Breathing Technique Could Control Asthma

We're always on the lookout for information regarding breathing technique and asthma. An RN named Kathleen Blanchard, writing for EMaxHealth.com, reports that: "Two researchers at Southern Methodist University in Dallas have developed a program that teaches a breathing technique to help control asthma. The study has received a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, and should be completed next year. The technique is designed to change the way a person breathes during an asthma attack.

"The four week program seeks to help asthma sufferers reduce the severity and frequency of asthma attacks by teaching specific breathing techniques, and is designed by Thomas Ritz and Alicia Meuret, both in SMU's Psychology Department. The goals are to breathe more slowly, control stress, and prevent low levels of carbon dioxide that can lead to more difficulty breathing and increase the severity of future asthma attacks.

"Teaching breathing techniques to control asthma also reduces irritation to the airways that can occur with hyperventilation. Faster breathing can harm individuals with asthma by restricting blood flow to the brain."

Promising news. Read the full article here.

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