Are breathing exercises an effective strategy for people with asthma?

BACKGROUND: The effect of breathing techniques on asthma symptoms and disease control is uncertain. AIM: To investigate whether physiotherapist-taught breathing exercises can improve asthma control and reduce the condition's impact on patients' quality of life. METHOD: A randomised controlled trial comparing breathing training with asthma education (control for non-specific effects of healthcare professionals' attention) was carried out. RESULTS: One month after the intervention, both groups showed similar improvements in asthma quality-of-life questionnaire scores but, at six months, there was a significant difference between groups in favour of breathing training. There was also a significant difference in anxiety and depression scores in favour of breathing training at six months. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study found that adult patients with asthma who were taught breathing exercises showed improvements in quality of life, symptoms and psychological well-being after six months. Breathing exercises may have a role in helping the many people treated for asthma in general practice who have symptoms despite inhaled treatment.