Asthma is an incurable respiratory condition that causes the muscles in your bronchial tubes to constrict and inflame. Asthmatics often exhibit symptoms such as wheezing, heavy breathing and chest tightness. Asthma requires medical treatment in order to relieve symptoms and to prevent them from occurring. However, you can use certain alternative treatments, such as breathing exercises, conjunction with medicine to help relieve your asthma. The Mayo Clinic outlines three types of breathing exercises for asthma: yoga breathing, Buteyko breathing and the Papworth method.
Function
Asthmatics find breathing exercises useful to help relieve symptoms and to learn techniques for possible future asthma attacks. Certain types of breathing exercises help relax the muscles around the bronchial tubes. According to the Mayo Clinic, this can help reduce the amount of asthma medicines you need to take. Plus, Your Asthma Treatment states that breathing techniques can increase chest flexibility overtime.
Yoga Breathing
Yoga breathing, also known as pranayama, is characterized by slow, methodical breaths. This type of breathing exercise is taught in yoga classes, though it can be utilized anytime at home. The Mayo Clinic explains that the distressing mechanism behind yoga breathing can directly decrease the severity of asthma symptoms. According to Your Asthma Treatment, there are six primary types of yoga breathing: Naadi Shodhana, Sit Cari, Dirga pranayama, Ujjayi pranayama, and Kapalabhati pranayama. Kapalabhati pranayama helps reduce mucous accumulation by strengthening airway muscles.
Buteyko Breathing
Buteyko is a type of Russian breathing exercise used to help prevent hyperventilation. According to the Mayo Clinic, inhaling too much air can cause hyperventilation, thereby causing asthma symptom flare-ups. Buteyko breathing techniques teach you how to breathe calmly at all times. Your Asthma Treatment states that, unlike yoga breathing, the purported benefit of Buteyko breathing is a decreased dependence on conventional medications.
Papworth Method
According to the Mayo Clinic, the Papworth method is a type of breathing exercise that concentrates on diaphragmatic breathing. In other words, you breathe deep from your belly as opposed to short shallow breaths. Your Asthma Treatment reports that diaphragmatic breathing is more natural compared to normal shallow breaths you may be accustomed to. Nose breathing is also practiced in the Papworth method, a technique that may become useful if you have trouble breathing through the mouth during an asthma attack.
Considerations
Breathing exercises should not replace any type of medications you are prescribed. Although there are no side effects associated with such breathing exercises, you should not solely rely on them in the event of an asthma attack. Use a rescue inhaler and go to the emergency room if your symptoms do not improve.
Breathing techniques can also aid those with exercise-induced asthma by increasing tolerance to workouts.
No comments:
Post a Comment