Re: Reactive airway question

[Guest guest]

Have you tried wearing a scarf over your face outdoors when it's

cold? Sometimes that helps.

>

> I developed asthma in 1986, and struggled until Accolate (then

> Singulair) was invented. I've been symptom free using just

Singulair

> for the last 10 years or so, until last winter. I got through it

> with prednisone, Xopenex and Advair (took several months) and was

> good through summer and fall after tapering off prednisone and

just

> using Singulair.

>

> It's baaaack. A trigger was never determined, but I'm clearly

> bothered by cold, dry air rather than the usual allergy triggers.

I

> live in Minnesota - it gets cold and dry in the winter. I've got

my

> lungs opened up again using prednisone (40 mg/d) and Advair,

seldom

> need the Xopenex anymore.

>

> However, my airways are really " twitchy " , sometimes triggering non-

> productive coughing fits. I know I've gone through this in the

past,

> but I'd like to know if there are any tricks people have learned

to

> get through it faster (so I can start tapering).

>

> Any suggestions?

>

>

> Arne

>

[Guest guest]

Yep - I even wear a mask. It does indeed help. I also have a whole-

house humidifier, special furnace filters, etc.

Arne

Have you tried wearing a scarf over your face outdoors when it's

cold? Sometimes that helps.

[Guest guest]

Arne,

>

>I've got my

>lungs opened up again using prednisone (40 mg/d)

>and Advair, seldom

>need the Xopenex anymore.

>

GOOD!! Sounds like you are in control of your asthma. Do you think you

can wean yourself off the prednisone? That would be my next goal.

The scarf idea is a good one have you tried that?

You also may want to concentrate on breathing through your nose. The

nose has 4 functions, smell is one the others are directly related to

breathing. The nose heats, humidifies and filters the air going into

the lungs. As adults we don't breath through our noses as much as we

should. This may help some if you breath with your nose.

[Guest guest]

here is a clinical trial paid for by jill mcgowan by the sale off her house ,it clearly show the benefit of controling breathing , Press Release on Glasgow Study Embargoed until 00.01hrs Thursday 4 December BREATHING EXERCISES IMPROVE ASTHMA Learning to breathe properly could ‘significantly improve’ asthma and quality of life for the 5.1 million people with asthma in the UK, according to new research presented today at the British Thoracic Society’s (BTS)

Winter Meeting (Thursday 4th December). Nurse, Jill McGowan, led the world’s largest clinical trial to measure the effects of the Buteyko method (breathing retraining exercises in conjunction with conventional asthma management). 384 of the initial 600 participants (64%) completed the trial. Those patients who were taught the Buteyko Institute Method all experienced significant

improvement in asthma, with reduced symptoms, reduced medication and improvement in quality of life. · Asthma symptoms decreased by an average of 98% · Use of reliever inhalers decreased by an average of 98% · Use of preventor inhalers decreased by an average of 92% · Instance of cold or flu decreased by an average of 20% The Buteyko Institute Method is designed to help people with asthma slow their breathing to normal levels. It is also suggested for a range of

other breathing related conditions such as hay fever, sinusitis, sleep apnoea, emphysema and anxiety and panic attacks. Dr Harvey, chair of the BTS Communications Committee commented: "As lung specialists, we know from clinical experience that spending even a small amount of time teaching patients how to manage their condition and to control their breathing appropriately can reduce both the number of asthma attacks

and improve their quality of life. "However, I would stress that the Buteyko method should not be practiced in isolation but as a complementary addition to conventional asthma treatment." Jill McGowan said: "This study clearly demonstrates that teaching people with asthma to breathe correctly with the Buteyko Institute Method provides significant improvements. "The Buteyko Institute Method will be key in reducing patients’ reliance on their inhalers and helping people manage their asthma with significantly less medication and feeling more in control of their condition." -Ends- Notes to editors The BTS is the UK’s professional body of respiratory specialists and here is a russian clinical trial 20 years previous ,my doesnt good news spread slow ,,hope its of use charles maguire THE RESULTS OF THE APPROBATION OF THE 'BBL' METHOD IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN'S DISEASES IN THE

