"You know, I didn't think that I was unable to breathe."

Alessandra Rodrigues is not alone. Asthma rates are on the rise, as almost two million Americans are rushed to the emergency room each year with an asthma attack. The problem is that all too often people miss the signs because they don't realize asthma can develop well into adulthood. Alessandra was 34. "Alessandra came to me with complaints of nasal symptoms – runny nose, congestion, post-nasal drip, and cough. Over time she had also developed wheezing and an inability to exercise, and then an inability to even walk up a hill," said Dr. Beth Eve Corn, an allergist at Mount Sinai who has been treating Rodrigues.

Over 80 percent of asthma patients suffer from what's called allergic asthma – triggered by things like pollen, dust mites, pet dander, and certain foods. But Rodrigues didn't even consider the possibility that the two could be related: "It was a surprise to me. I didn't even know that it was possible and such a thing existed because to me, there's asthma and then there's allergies, but I didn't know that you could develop asthma because of your allergies."

You can, which is why asthma spikes in the spring and fall. But Dr. Corn says that once identified, it's easy to treat. "Years ago, people who had asthma accepted that they would just have a compromised life, both emotionally and physically. They felt depressed because they couldn't do things, they had asthma and that was just what came along with it. But today we look at asthma very differently. Every asthmatic should be able to exercise, every asthmatic should be under control and leading a normal life."

Today, Rodrigues and Dr. Corn are successfully managing her allergies and her asthma. "Once she made it up to maintenance therapy, she became a new person," says Corn. "She was able to walk around, sleep at night, exercise, her whole outlook on life changed; she just became a much happier person."