THURSDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with asthma who use breathing techniques or upper-body exercises can reduce their use of reliever inhalers by up to 80 percent, according to a study published online June 5 in Thorax.
Cassandra A. Slader, Ph.D., of the University of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia, and colleagues randomized 57 subjects into two groups to learn exercises targeted at asthma symptoms. The patients were aged 15-80 years and used a rescue inhaler four or more times per week. One group learned a shallow nasal breathing technique, while the other learned non-specific upper body exercises. Both groups practiced the exercises twice daily and when needed for relief of symptoms over a 30-week period.
There was no significant reported improvement in quality of life, lung function or airway responsiveness in either group. However, across both groups, the use of inhalers was reduced by 86 percent and the inhaled corticosteroid dose was cut by half.
"Given the magnitude of the differences in content of the two breathing techniques
it appears likely that the observed clinical improvements were not due to the use of a particular type of exercise but to the process of both routine and as-required exercises that reinforce a message of relaxation and self-efficacy and provide a deferral strategy for β2 agonist use," the authors conclude.
Abstract
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