FIRST MOSCOW MEDICAL INSTITUTE OF E. M. SECHENOV K.P.BUTEYKO, V.A.GENINA The BBL method was tested and approved by the Medical institute of E.M. Sechenov between 27.2.81 and 21.5.81. The method is based on a conscious decrease in deep breathing, and specifically designed for patients suffering from bronchial asthma. It is based on the fact that clinical results show improvement proportional to the decrease in lung ventilation. Clinical Characterizations of Patients with Bronchial Asthma: The experiment was based on patients suffering from regular asthma attacks (once a day or more) during the previous month. Some of the patients had

severe asthmatic conditions leading to asphyxia. The purpose of the experiment was to demonstrate the relationship between the major symptoms of the disease (bronchospasm, cough, nasal blockage and so on) and hyperventilation. The patients were asked to undergo a three stage hyperventilation test (developed by Professor Buteyko in 1968). The test was conducted in a sitting position. The patients were asked to use the BBL method. Correctly followed instructions yielded the following results: In 1 to 5 minutes there was a decrease or disappearance in the symptoms of asthma: the patients experienced relief from asphyxia, wheezing, cough or rhinitis. The second stage involved a reverse process: The patients were asked to breath

deeply for 15 to 60 seconds until the first symptoms of an attack. The patients were asked to repeat the BBL and thus prevent the onset of the attack independently. If the patients did not understand the relationship between the hyperventilation and the disease, the test was repeated. The test was not conducted if the patients took a bronchodilator 1.5 to 2 hours prior to the test. Fifty-two patients between the ages of 3 and 15 were treated according to the B BL method: 36 boys (69%) and 16 girls (31%) (qv Table I). Of the 52 children, 34 or (65%) were hospitalised, 18 or (35%) were outpatients. Twenty-four or (46%) had atopic bronchial asthma, 22 or (42%) had mixed bronchial asthma and 6 or (12%) had bacterial allergy bronchial asthma. The majority of the patients (36) had been suffering from this condition for up

to 5 ywears, 12 for between 6 to 10 years and 4 from 11 to 15 years. The patients were divided into three categories: mild, severe and very severe (qv Table V). GROUP NUMBER SEX AGE M (F) 3-5 6-10 11-15 HOSPITAL 34 24 (10) 2 18 14 AMBULATORY 18 12 (6) 5 12 1 TOTAL 52 36 (16) 7 30 15 Table I.- Age and sex distribution of patients GROUP NUMBER DEGREE / DURATION OF ILLNESS MILD TEST % SEVERE TEST % VERY SEVERE TEST % HOSPITAL 34 0 0 24 70.6 10 29.4 AMBULATORY 18 1 5.5 13 72.2

4 22.0 TOTAL 52 1 1.9 37 71.1 14 26.9 TABLE II: Patient distribution according to degree of asthma According to patients' histories, 41 cases (79%) had pneumonia 1 to 7 times. Four (8%) were taking, corticosteroids (prednisolone tablets) prior to the BBL treatment. Six (11%) were physically handicapped, 9 (17%) were obese; all the children had bad posture, 11 (21.2) had chest deformity. Most of the children (33 or 64%) had allergic reactions to medication. 34 (65%) allergic reactions to food and 25 (48%) allergic reactions to dust. Twentv-seven (52%) suffered from rhinitis. 18 (34.6%) had Quinke's oedema. 47 (90%) had a predisposition to colds and flu. All had problems with breathing, through the nose, 36 (69%) chronic tonsillitis, 11 (21%) sinus problems. 23 (44%) had frequent headaches, all had palpitations and 13 (25%) had unstable body temperature. Acute periods of their condition were accompanied by the following symptoms: 31 (59%) had sleeping problems, 16 (31%) had loss of appetite and 13 (25%) constipation. Of the 52 children 47 (90%) were regular hospital patients and only 5 (10%) did not require hospitalisation. Prior to the BBL treatment, all children had antibiotic treatment, all had to use bronchodilators. 37 (71.2%) were using Intal over prolonged periods, 15 (29%) were taking antihistamines. All these treatments were having little effect. The course of the BBL treatment consisted of a daily training of 40 to 90 minutes exercise in the mornings under the supervision of the specialist; self training, included 3 to 5 hours under the supervision of the instructor or the parents. The majority of the children mastered

