Breathing Technique Offers Alternate Asthma Treatment

Posted on November 13, 2009 in Health & Medicine, Holistic Remedies

An alternative remedy for asthma is receiving serious consideration from medical professionals, according to a New York Times report. The treatment is a breathing technique discovered half a century ago, and is generally practiced with a therapist.

Dr. Konstantin Butyeko developed the shallow-breathing technique to open and relax airways in 1952. People generally panic and breathe quickly and deeply during asthma attacks. Dr. Butyeko concluded that hyperventilation could lower the levels of carbon dioxide in the blood so that airways constrict to conserve it, exaggerating the effects of asthma.

The Butyeko method involves shallow and slow breaths through the nose, which interrupts the rapid, panicked breaths that occur during an asthma attack. Therapists who instruct the technique sometimes require two courses of five sessions each in breathing and lifestyle management. Although the practitioners never advise patients to stop medication, various trials have shown that patients can reduce their dependence on drugs significantly.