Sticky tape asthma remedy lets busy mum sleep easy

By ANGELA GREGORY health reporter

The first item asthma sufferer Julia van de Coolwijk packs whenever she goes away is a roll of Sellotape.

Mrs van de Coolwijk places a small piece of tape over her lips as she settles down for a night's sleep.

It is part of the Buteyko theory of asthma treatment that uses breathing techniques to avoid hyperventilation.

The techniques were developed in the 1950s in Russia but have only recently caught on in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Asthma sufferers are encouraged to breathe through the nose by using shallow breaths or intermittent breath-holding.

Mrs van de Coolwijk took a course in Buteyko six years ago and says it has made a huge difference to her life.

The Mt Eden mother of three young boys, who works part time as a business consultant, says she would not be able to carry on her busy life without the technique.

She says she does not always have time for all the breathing exercises.

"But if there is one thing I always do is taping my mouth shut at night ... it is the most fabulous thing and even if I only do that, it still makes a huge difference."

Mrs van de Coolwijk has had asthma since she was four years old.

"I was the classic days off school asthma kid ... but luckily in my early childhood I had a mother who was prepared to sit with me all night, as I always had a fear of hospitals."

Mrs van de Coolwijk had to start using asthma drugs when she was nine.

Buteyko New Zealand says over 4000 people here have learned the technique.

The theory is that people with asthma tend to hyperventilate, breathe more rapidly than they need to, and this aggravates their asthma.

Buteyko techniques aim to reverse the process by lowering carbon dioxide in the blood, helping to relax the sufferer's airways.

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation's medical director, Dr Ian Town, said Buteyko was a safe technique that clearly benefited some patients.

"We're relaxed about it ... but it is a question of buyer beware, as it costs about $450 a course."

Dr Town said the foundation was "guardedly optimistic" about Buteyko's future role in helping to treat asthma, and it had always recommended breathing exercises for asthma sufferers.

He said there were surprisingly few published studies available that had formally evaluated the Buteyko technique.

A recently published trial in Australia compared the method with traditional asthma education and breathing exercises.

In both groups participants were encouraged to use their reliever beta-agonist only when symptomatic and inhaled steroid medicines were gradually reduced.

Thirty-nine subjects were used in the study (20 for the control group and 19 using Buteyko). Another 20 normal volunteers were recruited for comparison purposes.

The main finding of the study was a reduction in beta agonist reliever use in the Buteyko group.

There were no differences in inhaled steroid dose and no differences in lung function at the end of the three-month study.

Dr Town said health professionals would like to see further research into all the components of the Buteyko technique to understand both the physiology and clinical benefits and to separate the direct physiological effects from the positive reinforcement given during instruction.

Dr Town said advice given by Buteyko for asthma sufferers to use their relievers when required and to continue with preventers accorded with medical advice.

nzherald.co.nz/health