would help him in building up his lungs or would it cause him more harm. I have temporarily stopped him from swimming lessons.
I give him a teaspoon of cod liver oil(seven seas) daily.Will this help him build up his immune system .
Thanks and regards,
Kindly do not publish my name
Answer:
I do not think that your son, who has been diagnosed recently as a case of bronchial asthma has any chance of his symptoms being aggravated if he is allowed to swim. This is because there is no exposure to dust (unless there is a dust storm) or pollen in the school's pool.
Moreover, the water in the pool undergoes constant filtration and is disinfected by controlled amount of chlorine and, as such, he does not stand any chance of infection. Another positive point is the water is temperature regulated.
However, I feel you may allow him to swim on a trial basis, perhaps one session a week and see how he goes. Our swimming coach says that most of the asthmatic children in the school swim regularly without any adverse effects. Swimming will certainly help him to improve his lung function. Cod liver oil, which contains Vitamin A and D is beneficial for small children but your son’s daily requirement is half teaspoonful daily.
Dr. U.K.Kataky
School Doctor
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