Now relax and breathe
A simple breathing and relaxation technique can reduce respiratory symptoms, irregular breathing, depression and anxiety among asthma patients, researchers at University College London have found.
“A lot of people under stress breathe from their upper chest,” says lead author and physiotherapist Elizabeth Holloway. “We teach people to relax their shoulders and breathe calmly from their tummy. At rest and in normal life, you should be breathing gently through your nose, not deep breathing.”
But don’t throw away the inhaler. “This is a helpful addition, not a replacement for care and medication,” she says of the technique, known as the Papworth method.
Dr. Michael Keane, a UCLA pulmonologist not involved with the study, found the results intriguing. “Although the method has been around for a long time,” he says, “this is a novel approach for mild to moderate asthma, which typically is treated with medication.” The treatment didn’t change lung function, he notes, but “the patients felt better.”
The Papworth method emphasizes calm, slow nasal inhalation and exhalation, with the size of the breath appropriate to the physical and emotional demands at the time. The study appears in the June 15 online edition of Thorax.
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