SINCE ANTIQUITY, SOME
PHYSICIANS have maintained that strong emotions can cause
or exacerbate asthma, but the explanations of that link have
changed and been disputed over time. In the late 1800s, many
physicians believed asthma to be a disease of the nervous system.
In the mid-twentieth century, some physicians thought asthma
and other chronic diseases were psychosomatic--caused by emotional
conflicts. Most recently, scientists are studying the possibility
that stress may trigger neuro-chemical responses that cause asthmatic
symptoms.