Hi . I'm starting a new job in a hospital and have fairly severe asthma (which leads to broncitus 5 times per year and phnemonia once or twice per year usually ).So any hints on what to take or do that helps boost my very low immune system would be helpfull! I have to take this job it's double my old pay so there is no thought of turning it down for health reasons even though I will be in direct contact with the patients and their illnesses.........plusI really want this job :)

Airborne once daily, probably be best in the mornings. It seems to help a lot of people including me (which is a miracle). Only problem is it's like 10 dollars for 10 tablets or something so it's a bit expensive.

Yes -- Airborne. There is a "store" version you may be able to find - less expensive and seems to work as well.

I'm sure you've gotten a flu shot this year?

I've never heard of Airborne is it a supplement? Or something I can get my insurance to pay for :)? I've had all of my inmmunizations and lots of extras from working as a social worker (you never know who's going to decide to bite you ..seriously).I'll do a search on Airborne and see what comes up .. is it in Canada ? I'm not an allergetic type asthmatic so that's my one saving grace ...

Yeah, it's a supplement. Not a "health food store" supplement; I see it at the grocery checkstand counter. It's tablets that you dissolve in water and drink - I think it might also come premixed as a liquid as well. Comes in different flavors that are fizzy tasting. I have the non allergic asthma as well, which scares me more than the other kind. If it were just allergies, all I'd have to do is avoid the allergens; with this asthma, one of my triggers appears to be colds and respiratory infections.

Exactly Gabby ! And no one I know has the type we have , several of my friends have allergy born asthma and they have a much easier time finding their triggers then I do . And my colds/ broncituces etc ..last way longer than theirs do . I'm going to the pharmacy now to get the Airborn thanks for the info !!

Well i have allergic asthma but when i get a cold my asthma flares also. Usually last 1 - 2 weeks for me. I know some people have said that they have colds that last like 8 weeks. I can't imagine how bad that is because just 1-2 week colds is bad enough when you have asthma!

Many people that have allergic asthma also have nonallergic asthma.

Nonallergic asthma by itself is not terribly common, is more difficult to diagnose and treat.

I'm honestly not sure how long I've had this - I've always gotten 4-8 week colds and thought nothing of it. In high school I almost failed a term of 10th grade when I missed so much school from one of my colds - the collapsed lung that I got from the coughing didn't help either! Diagnostic methods have only gotten better in recent years, so it's possible that for me - and others in similar situations - that it's really been asthma all along.

well when a non asthmatic gets a cold theyre is more allergins in his/her body then when he/she is healthy, so it's not unthinkable that colds would just effect allergic asthma even if you don't have non allergic asthma. As for non allergic asthma, i dont understand how one has that. Isn't that just overactive airway disease rather than asthma. Ive always heard asthma is always directly linked with allergies.

Dday it's not Overactive airways for me , I have an asthma specialist that has put me through more test then you'd ever want to know about including a lovely one where they put scope down my lungs.And they all came back positive for asthma , which was no suprise to anyone who knows me . During one of the test (a lung spectrum test) I coughed up lung tissue ..which the Lung Clinic had never seen before. I'd love to not have asthma as I'm sure all of us on this board wish but thats not going to happen anytime soon , I've been like this since birth ..37 years, diagnosed for over 20 now and truly it sucks !I get colds that last for months on (just like Gabby)and broncitus 5 times a year minimum , phnemonia 2 or 3 times per year ..every year . I've colapsed both of my lungs before , had asthma attacts that kept me in the hospital for days on end , my family and doctor belive that this will kill me one day , and I honestly can't picture having the energy to fight off the colds I have at age 50 or 60 and definalty not 70 .I take all my meds , eat proper , exercise 4 days per week and still have very severe asthma that definatly is not under control (and yes they have tested me for every other possible thing it could be.and it is asthma). And for someone to even suggest that it might be something else makes me a little angry and sad at the same time . Do a little more research Dday before you start say things like that ok ..this board is not here for stuff liek that it's here so we can all help each other and honestly you've just made me feel like crap!

Engineer I dont understand your argument. All i said was allergic asthmatics (such as myself) also suffer from flared asthma during a cold. I also stated that I dont understand what non allergic asthma is, and i stated what i thought it was. It would have been much more responsible to offer an answer rather than attack me on it.

Sorry Dday but it's a sore point for me ....I do apoligize !!Good info Gabby thanks I'm sure it will help Dday and everyone else that doesn't quite understand non allergenic asthma better:)

Honestly Dday, your post bothered me as well - mostly because you talked about doubting that nonallegic asthma existed *after* seeing two others talk about our experiences with it.

As an FYI: although I am relatively newly diagnosed, I have read extensively on the topic - both web sites and books. I am currently reading a book by docs from Harvard Medical School ("The Harvard Medical School Guide to Taking Control of your Asthma). Good information - and I have been careful to seek out solid, research based information, not just fad "treatments" or what someone "thinks" because they are trying to sell the stuff. At any rate, I'm not perfect, but generally I have "done my homework" - I've thoroughly researched stuff.

Well, if everyone is upset then i must of said something wrong, but im not asserting any beliefs, just stating what i dont know. So im sorry for any offense , but i have had asthma all my life and i have looked into what i have. Which is allergic asthma. What i think you guys interpreted as me saying non allergic asthma doesnt exist was actually just me comparing 2 things which i dont know much about which is non allergic asthma and over reactive airway disease. Like i said sorry for the offense, but im just looking for help to. And Engineer im sorry to hear all the testing you've been through but i can imagine how you feel simply because it's so frustrating to have mild asthma.

My grand-daughter takes "Airborne", "To Your Health Liquid Vitamin", N.O.W. B-100, N.O.W. Pantothenic Acid, a liquid calcium and magnesium supplement, and N.O.W. Omega 3 Fish Oil capsules.