Most asthma sufferers around the world are watching the H1N1 story nervously. Twitter is alive with tweets about their anxiety, and no wonder. It's common for people with asthma to have tight and inflexible breathing muscles, which is why we're more likely than others to get bronchitis and pneumonia, especially if we come down with the flu. 

Less than one quarter of asthma sufferers have good control of their condition, which significantly increases their risks for influenza complications. Even when you have the right medication, and you know how to take it, there are still times when breathing easy seems like a distant memory. That's why frustrated patients are looking for other solutions.

Dr. Norman Edelman, M.D., chief medical officer for the American Lung Association, was not enthusiastic when I asked him about OMT. I didn't tell him I had already tried it. I had a similar reaction from Dr. Robert Cowie, head of  the asthma program at the University of Calgary.

But in my experience OMT has helped my asthmatic lungs. 

Dennis Dowling, D.O., from in Syosset, N.Y is helping the American Osteopathic Association  and the  American Academy of Osteopathy gear up for the influenza onslaught. Osteopaths in the 1918 H1N1 pandemic had dramatic results with their hands-on approach--much better than medical doctors with their cough syrup and aspirin, he told me. Of course the science of the 1900's is not what it is today, says Raymond Hruby, D.O., Professor of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA. But he, like me, thinks the osteopathic profession needs to come up with a proactive treatment protocol for influenza.

As a medical journalist I'm trained to weigh the evidence when it comes to treatments and their efficacy. When it comes to asthma and influenza there's not much hard scientific evidence in favor of OMT. But, as a patient, the evidence is clear to me. With OMT as part of my asthma management I have managed to run 10 other half marathons, and I am heading into this flu season knowing I've given my lungs the best chance to stay strong.

Read more about asthma control:

• Get an Asthma Tune-Up
• Get Asthmatic Lungs in Shape for Flu Season

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Kate Johnson is a freelance medical journalist who writes for both physicians and the general public.  Her goal is to increase medical understanding, stimulate thought, and foster illuminating exchange between her two audiences.