When is asthma to blame for being out of breath?

Who remembers Shaun T’s Insanity® DVD set released back in 2009? Now who tried and who completed the entire set?

Bored with my early morning fitness routines, I started working through this DVD set with a good friend after finding these videos packed away. I very quickly started questioning if I had exercise-induced asthma with just the “fit test!”

In the spring my daughter had begun training 2-3 times a week for her soccer team, and after talking with several of our patients, I knew for sure that cheer, softball, baseball, tee ball, track, golf and swimming had all been starting up around the same time (if they actually ever ended for some of my competitive patients and parents).

The combination of exercise and seasonal allergies has long been associated with what is often called “exercise-induced bronchospasm” or “exercise-induced asthma.” Are you or your child experiencing shortness of breath, chest tightness or cough associated with exercise? Should we be pushing ourselves (or our children) harder because we are “just out of shape”? Or could we be pushing children to do more than what their lungs will allow because they have asthma, eventually pushing them out of sports altogether because they “just don’t like sports”?

The only way to know if you or your child’s symptoms are related to asthma/allergies or if you’re just out of shape is to be seen by a board certified allergist.

The only way to know if you or your child’s symptoms are related to asthma/allergies or if you’re just out of shape is to be seen by a board certified allergist. At The Allergy, Asthma and Sinus Center, Dr. Jeana Bush and I are both board certified in pediatric and adult allergies (sinuses) and asthma. If you would like to be evaluated or have us talk with your school or organization on this subject, please call. We can help!

As for me, I realized that I fell into the category of being out of shape. I often tell my patients that I love blaming things on allergies and asthma; but in this case, I just need to “push harder, dig deeper!”

Have a great season, everyone, and “push harder, dig deeper!”

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Mail-in Allergy Testing

By Dr. Nicholas Cline • May 27, 2026

If you spend any time browsing the internet or social media, you’ve likely seen advertisements for mail-in allergy kits. They promise to test for hundreds of food intolerances and environmental sensitivities using just a few strands of your hair or a quick saliva swab. It sounds incredibly convenient, painless, and comprehensive. But if it sounds like a gimmick, it probably is. While these mail-in tests are heavily marketed, they often lack scientific backing and can leave patients feeling more confused than comforted. The Science of Allergy Testing. What Are We Looking For? To understand why hair and saliva tests don't work, we have to look at how the immune system reacts to allergens. When you have a true allergy, your body produces a very specific type of antibody called IgE (Immunoglobulin E) . These antibodies bind to mast cells (allergy cells), which are on high alert to protect you from perceived invaders like pollen, dust mites, or specific food proteins. The fundamental flaw with mail-in hair and saliva kits comes down to basic biology: Wrong Locations: Mast cells and IgE antibodies are not traditionally found in your hair follicles or saliva. Unreliable Results: Because these testing methods are looking in the wrong place, they are highly unstandardized and unvalidated. You are highly likely to get a flood of false positives or false negatives that are impossible to interpret accurately. What the Experts Say: Major medical organizations strongly advise against these methods. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) explicitly recommends against using hair analysis for food allergy evaluations due to a lack of diagnostic value. Furthermore, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) and the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) have issued strong practice guidelines stating that hair analysis should not be used to evaluate food allergies. The Big Misconception: IgE vs. IgG Many mail-in companies charge anywhere from $150 to upwards of $600 for "sensitivity" panels. When patients produce these multi-page reports, the testing is almost always checking for IgG (Immunoglobulin G) antibodies, not IgE. There is a massive difference between the two: