The
Breathless Way to "Cure" Asthma
BBC NEWS Tuesday,
August 18, 1998
Buteyko teaches asthma sufferers to breathe less
The National Health Service (NHS) could save a fortune in drug
costs if asthmatics used a simple breathing technique, according
to claims made in a BBC TV programme.
The Buteyko method is based on the observation that most asthmatics
over-breathe, or hyperventilate.
Sufferers are taught to slow their breathing and even tape their
mouths at night to reduce the amount of air going into their lungs.
Supporters of Buteyko, which was developed in Russia, say it can
dramatically reduce a patient's reliance on inhalers and steroids,
the traditional way of dealing with the condition.
Drugs bill
Dr Gerald Spence, a Glasgow GP, told the QED Science programme
that Buteyko had had a major impact on his practice.
He started teaching the breathing technique after the expensive
drug treatments currently on the market appeared to make no difference
to his patients.
"The simple fact is that 34 patients, prior to Buteyko, were
costing £15,000 for their asthma medication," he said.
"After Buteyko, they were costing £5,000.
"That's a reduction of two-thirds in their drugs bill. If
this was extended to the rest of the country, very significant savings
could be made."
Professional scepticism
Not all of the medical profession is convinced that Buteyko is
quite the revolution being claimed.
The technique has been subjected to only one scientific trial outside
Russia. The asthma sufferers who took part in the study in Brisbane,
Australia, said their symptoms improved after using Buteyko.
However, Professor Charles Mitchell, the medical expert in charge
of the trial, said the results were not conclusive.
"The people who go through the Buteyko programme, by and large,
feel they're a lot better, but when you come down to objective tests
of breathing capacity - how much air they can breathe out in the
first second - they are no better," he said.
Carbon dioxide
QED invited Sacha Stolmatski, a Russian therapist, to run a five-day
Buteyko breathing course.
The three people on the course, two of who were put forward by
the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary as very severe cases, all appeared
to derive benefit from the breathing exercises.
Campbell Stewart, a self-employed plumber who could hardly walk
20 yards without getting breathless and coughing, was able to cut
down on his medication within days of learning Buteyko.
Several months on from the course he is now playing golf - something
he never thought possible.
"I've been really good," he said. "It surpassed
what I thought, because I didn't think it would have happened, to
be honest with you."
Another asthma sufferer, Tim Leon, confirms his success. He has
now stopped using all asthmatic drugs.
"You have to be conscientious about it [breathing exercises],
and it will differ with different people. It took me about two months
to get to the point where I had no symptoms anymore," he said.
Clinical trial
Sacha Stolmatski believes over-breathing causes problems because
it leads to the loss of carbon dioxide, a gas necessary for well
being. He claims the narrowing of the airways seen in asthma attacks
is the body's way of way of trying to hold on to the carbon dioxide.
He wants to see further clinical trials in the West to convince
the medical profession that Buteyko really does have something to
offer.
Dr Martin Partridge: Drugs have made a big difference "That
is the only accepted way in this scientific world to recognise something
or dismiss it," he said.
Dr Martin Partridge from the National Asthma Campaign said the
experiences of Buteyko were very interesting but he stressed that
drugs had to play a central role.
"I think we have to recognise that people with asthma have
a very real wish not to be using medicines, but medicines have transformed
the lives for people with asthma over the last couple of decades,"
he said.
"We need to recognise that these [therapies like Buteyko]
are not alternatives, they are complementary therapies."
QED - Breathless - is broadcast on BBC 1 on Wednesday, August 19,
at 21:30 BST.
Article is from the BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/153320.stm
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