Alternative Asthma Treatments-Yoga

Yoga also comes from the science of the East, this time from India in the early Christian era. The name means "union' referring to the union of mental, physical, and spiritual energies to improve health and well-being. Yoga uses specific physical and mental exercises to influence the workings of the autonomic nervous system. Since the relationship between asthma and the autonomic nervous system is generally accepted, we might expect yoga to improve breathing in asthma. Indeed, it has been shown to do just that.

A special concept (pranayama) in yoga that involves control over the breathing process is of special interest to the patient with asthma. Pranayama training aims to alter the breathing pattern so that breathing out (expiration) takes twice as long as breathing in (inhaling) with each breath. As part of this system, there are alternate nostrils breathing exercises designed to clear the nasal passage. However it may work, yogic control of breathing patterns has been shown to improve pulmonary function test results and exercise tolerance.

Medical literature includes studies of yoga that are mostly in otherwise healthy people. For example, there is yogic relaxation exercises used alone and with pranayama to improve breathing of healthy people. Many of these published reports describe benefits from yoga in breathing. A difficulty arises with yoga because breath control training (like the exercises in this book) can't be learned during an acute episode of asthma. It is best learned during asthma-free periods.