© 2003 BMJ Publishing Group & British Thoracic Society
Airwaves
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
One third of patients with asthma have tried some form of breathing exercises to help control symptoms. However, the evidence base for these treatments is limited. Cooper et al in this months Thorax evaluate two of these exercises in a placebo controlled trialthe Buteyko method which focuses on ventilation control and a device that mimics pranayama (a yoga breathing technique). Some improvement was seen in symptoms and bronchodilator use in patients using the Buteyko method, although the use of bronchodilators is actively discouraged with this technique. However, the Buteyko method had no effect on airway calibre, bronchial responsiveness, or exacerbations. As Thomas points out in the accompanying editorial, many asthmatic patients will want to try these treatments but more evidence is required to confirm their effectiveness and to clarify mechanisms. See pages 649 and 674
COPD is a difficult conditionnot only because of its clinical heterogeneity, but also because assessment
Relevant Articles
- Responses to steroids and bronchodilators in COPD in the ISOLDE trial: the fat lady sings on
- N J Gross
Thorax 2003 58: 647-648.[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- Breathing exercises and asthma
- M Thomas
Thorax 2003 58: 649-650.[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- Prednisolone response in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: results from the ISOLDE study
- P S Burge, P M A Calverley, P W Jones, S Spencer, and J A Anderson
Thorax 2003 58: 654-658.[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- Bronchodilator reversibility testing in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- P M A Calverley, P S Burge, S Spencer, J A Anderson, and P W Jones
Thorax 2003 58: 659-664.[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- Effect of two breathing exercises (Buteyko and pranayama) in asthma: a randomised controlled trial
- S Cooper, J Oborne, S Newton, V Harrison, J Thompson Coon, S Lewis, and A Tattersfield
Thorax 2003 58: 674-679.[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- Lung cancer patterns of care in south western Sydney, Australia
- S K Vinod, G P Delaney, A E Bauman, and M B Barton
Thorax 2003 58: 690-694.[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- Impaired lung function and serum leptin in men and women with normal body weight: a population based study
- D D Sin and S F P Man
Thorax 2003 58: 695-698.[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
van der Woude, H. J., Zaagsma, J., Postma, D. S., Winter, T. H., van Hulst, M., Aalbers, R.
(2005). Detrimental Effects of {beta}-Blockers in COPD: A Concern for Nonselective {beta}-Blockers. Chest
127: 818-824
[Abstract] [Full Text] -
Calverley, P.M.A., Rennard, S.I.
(2004). Application of management guidelines to the assessment of new medicines: driving us forward or holding us back?. Eur Respir J
23: 793-794
[Full Text]
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
