Well, I guess they are enthousiastic and well intentioned students but may still have a lot to learn. The "you have asthma or you don't" does not inspire me either. Asthma really needs to be left to the experts.

For the last ten years or so, I have been followed by doctors specialized in pulmonary diseases and have been very happy with their advices. In fact most wil tell you that a lot needs to be discovered about asthma as it affects a lot of people in many different ways, appears, disappears and reappears without always real known reasons. No known cures but a lot of progress has been done to help asthmatics controlling asthma and lead normal lives.

I don't have EIA but used to as a child, and strange as it may sound nowadays I never experience any asthma while riding or exercising (unless there is high pollen count, hay dust or stuff like that in the air, but that is not EIA). One thing I also remember from my childhood EIA is that I was able to control an attack by slowing down the pace (from running to walking slowly, or riding slow using an easier gear) instead of stopping all together, then could continue without any problem. I guess such is the uniqueness of each individual's disease.

I have always heard also that cold weather is particularly dangerous for asthmatics, and this is another reason to talk to a specialized physician.