Asthma-17

Asthma - Non Medical treatments

Many asthmatics, like those who suffer from other chronic disorders, use alternative treatments; surveys show that roughly 50% of asthma patients use some form of unconventional therapy.

There is little data to support the effectiveness of most of these therapies. A Cochrane systematic review of acupuncture for asthma found no evidence of efficacy. A similar review of air ionisers found no evidence that they improve asthma symptoms or benefit lung function; this applied equally to positive and negative ion generators. Another systematic study reviewed a range of dust mite control measures, including air filtration, chemicals to kill mites, vacuuming, mattress covers and others. Overall these methods had no effect on asthma symptoms. A study of "manual therapies" for asthma, including osteopathic, chiropractic, physiotherapeutic and respiratory therapeutic manoeuvres, found there is insufficient evidence to support or refute their use in treating asthma; these manoeuvers include various osteopathic and chiropractic techniques to "increase movement in the rib cage and the spine to try and improve the working of the lungs and circulation"; chest tapping, shaking, vibration, and the use of "postures to help shift and cough up phlegm." One meta-analysis finds that homeopathy may have a potentially mild benefit in reducing the intensity of symptoms. However, the number of patients involved in the analysis was small, and subsequent studies have not supported this finding. Several small trials have suggested some benefit from various yoga practices, ranging from integrated yoga programs, yogasanas, Pranayama, meditation, and kriyas, to sahaja yoga, a form of 'new religious' meditation.

All text is available under the GNU free documentation lisence

Links

Index page

Previous:  Asthma - Emergency

Next:  Asthma - Prognosis

Find Healthcare Sales jobs here