Yesterday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed new statistics indicating that nearly 1 in 12 Americans were diagnosed with asthma by 2009. The Vital Signs report found that people diagnosed with asthma in the United States grew by 4.3 million between 2001 and 2009. However in recent years, studies involving meditation and asthma have been promising in terms of helping control the chronic disorder. Recently Bob Stahl has also released a CD, Working with Asthma, COPD, and Respiratory Challenges, which offers an introduction to mindfulness meditation in the context of dealing with respiratory challenges. Asthma is a pulmonary condition that can cause serious cases of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. Patients can control their asthma symptoms through medication or by avoiding things that exacerbate their illness, including smoking and air pollution. Asthma triggers are usually environmental and can be found everywhere. The explanation for the growth in asthma rates still remains a mystery. For more information: Asthma and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction 05/04/11
