Usually traditional medications effectively control asthma, but some patients are finding relief from a breathing technique that’s been around for 60 years. David Wiebe started to look for a new asthma treatment after the steroids he used for decades began damaging his vision. He found a technique deveoped by Russian doctor Frederick Buteyko. It focuses on slow, shallow breathing through the nose, both at rest and during exercise. Doctor Buteyko believed breathing too fast and too deeply made asthma worse. Wiebe says the breathing method dramatically improved his asthma and reduced his reliance on his rescue inhaler by 95%. Some allergists say the breathing technique should not replace standard treatment, but complement it.
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