Asthma and COPD
In a recent survey run by the Asthma Foundation:
40% found work stress exacerbated asthma
20% had stopped physical activity due to asthma
47% forgot to take their medication.
All of the above raise huge concerns that people are compromising their health.
Interestingly the survey also showed that 25% of families are looking for extra ways to help.
Research shows us that habitual disordered breathing patterns exacerbate symptoms of asthma, and indeed asthma can contribute to a disordered breathing pattern. (1)
In an Asthma study conducted at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney breathing retraining has been shown to reduce reliever medication by up to 80% and ICS by 50% (2).
Whilst this is encouraging it is also vital that people with asthma are not seeing breathing ‘exercises’ as a cure or alternative treatment.
As a physio and an asthma educator my emphasis is on educating people about their asthma, what it means, what the medications are for and how to take them but also the importance of identifying faulty postures, movements and breathing habits which are contributing significantly to symptoms.
This is about re training normal mechanically and physiologically efficient breathing not a quick fix set of exercises.
Mechanical, physiological and psychosocial factors all play a part in asthma and can be addressed with restoration of normal breathing.
Chronic hyperventilating and mouth breathing can significantly worsen symptoms due to the bronchoconstrictive effects of CO2 loss and overuse of accessory respiratory muscles.
Using Capnography we can identify those patients who are hypocapnic where hyperventilation is a significant component.
I am particularly interested in the ‘difficult to treat’ asthma patient, of any age, exercise induced asthma/bronchospasm and those newly diagnosed.
40% found work stress exacerbated asthma
20% had stopped physical activity due to asthma
47% forgot to take their medication.
All of the above raise huge concerns that people are compromising their health.
Interestingly the survey also showed that 25% of families are looking for extra ways to help.
Research shows us that habitual disordered breathing patterns exacerbate symptoms of asthma, and indeed asthma can contribute to a disordered breathing pattern. (1)
In an Asthma study conducted at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney breathing retraining has been shown to reduce reliever medication by up to 80% and ICS by 50% (2).
Whilst this is encouraging it is also vital that people with asthma are not seeing breathing ‘exercises’ as a cure or alternative treatment.
As a physio and an asthma educator my emphasis is on educating people about their asthma, what it means, what the medications are for and how to take them but also the importance of identifying faulty postures, movements and breathing habits which are contributing significantly to symptoms.
This is about re training normal mechanically and physiologically efficient breathing not a quick fix set of exercises.
Mechanical, physiological and psychosocial factors all play a part in asthma and can be addressed with restoration of normal breathing.
Chronic hyperventilating and mouth breathing can significantly worsen symptoms due to the bronchoconstrictive effects of CO2 loss and overuse of accessory respiratory muscles.
Using Capnography we can identify those patients who are hypocapnic where hyperventilation is a significant component.
I am particularly interested in the ‘difficult to treat’ asthma patient, of any age, exercise induced asthma/bronchospasm and those newly diagnosed.
References
(1). Thomas M,'Physiotherapy based breathing retraining programmes improve asthma control and reduce the impact of asthma on patients' lives.' Thorax 2009
(2) C A Slader, H K Reddel, L M Spencer,E G Belousova,C L Armour, S Z Bosnic-Anticevich, F C K Thien, and C R Jenkins 'Double blind randomised controlled ntrial of two different brething techniques in the management of asthma.' Thorax, Aug 2006;61:651-656.
