Non-drug interventions for asthma

Picture of a woman relaxing

Medication is important in the treatment of , to prevent attacks and keep the condition under control. But many people would like to do more than just take medication. Some of the additional things that can be done have been scientifically proven to help, whereas others have not.

A lot of people use special breathing techniques to try to cope better with attacks. If someone reacts to certain triggers, they can try to avoid them as best as possible. Regular exercise and appropriate levels of sport can help you keep fit and prevent symptoms. One of the main things you can do is stop smoking – or not start smoking in the first place.

Many people with also try out “alternative” treatments like herbal medicine or . But it's often not clear whether, and how well, these approaches work and what side effects they might have.

What kind of breathing exercises could help in asthma?

People with can choose between many different breathing exercises and techniques. They are meant to have a general relaxing effect, and also help to maintain calm, controlled breathing during attacks.

Relaxation and breathing techniques such as those practiced in yoga may help to prevent symptoms and improve your overall wellbeing. Studies on the use of these techniques in people with suggest that they might help, but these studies were not high-quality.

Certain techniques are meant to help people breathe more easily during serious attacks. These include techniques to help you breathe calmly and in a controlled way during an attack, or at the beginning of an attack. Panic and fear can lead to rapid and shallow breathing (hyperventilation) in such situations. Most people can still inhale (breathe in) quite well during attacks, even during more severe ones. Exhaling (breathing out) can be a problem, though. Patient education can help people learn how to use breathing techniques such as “pursed-lip breathing,” which involves slowly breathing out through tightly pressed ("pursed") lips.

Can you do exercise and sports despite having asthma?

Sports and physical activity are important for most people who have . Regular physical activity helps improve the performance of your heart and lungs. It increases the uptake of oxygen and the amount of air that is exhaled when you breathe out.

Because physical exertion is a relatively common trigger ("exercise-induced "), many affected people think they ought to avoid exercise. But special treatment can prevent problems due to physical activity. Research suggests that sports and exercise can actually reduce symptoms in the long term. There is also some that interval training can prevent exercise-induced . In interval training, high-energy exercise is alternated with periods of rest.

It's important to choose physical activities that match your level of fitness, though. This may mean, for example, taking a break or doing something less strenuous if you notice signs of breathing difficulties. Warming up before doing sports, and gradually increasing the intensity, helps too. It's also important to have reliever '("rescue") medication on you so you can react quickly if you do have an attack. Sometimes using reliever medication before physical exertion can help as well.

How can you avoid things that trigger allergies?

People who have that is caused by an can generally prevent attacks by avoiding triggers. But this isn't always possible. For instance, it's easier to avoid animals and certain foods than it is to avoid things like pollen. People who are allergic to dust mites might be able to prevent allergic reactions by making various changes in their home. These include wiping the floor with a damp cloth, using mite-proof mattress covers, regularly washing your bedding at temperatures above 55° C (130°F), and removing “dust traps” such as upholstered furniture and rugs.

Individual interventions like using special mite-proof mattress covers or dust mite sprays haven't been proven to prevent symptoms, though. There is also not enough research on whether the type of bedcovers you use (filled with feathers or something else) makes a difference. And it's not known whether things like special air filters can help prevent problems due to animal-related allergies.

What role does tobacco smoke play?

Smoking tobacco, in any form, can cause a number of medical conditions or make them worse. People with have oversensitive airways, so it's particularly important for them to stop smoking, or not start smoking in the first place. When cigarette smoke is inhaled, many substances other than nicotine and tar get into the airways. Some, such as heavy metals and pesticides, are toxic. Just like other triggers, the substances in cigarette smoke can make the in the linings of the airways worse, causing the airways to become even narrower.

Besides this, cigarette smoke can lead to chronic over time – even in passive smokers, including children who are exposed to cigarette smoke at home. Having parents who smoke is one of the main risk factors for . If teenagers who have start smoking, their symptoms usually get worse.

Smokers will know how difficult it is to quit smoking. There are several therapies that can help make quitting a bit easier.

Does your weight affect the severity of asthma?

Being very overweight (having a body mass index, also called “,” over 30) can make worse in some people. But only a few studies have looked at how losing weight affects symptoms. Their findings suggest that losing a lot of weight can help keep under control.

In the studies that found this positive effect, people followed a low-calorie diet under the guidance of experts. Other studies also looked at the effects of exercise programs or appetite-suppressing medication. The people in the studies lost at least about ten kilos on average. Unfortunately there were some problems with the quality of the studies, and side effects were not considered enough. This means that it is currently not possible to draw reliable conclusions about the advantages and disadvantages of these measures, or about how long their effects last.

Does complementary medicine help?

Many people with use alternative or complementary medicine. Common approaches include homeopathy, herbal products and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatments like . But there is a lack of that complementary medicine approaches work. It’s important to talk to your doctor if you would like to use one of them.

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IQWiG health information is written with the aim of helping people understand the advantages and disadvantages of the main treatment options and health care services.

Because IQWiG is a German institute, some of the information provided here is specific to the German health care system. The suitability of any of the described options in an individual case can be determined by talking to a doctor. informedhealth.org can provide support for talks with doctors and other medical professionals, but cannot replace them. We do not offer individual consultations.

Our information is based on the results of good-quality studies. It is written by a team of health care professionals, scientists and editors, and reviewed by external experts. You can find a detailed description of how our health information is produced and updated in our methods.

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Updated on July 20, 2022

Next planned update: 2025

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Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG, Germany)

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