the method in 5 to 10 minutes: they were eager, disciplined and enthusiastic. After 1 to 5 days of the BBL treatment, the patients were able to stop their asthma attacks, coughs, blocked noses and wheezing. The patients wcre encouraged to use the BBL method rather than their medication to overcome their attacks. Thirty-eight (73%) discontinued their medication as soon as they commenced the BBL method. Eight (15%) cut down on their medication after 3 to 4 days. Steroid medications however were an exception. They had to be reduced gradually. The patients were allowed to take their medication in conjunction with the treatment, only if they were unable to stop the attack after 10 to 15 minutes with the BBL method. For these cases, medication dosage was reduced by a factor of 2 to 3 and remained sufficient to stop the attack. The results of the BBL method. Fifty-two children were observed for between 29 and 84 days. The results were based on the following criteria: a) no improvementb) some improvement (the degree of attacks is lessened together with a considerable reduction in medication).c) considerable improvement (cessation of the heavy attacks. Slight traces of the disease or a total disappearance of the symptoms). The results are listed in Table III. GROUP CONSIDERABLE IMPROVEMENT SOME IMPROVEMENT NO CHANGE WORSE HOSPITAL 28 (82.4%) 6 (17.6%) 0 0 AMBULATORY 15 (83.3%) 3 (16.6%) 0 0 TOTAL 43 (82.7%) 9 (17.3%) 0 0 Table III: Results of the BBL method Forty-three (83%) of the patients showed considerable improvement and nine (17%) showed some improvement. There were no cases showing

no improvement. The average period of hospitalisation was 16 days. All the patients with bronchial asthma (52) improved in the first four days. They could breathe freely through the nose and their coughs and wheezing disappeared. Fifteen experienced 'sanogenes' (self-cleansing') reactions, manifesting, themselves through nervous excitement, chills, raised temperatures (up to 39C), headaches, muscular pains, intestinal pains, chest pains, weakness and hypersecretion of mucus. Some experienced appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, thirst, excessive salivation (smelling of their medication) and increased urination and defecation. These reactions lasted from a few hours to two days and happened 2 to 3 times. The time in the condition of the patient was relative to the length of the controlled pause*. The clinical observations of the dynamics and the functions of the bronchi were researched

simultaneously (using Tiffno tests and Rait scale). All the patients showed the following results during the first fourteen days of the BBL treatment. As the control pause increased from 10 to 40 seconds, so did the concentrations of immunoglobulins A, M, G & E. Forced expiration volume (Rait's measuring scale) was raised from 36.7 to 173.2 (qv Table IV). The acid-alkali balance of the blood normalised (it became less basic), the pCO2 of the arterial blood increased from 24.6 to 36.3 mmHg. Control pause increased from 3.9 +/- 0.3 seconds to 31.4 +/- 4.7 seconds (qv Table V). STATE OF ILLNESS NUMBER START POINT 40 MINS. TIME IN DAYS 7 14 30 SEVERE 14 37 (+/-8) 92 (+/-11) 117 (+/-15) 159 (+/-16) --- AVERAGE 26 76 (+/-8) 121 (+/-8) 161 (+/-18) 173 (+/-10) 139 (+/-9) Table IIII: Change in Lung Capacity with the BBL treatment STATE OF ILLNESS NUMBER START POINT 40 MINS. TIME IN DAYS 7 14 30 SEVERE 14 2.9 (+/-.3) 12.4 (+/-1.4) 28.0 (+/-4.9) 24.5 (+/-4.5) 31.4 (+/-4.7) AVERAGE 26 5.4 (+/-.7) 12.5

