Q.What causes an Asthma Attack? a. Allergy b. Smoke c. Exercise d. All of the above

Bronchial asthma is one of the five lifestyle diseases this unit covers, alongside obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and back pain/arthritis. An asthma attack narrows the airways and makes breathing difficult, and it is commonly triggered by allergens (dust, pollen, pet dander), by smoke and air pollution, and -- in some people -- by exercise itself (exercise-induced asthma). Any of these can bring on an attack, which is why exam questions on this topic are usually answered with "all of the above" rather than a single cause.

During an attack, the airways swell and narrow, making it harder for oxygen to reach the blood and for carbon dioxide to be removed from it. When this gas exchange becomes severely impaired, the condition is described as respiratory failure -- the body is no longer managing the basic in-and-out exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide that breathing exists to do.

This is exactly why this unit's asthma-prevention asanas focus on the chest and lungs rather than on any other body part: Urdhvahastottanasana stretches the chest to increase lung intake capacity; Supta-Vajrasana is explicitly described as filling the lungs to maximum capacity and beneficial for asthma, bronchitis, and lung ailments; and Ushtrasana (camel pose) is noted as helpful for asthmatic people because it opens the chest. Kapalabhati's forceful, fast breathing is credited in the book with curing asthma, though the same pranayama's own precautions warn asthma patients to avoid it -- a genuine tension in the source text worth noting honestly rather than silently resolving.

Taken together, the chapter's approach to asthma is preventive and management-focused: regular practice of chest-opening asanas and controlled-breathing pranayama (Anulom-Vilom is this section's own designated pranayama) is presented as a way to support lung function and ease breathing, not as a cure for the underlying allergic or environmental triggers themselves.