There is a breathing technique developed by Professor Konstantin P. Buteyko, a russian diagnostic physician whose techniques were considered a breakthrough in Russia after a lifetime of research and treatment of asthma patients.
Asthma sufferers need to learn how to breathe in such a way as to control the debilitating disorder.
There were several clinical trials in Australia, the most documented one was the clinical trial of the Brisbane Mater Hospital in the capital city of Queensland, Australia in early 1995. The Queensland team consisted of Associate Professor Charles Mitchell, Dr. Simon Bowler (a respiratory physician) and Ms Amanda Green. The "Buteyko Team" consisted of Sasha Stalmatsky and Ms Tess Graham, Buteyko-practitioners.
Six weeks after learning the Buteyko breathing exercises, a group of 19 patients with moderately severe asthma were able to reduce their use of relieving bronchodilators by 90 percent. There was also a significant difference in quality of life and improvement in symptom scores. At the same time a similar group of 20 patients who received only general advice about asthma and some simple stress techniques (no shallow breath techniques were introduced) enjoyed no such improvement: 5 % reduction in relieving medication was the best that the control group could achieve.
This study was reported at a meeting of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand in Hobart by Dr Simon Bowler just one week after the 6 week trial. Five hundred leading respiratory medicine specialists and researchers from around Australia and New Zealand attended this conference in 1995. In addition a surge of public and media response resulted. Several articles appeared in regional newspapers and for the first time in the mainstream of australian health magazines too: a front page story in the Australian Doctor (on 7th of April, 1995), in the Medical Observer and there were letters published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Daily Bronchodilator (shown as green) and Medication use (shown as blue) by the Buteyko Group of 19 Patients at the 6 week Brisbabe trial:
| TOTAL USE for 19 Patients | Pre trial use
5/Dec/1994 |
on 13/Dec/1994
(1st week) |
on 22/Dec/1994
(2nd week) |
in Jan/1995
during 5th week |
improvement in % |
| Atrovent puffs | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 % |
| Atrovent nebulisers | 11.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 % |
| Ventolin puffs | 123 | 8 | 10 | between 8-10 | 92.7 % |
| Ventolin nebulisers | 14 | 1.5 | 0.5 | between 0-0.5 | 98 % |
| Bricanyl puffs | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100 % |
| Bricanyl nebulisers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 % |
| Serevent puffs | 12 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 75 % |
| Theodur mg | 2300 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 73.9 % |
| Aostyn mg | 900 | 900 | 300 | 300 | 66.7 % |
| Elixophyllin ml | 60 | 40 | 30 | 20 | 66.7 % |