What’s This Research About?
Research shows anywhere from 6-30% of asthma sufferers use breathing methods to alleviate their asthma symptoms in the UK.
The authors reviewed six studies in which BBT was used for asthma. They noted that there is a paucity of definitive research on the efficacy of these breathing exercises, especially BBT. Therefore the authors addressed this by examining the efficacy and mechanism of BBT in previous studies. Only six studies met the inclusion criteria due to the fact that many studies on BBT lack sound methodology, controlled trials or sound statistical analysis.
TITLE: The Buteyko breathing technique for asthma: A review
PUBLICATION: Complementary Therapies in Medicine
DATE: 2005
AUTHORS : A. Bruton, G.T. Lewith
Hyperventilation: Breathing in excess of metabolic requirements.
Buteyko breathing technique (BBT): Konstantin Buteyko was a Russian physiologist who came up with BBT in the 1950’s. After experimenting with a slower breathing rate on himself and his patients, he postulated that hyperventilation and mouth breathing create hypocapnia (low CO2). He concluded that hypocapnia leads to hundreds of ailments, including bronchospasm. BBT trains people to slow their breath rate, eliminate mouth breathing (using a small strip of tape on the mouth), and the use of controlled pauses of breath to increase CO2 levels. BBT is a method that is used in some practices to help with hyperventilation, and asthma.
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