Hunting for the Missing Link Between Eczema and Food Allergies

Asthma News

Jan. 21, 2025 — A new study found that pregnant women are regularly excluded from clinical drug trials that test for safety, raising concerns for the efficacy of these medications for maternal and child ...

Jan. 2, 2025 — A new, non-invasive nasal swab test for kids that diagnoses specific asthma subtype, or endotype, could help clinicians prescribe medications more precisely and pave the way for research toward ...

Dec. 25, 2024 — A new method of scanning lungs is able to show in real time how air moves in and out of the lungs as people take a breath in patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and ...

Dec. 19, 2024 — A team has discovered a new communication pathway between the gut and lung. Their findings highlight how a little-known member of the gut microbiome reshapes the lung immune environment to have both ...

Dec. 9, 2024 — A research team has uncovered a molecular strategy employed by worm parasites (helminths) to evade host immune defenses. This discovery opens new avenues for the development of innovative vaccines ...

Nov. 27, 2024 — A recent trial finds an injection given during some asthma and COPD attacks is more effective than the current treatment of steroid tablets, reducing the need for further treatment by ...

Nov. 19, 2024 — A new study sheds light on a potential link between exposure to certain everyday chemicals during pregnancy and the development of asthma in children. The study analyzed data from over 3,500 ...

Nov. 11, 2024 — Asthma is associated with memory difficulties in children, and early onset of asthma may exacerbate memory deficits, according to a new ...

Nov. 1, 2024 — Windblown dust from the shrinking Salton Sea harms the respiratory health of children living nearby, triggering asthma, coughing, wheezing and disrupted sleep, USC research shows. The problem is ...

Oct. 30, 2024 — Researchers have discovered a way that ovarian cancer tumors manipulate their environment to resist immunotherapy and identified a drug target that could overcome that resistance. The study used a ...

Oct. 25, 2024 — Drawing on evidence involving about 25 million population worldwide, an international research team demonstrates that long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 significantly increases the risk of asthma, ...

Oct. 24, 2024 — A new medically challenging case warns that, for those with allergies and asthma, health problems from burning incense can be a significant risk to adults and ...

Oct. 10, 2024 — The risk of asthma in the child can be reduced by nearly half if the mother engages in active physical exercise at least three times a week during pregnancy, compared to a child of a mother who is ...

Oct. 9, 2024 — Genome-wide association studies have great potential for advancing our understanding of the genetic background of diseases, but so far, few association studies have focused on maternal and newborn ...

Sep. 26, 2024 — What factors lead to chronic respiratory disease? Researchers investigated this question using health data from about 780 infants. Their analysis shows that children's risk of developing asthma ...

Sep. 19, 2024 — Human breast milk regulates a baby's mix of microbes, or microbiome, during the infant's first year of life. This in turn lowers the child's risk of developing asthma, a new study ...

Sep. 10, 2024 — Women who are being treated for asthma are more likely to miscarry and need fertility treatment to get pregnant, according to a large study. However, the study also suggests that most women with ...

Sep. 10, 2024 — A scientific team has created a preclinical blood test to identify adults most likely to develop severe respiratory conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The blood test ...

Sep. 5, 2024 — A cancer study found that certain gut bacteria may influence whether or not a patient's immune system is successful in fighting mesothelioma, an aggressive form of ...

Aug. 29, 2024 — Researchers have developed a prototype for a smart mask that can be used to monitor a range of medical conditions, including respiratory ailments, such as asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary ...

6 Breathing Exercises For Severe Asthma

In addition to medical treatments for severe asthma, exercises such as diaphragmatic and pulsed breathing may help improve your breathing and quality of life.

Asthma narrows the airways in your lungs to the point where it can be hard to catch your breath.

Medications such as inhaled corticosteroids and beta-agonists open up your airways to help you breathe easier. However, for some people with severe asthma, these drugs might not be enough to manage symptoms.

If you're looking for something to supplement your drug treatment, you might want to try breathing exercises.

Based on current evidence, breathing exercises may have value as an add-on therapy to medication and other standard asthma treatments.

Here are six different breathing exercises for asthma. Some of these techniques are more effective than others at relieving asthma symptoms. It's best to talk with your doctor to find out which breathing techniques may be best for you.

In diaphragmatic breathing, you learn how to breathe from the region around your diaphragm, rather than from your chest. The diaphragm is the dome-shaped muscle below your lungs that helps you breathe.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and a pillow under your knees, or sit up straight in a chair.

Place one hand flat on your upper chest and the other hand on your stomach.

Breathe in slowly through your nose. The hand on your stomach should move, while the one on your chest remains still.

Breathe out slowly through pursed lips.

Keep practicing this technique until you're able to breathe in and out without your chest moving.

The Papworth method has been around since the 1960s. It combines several different types of breathing with relaxation training techniques.

It teaches you how to breathe slowly and steadily from your diaphragm and through your nose.

You also learn how to manage stress so it doesn't affect your breathing. Research has found that this technique helps ease breathing symptoms and improve quality of life in people with asthma.

Steps for the Papworth method include the following:

Sit or lie down in a comfortable place and relax your body and mind.

Place one hand on your abdomen and one hand on your chest.

Slowly and deeply inhale through your nose. Your abdomen will rise.

Slowly exhale through your mouth. Your abdomen will fall.

Aim to exhale for longer than the inhale.

Focus on keeping your body relaxed.

Buteyko breathing is named after its creator, Konstantin Buteyko, a Ukrainian doctor who developed the technique during the 1950s.

The idea behind it is that people tend to hyperventilate, which means breathing faster and more deeply than necessary. Rapid breathing can increase symptoms like shortness of breath in people with asthma.

Buteyko breathing uses a series of exercises to teach you how to breathe slower and deeper. Studies evaluating its effectiveness have shown mixed results.

To practice Buteyko breathing:

Breathe regularly for a few minutes.

After an exhaled breath, hold your breath by using your index finger and thumb to plug your nose.

Retain your breath until you feel the urge to breathe, then inhale.

Breathe regularly for at least 10 seconds.

Repeat several times.

Learning breathing exercises and practicing them regularly may help you manage your asthma symptoms. Breathing exercises that may help include diaphragmatic breathing, nasal breathing, the Papworth method, Buteyko breathing, pursed lip breathing, and yoga.

However, even the most effective breathing exercises can't replace your asthma treatment entirely.

Talk with your doctor before trying any of these breathing exercises to make sure they're safe for you. Ask your doctor to recommend a respiratory therapist who can teach you how to do these exercises safely and effectively

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