Asthma and "BUTEYKO" breathing practices...I would like to know your experiences ...

[masmdu]

My 4 year old son has been having occasional asthmatic reactions. Some have been severe enough (wheezing, gasping, hard time getting his breath)to consult his doctor. His doctor said we should put him on Singulair. I have serious reservations about that drug. I have read horror stories of others experiences with the drug (not to mention that the child's dosage also has Aspartame in it...another horror story 'drug').

Anyway, in searching the internets to find alternatives I came across the Butekyo breathing practices which promises greatly reduced reliance on drugs with regards to asthma.

Do any in the DU community have any direct experience with this method? I would truly appreciate hearing all views pro and con as well as any personal experiences.

Thanks..."a worried father"

[MADem]

1. I'd look around your area for the best respiratory doctor you can find and go get a second opinion.

Sometimes, things work for one person and not for another....

[oasis]

2. My wife has asthma so I'll help by kicking this thread. I'd like to know too.

:kick:

[Horse with no Name]

3. Just want to make sure you are aware

that kids DIE from asthma.
I've watched a few come damn close.
However, personal experience is that I take Singulair AND my granddaughter takes it as well.
She has been on it for 3 of her 4 years and it does make the symptoms easier to manage.
I wouldn't rely on a breathing practice...because when push comes to shove, kids CANNOT breathe when it would be the most useful.
However, if you are still apprehensive, talk to your doctor (if you don't have one you trust, then you need to find another one) and come up with a better plan of management.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. Link

http://www.lef.org/protocols/respiratory/asthma_01.htm



Understanding Asthma: Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

Asthma is primarily a disorder of the bronchial tubes, the airways that connect the windpipe (trachea) and the lungs. The bronchial tubes are surrounded by smooth muscle. The tubes themselves are lined with mucus glands and contain inflammatory immune-system cells called mast cells, lymphocytes, and eosinophils. When activated, these cells produce inflammatory mediators such as histamine and leukotrienes, which bind with receptors on cells within the bronchial tubes.

During as asthma attack, a cascade of events is launched that results in the production of histamine and leukotrienes. Leukotrienes are derived from the inflammatory arachidonic acid. These inflammatory mediators cause a host of changes in bronchial tissue: they trigger a dramatic increase in mucus secretion and a simultaneous rapid constriction of the bronchial smooth muscle, which narrows the bronchial tubes and reduces the amount of air that can pass through them. Over the course of the subsequent few hours, inflammatory cells move into the area, capillaries begin to leak fluid, and direct tissue damage occurs, triggering further inflammation and swelling. The net result is wheezing and coughing and eventual trapping of air in the alveoli (a tiny, thin-walled, capillary-rich sac in the lungs, or air sac) and smaller airways. This air trapping is most dangerous to the asthmatic because it progressively limits the amount of air that can be exchanged between the lungs and the blood stream, eventually causing rising carbon dioxide levels and falling oxygen levels. The increased muscular effort required to move air increases oxygen demand, tissue metabolism, and acid production, eventually resulting in exhaustion and, in extreme cases, respiratory collapse and arrest.

Why the bronchial tubes become so sensitive in asthmatics is not fully understood, but research suggests that immune-system cells known as T cells play a central role. Some T cells induce inflammation to fight off a foreign threat, while others reduce inflammation once the threat has subsided. Conditions such as asthma, in which the body overreacts to threats, may be related to an imbalance or malfunction of these and other immune-system components (Tosca MA et al 2003; Howard TD et al 2002; Ray A et al 2000).

The idea behind nutritional supplementation is to disrupt this inflammatory cascade whenever possible. For example, omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to inhibit the production of arachidonic acid, which reduces the concentration of inflammatory leukotrienes (Wong KW 2005). Other nutrients, such as curcumin, interfere with other causative factors in the inflammatory cascade, such as inhibiting nuclear factor kappa beta and an enzyme that converts arachidonic acid to leukotriene B4.

[Gloria]

5. I used the techniques while livingi n NJ...using inhalers a lot and

getting bronchitis for longer and longer periods during the winter into the spring. It seemed to at least help me to breathe a bit easier and be more comfortable, but it probably isn't a cure.
I have the book "Breathing Free" by Theresa Hale, founder of the Hale Clinic in London, which is a very detailed description of the 5-day program. It was published in 1999.

At the very least, I think this series of exercises may help increase lung power--I know that diaphragmatic breathing does. But this method considers overbreathing.

I actually started looking at the book again recently. I've on Singulair for the last 6 months am am wanting to stop it if I can....So far, I' don't think I've had any bad reactions, but I wonder...