Health ... Holistic
A Look at CAM Treatments for Asthma
from Johns Hopkins Health Alerts
Are you thinking of trying yoga, acupuncture, or another alternative or complementary treatment because you've heard it can ease your asthma symptoms? If the answer is yes, you may want to reconsider.
While a number of small studies have been conducted on these and other complementary and alternative medicine (sometimes referred to as CAM) healing methods, in most cases there isn't enough evidence to say whether or not they are effective or safe for treating asthma.
Here's a look at the research on two alternative or complementary treatments for asthma: breathing techniques and relaxation techniques.
Breathing Techniques
A Cochrane database review of seven studies that looked at breathing exercises for asthma found some positive results, but because the breathing techniques used and the outcomes measured varied so much from study to study, no definitive conclusions about safety and effectiveness could be made.
Cochrane researchers who reviewed five randomized, controlled trials of a breathing technique called inspiratory muscle training, which involves exercises to strengthen the muscles involved in breathing, found that people who went through the training improved their lung-muscle strength and reported using their rescue inhalers less frequently. But no significant differences were detected between the groups in measures of lung function like forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1).
A study of 183 people with asthma compared breathing exercises with an asthma education program. The exercise group learned diaphragmatic and nasal breathing techniques that help control rapid, shallow breaths. Six months later, those who underwent breath training had significant improvements in their quality of life. But again, no differences in lung function were detected between the treatment and education groups.
The bottom line: Currently, no reliable conclusions can be made regarding the use of breathing techniques for asthma. Nevertheless, if you have been doing breathing exercises and find them to be helpful for your asthma, there's probably no harm in continuing, as long as you keep using your asthma medications.
Relaxation Techniques
Emotional stress can exacerbate asthma, and some recent studies of relaxation techniques show encouraging results for their use in the treatment of asthma. One study with 21 individuals looked at functional relaxation, a technique aimed at maintaining equilibrium of the nervous system, while another with 94 participants looked at biofeedback. Both studies suggest that these techniques may help improve asthma symptoms and lung function.
A review of studies of relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, mental and muscular relaxation, hypnotherapy, biofeedback, and autogenic training (a mind-body relaxation technique) found that only two out of the five muscle relaxation studies found improvements in lung function. The hypnotherapy, autogenic training, and biofeedback studies showed no benefits.
The bottom line: In general, the studies conducted so far have been small and poorly designed, making it difficult to draw conclusions. But as with breathing exercises, if you find that relaxation techniques help control your asthma symptoms, it's fine to keep using them, as long as you continue to take your prescribed medication regimen.
Medical Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute for the advice of a physician. Click here for additional information: Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Disclaimer
