Treatment

Recent developements on asthma therapies

Excercise

Asthma does not stand in the way of being active. On the contrary, regular sportive activities help to improve the functioning of the lung. For an asthmatic person this means prolonging the period to his next asthma attack. However a prior visit to his physician is advised, in order to find a suitable activity.
For example:

• swimming

• water gymnastic

• tennis

• volleyball

• Breathing and Relaxation Techniques

Breathing techniques teach the patient to strengthen his respiratory muscles and train his stomach and flank breathing as well as widening his ribcage. Special attention has to be paid to the rhythm and the depth of the breathing. These techniques also teach the patient to adjust his breathing to physical activity.

Specific Immuntherapy:

This therapy is developed to treat allergic asthma, especially younger patients. The aim is to get the body used to the allergen which causes the asthmatic outbursts. This is done by exposing the body to increasing dosages of the allergen substance. This way immunity towards the allergen can build up. The exposure follows by injecting extracts of e.g. house dust mites under the patients' skin weekly and later on every one to two months, or by daily trickling drops of the extract under the patients tongue.

Anti-IgE-Antibodies:

This method is used to treat allergic asthma patients, who fail to react to the standard therapy. (see medication) Hereby antibodies of the IgE-antibodies are introduced to the body, to stop the production of the antibodies-IgE in its tracks. These increase tremendously during an allergic reaction causing the unwanted respiratory inflammation.