Asthma makes breathing hard. Wheezing, shortness of breath and coughing can strike most asthma sufferers almost anywhere, and at any time. That can mean keeping medications, portable nebulizers and even oxygen close at all times. Techniques to manage asthma without all the paraphernalia are well known and can free you to enjoy life more.
Step 1
Remove yourself from noxious triggers as soon as your asthma attack starts, or avoid them altogether to save yourself from an attack. These might be outdoor allergens, cigarette or campfire smoke, house dust, animal dander or cold air. Removing yourself requires that you have already undergone a thorough pulmonary function test, usually only available in a hospital or clinic, to identify the triggers that start your attacks.
Step 2
Decrease your activity level if no noxious stimuli are detected when an attack starts. Exercise-induced hyperventilation sets off some asthma attacks. Running, swimming, biking, pushing a lawn mower or any other strenuous exercise can start an attack. Identify your exercise threshold and adjust your work intensity to stay below that level.
Step 3
Practice relaxation and stress reduction. Break the anxiety cycle. The anxiety of an attack makes it worse, which then heightens your anxiety, deepening the attack even further. Even after removing noxious stimuli and slowing down, the vicious cycle of fear can remain. Take meditation training, practice relaxation exercises or study Yoga for non-medical relief of asthma.
Step 4
Avoid the next attack. Learn the Papworth or Butayko breathing methods. In 2007, researchers at University College in London, UK, studied the Papworth Method, which integrates breathing and relaxation training. Dr. E. A. Holloway, lead researcher, says this method will "ameliorate respiratory symptoms, dysfunctional breathing and adverse mood" in adults with asthma. Physicians at Mater Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, in 1995, discovered that Butayko breathing methods decreased asthmatic steroid use by 30 percent and medicated inhaler use by 90 percent. Both methods teach respiratory mechanics, breathing patterns and relaxation techniques.