(+/-1.8) 24.0 (+/-3.9) 28.3 (+/-6.4) 31.4 (+/-4.7) Table V: Change in Control Pause with the BBL treatment Patients with severe cases of asthma increased their lung capacities by 27%; the allergic resistance increased by 33% (qv Table VI). Table VI- Change in allergic resistance (AR), expiration speed (ES) and lung capacity

(LC) with the BBL treatment STATE OF ILLNESS NUMBER TIME START 14 DAYS LC AR ES LC AR ES SEVERE 8 39.2 29.4 22.1 66.2 62.0 72.3 AVERAGE 15 55.3 48.0 51.0 80.0 78.3 85.3 Conclusion The BBL method as suggested by Professor Buteyko helps to decrease the number and severity of attacks as well as the dosage of medication. As a result of this therapy, the indicators of acid-alkali balance and lung ventilation improved. The method may be taught to children from 3 years of age up either in hospital or as outpatients. This method is endured by children of any age over 3. This method is most effective in acute periods of bronchial asthma in very ill patients. "Matt Anders, RRT, AE-C" wrote: Arne, > >I've got my>lungs opened up again using prednisone (40 mg/d) >and Advair,

seldom>need the Xopenex anymore.>GOOD!! Sounds like you are in control of your asthma. Do you think you can wean yourself off the prednisone? That would be my next goal.The scarf idea is a good one have you tried that? You also may want to concentrate on breathing through your nose. The nose has 4 functions, smell is one the others are directly related to breathing. The nose heats, humidifies and filters the air going into the lungs. As adults we don't breath through our noses as much as we should. This may help some if you breath with your nose.

[Guest guest]

> live in Minnesota - it gets cold and dry in the winter.

I live in Minnesota too and lately my asthma is kicked up. Probably

has to do with our bizarre weather. It went from 50 to 10 degrees in

the cities. I usually find it hits me if I am in my car driving

where it is very warm and then get out to walk into a store etc. 30

seconds into the store I am gasping for air and have to stand their

for a minute or so to catch my breath. I need to start doing my

inhaler if it is that freaking cold.

This is what has helped me during the winter

3,000 vitamin C

200 mg selenium

4-600 of E

B complex twice a day

200-600 mg of magnesium a day

Testing out whey protein now.

The other two things that were suggested to me was Licorce root and

bromelian but I haven't tried those. I know everyone is different

but I do notice that drinking a lot of water and taking supplements

has helped me immensly. Off singulair, serevent, flovent etc and now

only extreme weather (humid or cold) or cats and smoke bothers me.

A really good book to read is

Asthma Survival by Ivker. You can get it from the Library

system for Hennipen County and I think also from Minneapolis.

Jeanne

[Guest guest]

>

> Yep - I even wear a mask. It does indeed help. I also have a whole-

> house humidifier, special furnace filters, etc.

>

> Do you know where you get one of those special masks for outside?

Jeanne

[Guest guest]

Thanks - I'm already taking Shaklee Basics for other reasons

(http://shaklee.com/pws/library/products/20209_label.pdf). Not quite

as much C, but pretty close to the others.

Arne

....This is what has helped me during the winter

3,000 vitamin C

200 mg selenium

4-600 of E

B complex twice a day

200-600 mg of magnesium a day...

Jeanne

[Guest guest]

I just get the cheap dust masks at the hardware store (or Walmart, or K-

mart, etc.). It just keeps the humidity and warmth up - nothing

special. You can get special masks for winter running, that draw air

off the chest area. I've never tried one of those.

Arne

Do you know where you get one of those special masks for outside?

Jeanne

[Guest guest]

>

> I just get the cheap dust masks at the hardware store (or Walmart, or

K-

> mart, etc.).

Thanks that sounds easy enough to find. I know I need to find

something to use.