Managing Asthma and Allergies

May 3, 2000

Professor of psychology at Rockford College in Illinois, Dr. Tousman is well-known for his research on the link between an active, healthy lifestyle and improved allergy and asthma outcomes. He writes and lectures frequently on this topic. He is with us today to answer your questions about lifestyle and behavior changes you can make to improve your quality of life.

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Gazoontite: Hello and welcome to gazoontite.com's expert chat with Stuart Tousman, Ph.D. Professor of psychology at Rockford College in Illinois, Dr. Tousman is well-known for his research on the link between an active, healthy lifestyle and improved allergy and asthma outcomes. He writes and lectures frequently on this topic. He is with us today to answer your questions about lifestyle and behavior changes you can make to improve your quality of life. Please welcome Dr. Tousman.

Dr Tousman: I'd like to say hello to all of you people with allergies and asthma out there. Basically, I'd like to give a little overview on what I do. I take people that have allergies and asthma and I put them through an integrated medicine program. We do education and we do things like relaxation and social support, to help them manage their asthma better. And I'd be happy to take some questions.

AlexMegh: What are some relaxation techniques that can help reduce stress levels, thus reducing the severity of asthma symptoms?

Dr Tousman: Some of the relaxation methods that we use simply include listening to audio tapes. Listening to audio tapes and practicing in a group approach. That's really one of the key issues, and let me add, the important thing with relaxation is developing the discipline to practice it constantly. It is a skill, and like any skill, you need to practice it to get good. From my position, the type of technique isn't so important as the discipline to stick with it, which is a behavioral change goal.

Merleww2: My entire family takes antidepressant medications. We are all also allergic. Is this common?

Dr Tousman: There is no direct relationship between allergies and asthma and depression. However, there are certainly people who independently have asthma and allergies and who also just happen to be depressed. And certainly, anxiety and depression can sometimes lead to asthma attacks. I've had asthma my whole life and I know that when I get very very anxious sometimes, I could cause an attack, so emotion can play a role in attacks. It can't cause allergies or asthma, though.

Beffie: How are allergies and asthma linked together?

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