Breathing exercises and asthma
As already was found in the Cochrane review on breathing
exercises,5 our review shows that trials published after the
Cochrane review reported improvement in quality of life
and reduction of medication use and respiratory rate. In
addition, in our review we found that breathing exercises
can reduce symptoms, hyperventilation, anxiety and depression. In a review published in 2011, Bruton et al.9
examined the role of breathing training in asthma management.
Five studies16,18e21 are used in both their and our
review. They also included articles published before the
Cochrane review. Bruton et al.9 conclude that breathing
training may improve symptoms, quality of life and may
reduce rescue bronchodilator use. This corresponds to our
conclusion on breathing exercises.