Yoga and Asthma

How can Yoga Help?

Studies conducted at yoga institutions in India have reported impressive success in improving asthma. It has also been proved that asthma attacks can usually be prevented by yoga methods without resorting to drugs.

Physicians have also found improved concentration abilities and yoga meditation together with the practice of simple postures and breath control makes treatment more effective.

Yoga practice also results in greater reduction in anxiety than drug therapy. Doctors believe that yoga practice helps patients by enabling them to gain access to their own internal experience and increased self-awareness. A type of meditation based on yoga eases asthma for some.

Simple relaxation techniques and exercise can help regulate breathing patterns and also improve lung function. As a result, some asthmatics may find yoga helps them to manage their condition by easing symptoms

What is Asthma?
Is a chronic obstructive disease characterized by tracheo- bronchial hyper-reactivity leading to paroxysmal airway narrowing, which may reverse spontaneously or as a result of treatment. It is characterized clinically by wheezing, dyspnea, and cough. Allergic asthma is the most common form. Other precipitating factors include infection, exercise, occupational and environmental exposures, drugs, air pollution, and emotional factors.

Symptons
Inflammation of the bronchial airways causes them to become constricted and narrowed. Narrowing of the airways, called bronchoconstriction, produces shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, coughing, and wheezing. Except in severe cases, symptoms are occasional. The duration and severity of asthma symptoms vary greatly from time to time and from patient to patient. The symptoms may be intermittent, and they can last just a few minutes or days. In severe cases, symptoms may be constant and persistent.