Asthma is a serious and sometimes scary condition but it can be treated and managed. A key to controlling asthma is learning how to breathe. There are exercises you can practice to help you breathe better. This can benefit you in your day-to-day activities and also during an asthma attack. Contact your doctor before beginning any treatment.
Asthma
Asthma causes airways to swell and narrow creating extra mucus, which makes breathing difficult. It can be mild to severe, usually showing symptoms of coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath. Asthma may happen at night, during exercise or from exposure to environmental irritants. Symptoms vary from person to person depending on the severity but there is no cure. There are many factors that can trigger or contribute to asthma but there are also ways to control the symptoms.
Buteyko Method
The Buteyko Method was developed by a Russian doctor named Konstantin Buteyko in the early 1950s. The method was designed to help individuals recover from overbreathing, or hyperventilating. According to the Buteyko Clinic website, overbreathing is defined as breathing too much and is considered to be unhealthy for the body. The Russian doctor noticed a difference in breathing with ill patients; their breathing was heavier. He theorized that overbreathing, characterized by mouth breathing, regular sighing, breathing loud during rest and taking large breaths before talking, causes a disturbance of the delivery of oxygen to tissues and organs.
Control Pause
The Control Pause, or CP, is a measurement of how long you can comfortably hold your breath. According to the Buteyko Clinic website, sit down and take a small breath in and a small breath out. Hold your nose after breathing out when your lungs are almost empty. Count how many seconds you can comfortably hold your breath before you need to breathe in again. You should not be gasping for air but breathing no harder than you were before you held your breath. If your time is less than 20 seconds, you may be experiencing asthmatic symptoms such as coughing, wheezing or breathlessness. If your time is between 20 and 40 seconds, asthma symptoms are gone but may be triggered. If your time is greater than 40 seconds then there are no asthma symptoms and if you can do this for six months, you are considered to be asthma free.
Expert Insight
A 2003 study published in the "New Zealand Medical Journal" assessed the impact of the Buteyko breathing technique on medication use in individuals with asthma. Thirty-eight participants were followed for six months. Results showed that the group practicing the Buteyko breathing technique had a reduction in inhaled steroid use of 50 percent and a reduction in beta2-agonist use of 85 percent as compared with the control group. A 2008 study published in "Respiratory Medicine" assessed the effectiveness of the Buteyko technique on asthma as compared to inhaled corticosteroids. The results found that after six months, individuals using the Buteyko technique had asthma in control with an additional benefit of a reduction in the inhaled corticosteroid use.
Considerations
Asthma is very serious. Talk with your doctor to find the best treatment for you. If you are having trouble breathing, get help immediately.
References
- Buteyko Breathing Clinic: The Buteyko Method
- MayoClinic.com: Asthma
- "The New Zealand Medical Journal": Buteyko Breathing Technique for Athma: An Effective Intervention' P.McHugh, et al.; Dec. 12, 2003
- "Respiratory Medicine": A Randomised Controlled Trial of the Buteyko Technique as an Adjunct to Conventional Management of Asthma; RL Cowie et al.; May 2008
