Holistic therapy boon for asthma sufferers

Emma Henderson 

Practising yoga could help asthma sufferers breathe more easily, a new study has found. The Cochrane Review — an international healthcare non-profit organisation — suggests yoga can improve the quality  of life for people who suffer  from asthma.

The review, published on Tuesday in the Cochrane Library, used randomised trials, which found evidence yoga can improve the quality of life and symptoms of sufferers to some extent.

The study says that yoga, as a holistic therapy, has the potential to relieve both the physical and psychological suffering and could reduce the medication a person takes to cope with asthma.

Lead author Dr Zuyao Yang, from the University of Hong Kong, said the findings suggested practising yoga could lead to small improvements for those with the condition.

The researchers looked at 1,048 participants, both male and female, between six months and 23 years old.

However, the research does not provide a clear picture as to the extent yoga can help people with asthma or poor lung function.

Dr Zuyao Yang added the research team was not sure if there were any negative side effects to sufferers from practising yoga.

The authors added further research was needed to prove 

if yoga could become an alternative method of relief in place of medication.

Asthma affects around 334 million people worldwide, according to the Global Asthma Report, with the highest number of sufferers living in low and middle income countries. — The Independent