BBC doctor in new COPD 'breathing exercise' alert for 'without medication' help

BBC doctor in new COPD 'breathing exercise' alert for 'without medication' help New research has shown a non-medication method should help with lung condition A BBC health expert has spoken about a simple breathing technique which could help around 1.4 million people in the UK who suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD affects about 2% of the total UK population and roughly 4.5% of people aged over 40. Around 30,000 people die from COPD in the UK each year and it is the second most common lung disease in the UK, following asthma. It is the name for a group of lung conditions which make it more difficult to breathe air out of the lungs, due to a permanent narrowing of the airways and destruction of lung tissue. COPD includes long-term (chronic) bronchitis and emphysema. Appearing on BBC Morning Live Dr Oscar Duke said there was a recent study which suggested a breathing technique could help people improve. Explaining the health issue he said: “A condition called COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. You might have heard of parts of it like emphysema and bronchitis, often caused by smoking, but many other potential causes as well.” He said that generally sufferers are treated with medications - such as inhalers. But there was an alternative: “The treatment test tends to be based around medications, particularly inhaled medications. And we know that pulmonary rehabilitation. So, exercise and education can have a significant impact on helping these people who are often living with breathlessness, chronic lung infections and irritation and it can be a hugely debilitating condition.” Dr Duke said the study looked at breathing: “So, this was a study to see what might help in addition to those sorts of treatments. So just a small study, just 63 people in the study and they were divided into doing different things. One had the laughter therapy being encouraged to laugh on a regular basis over the period of the study. “One group used pursed lipped breathing. So you take your breath in through your nose and breathe out against your lips which are closed. So just gently and the way that helps in cop makes me laugh. The way that that helps in COPD is that you’re because you’re breathing out against some pressure the airways which are often a bit more floppy and the lung tissue which is a bit more floppy than people who don’t have COPD doesn’t collapse as much “So having that slight pressure at the end can be really helpful. And then the third group, they didn’t do any of these exercises and they found that the people who were laughing and doing the first lip breathing had less shortness of breath, felt better overall. So you could do either laughing and pip breathing. And probably if you lip breathe at each other, you’ll end up laughing as well. A combination there.” The NHS says exercising regularly can help improve your symptoms and quality of life with COPD. It says: “The amount of exercise you can do will depend on your individual circumstances. Exercising until you’re a little breathless is not dangerous, but do not push yourself too far. “It’s a good idea to speak to a GP for advice before starting a new exercise programme if your symptoms are severe or you have not exercised in a while.” Breathing techniques There are various breathing techniques that some people find helpful for breathlessness. These include breathing control, which involves breathing gently using the least effort, with the shoulders supported. This can help when people with COPD feel short of breath. Breathing techniques for people who are more active include: - relaxed, slow, deep breathing - breathing through pursed lips, as if whistling - breathing out hard when doing an activity that needs a big effort - paced breathing, using a rhythm in time with the activity, such as climbing stairs