The doctors said asthma was for life. But I discovered how to heal my body naturally. A decade without medication and six Ironman finishes (226km each) stand as proof that asthma doesn't have to define your limits.
I was 9 years old when I was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, medics thinking I was dying. It turned out to be a really bad asthma attack.
I started on asthma medication, and for the next 20 years I was dependent on inhalers. Every morning and every night I used my prevention inhaler, and I always had my emergency inhaler with me in case of another attack.
While the inhalers did help my asthma symptoms, they didn't make me healthier. Over time I needed stronger inhalers, and higher doses. The constant medication made me feel like a patient rather than a person, eroding my confidence and keeping me from an athletic life.
Everything changed in 2012 when a friend recommended the book "You're Not Sick, You're Thirsty" by Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj. I started his protocol, drinking around 3 liters of water per day (for my body weight and activity level), and taking unrefined sea salt. I felt better day by day, and after six months I went inhaler-free - and have been ever since.
The water+salt protocol was life-changing, but when I learned to stack it with nose-breathing, increasing oxygen uptake, I found a new level of health. The final key was movement, helping my body clear out inflammation and making it stronger.
As I got better, I started being more physically active — I had found my athletic strength. My performance improved so drastically that in 2017 I decided to test my body with a serious challenge: A half-Ironman triathlon, consisting of a non-stop 1.9km swim, 90km bike, and 21.1km run.
With just six months to prepare, it was a crazy challenge, and asthma was the least of my worries: I couldn't swim, and had never ridden a roadbike. But I took on the challenge, learned both disciplines, and when the day came I was able to finish the race, in just under 7.5 hours.
Now, the question was, could I do the insane full distance Ironman? Could my lungs handle a 3.8km swim, 180km bike, and full marathon run (42.2km)?
For two years I trained towards that seemingly impossible goal. And in 2019 at Ironman Copenhagen, I crossed the finish line after more than 13 hours, breathing free all the way.
That was just the beginning. I have since finished six full Ironman triathlons (226km each) and four half Ironmans (113km each) total. That's over 1.800km of racing and countless hours of training — zero inhalers.
If you have asthma, know this: There is a way out. We all have the potential to break through our limits, and I believe you too deserve to breathe free and find stronger health on the other side. What would you do if you had more energy, more stamina and a feeling of freedom from inhalers?
What I did was set out to show that asthma can be overcome naturally, and undeniably proving it by doing long distance triathlons, inhaler-free. I'm currently training for my 7th full Ironman triathlon, and I invite you to follow my journey to prove that asthma is a limit you can break through!
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