An increasing number of studies and reviews of scientific evidence, have confirmed the efficacy of the Buteyko Method, particularly in relation to the management of asthma. These studies and evidence reviews are international in nature in that they were carried out in several countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Egypt, and India. Brief details on some of these studies and reviews are provided below. Where possible, a link to the study/review report or its abstract has been provided. All studies have demonstrated a significant improvement in asthma control with a number of trials showing a 70% reduction in the need for asthma reliever medication and a 50% reduction in the need for asthma steroid medication.
The first clinical trial of the Buteyko Method outside of Russia was published in the Medical Journal of Australia in 1998. This study, carried out in Brisbane showed that after 12 weeks, people who learned Buteyko had a median reduction in daily adjusted reliever medication (beta2-agonist) dose of 904 micrograms. Also, the median reduction in daily dose of inhaled steroids was 49%. In addition, there was a trend towards greater improvement in the mean quality of life score of the Buteyko breathing technique group, as compared to the control group. The trial also showed that the Buteyko method reduces drug usage without exacerbating the disease and without deterioration in lung function. A trend toward better quality of life was observed in the patients in the Buteyko group. Click here to access the study paper..
After the trial, the headline of an article published in Australian Doctor read:
“Doctors gasp at Buteyko success”.
From this brief mention of the excellent results of the first study in the ‘western’ world, I will now briefly review some much more recent reports of the strong clinical evidence base for the efficacy of the Buteyko Method.
Global Initiative for Asthma 2014 Report
The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) was launched in 1993 in collaboration with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (USA), the National Institutes of Health (USA), and the World Health Organization. GINA’s strategies for asthma care are shaped by committees made up of leading asthma experts from around the world. One of GINA’s objectives is to improve the management of asthma.
In May 2014, GINA published a report titled ‘Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention 2014 (Revision)’. On page 40 of that report, GINA assigned Breathing Techniques an evidence level rating of ‘A’. For evidence level ‘A’, the sources of evidence are: (a) randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses, and (b) a rich body of data. GINA defines evidence level ‘A’ as:
“Evidence is from end-points of well designed RCTs or meta-analyses that provide a consistent form of findings in the population for which the recommendation is made. Category ‘A’ requires substantial numbers of studies involving substantial numbers of participants.”
In the online appendix (page 38) of the aforementioned document, it states:
“Several studies of breathing and/or relaxation techniques for asthma and/or dysfunctional breathing, including the Buteyko Method and the Papworth Method, have shown improvements in symptoms, SABA use, quality of life and/or psychological measures, but not in physiological outcomes.”
“Breathing techniques may thus provide a useful supplement to conventional asthma management strategies, including in anxious patients or those habitually over-using rescue medication.”
Also, in the revised (2014) GINA ‘Pocket Guide for Asthma Management and Prevention: A Pocket Guide for Physicians and Nurses’, it states the following on page 19:
“In addition to medications, other therapies may be considered where relevant, to assist in symptom control and risk reduction.”
One of the examples given of other therapies “with consistent high quality evidence” was Breathing Techniques which according to the pocket guide “may be a useful supplement to medications.”
You may access the above documents by clicking on the following links: the GINA report (Revised 2014), the appendix (Revised 2014), and the Pocket Guide (Revised 2014).
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality review (2012)
In 2012, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the United States published a comprehensive review of 22 studies of breathing techniques and concluded that the Buteyko breathing technique achieves “medium to large improvements in asthma symptoms and reductions in reliever medications.”
The review also noted that:
“Available evidence suggests that selected intensive behavioural approaches that include breathing retraining exercises may improve asthma symptoms and reduce reliever medication use in motivated adults with poorly controlled asthma.”
The AHRQ findings mirror those of the British Thoracic Society in 2008 and The Australian Department of Health and Aging in 2005. You may access the AHRQ report via the link below:
Click here to access the AHRQ report.
Canadian study (2008)
In commenting on the Canadian study, the lead researcher, Professor Bob Cowie of the Faculty of Medicine in the University of Calgary said:
“I’ve been astonished and also very pleased with the excellent result. There is no disruption of their life at all by their disease: normal activities; not waking at night; not needing to use any reliever medications. It’s just great…75% control is about as good as anyone has got in any study of asthma. The neat thing about it is that it has no side effects. It’s very safe. The Buteyko technique certainly has been shown to be an important adjunct to treatment.”
You may access the report on the Canadian study, published in the journal ‘Respiratory Medicine’ via the this link.
Briefly, the study found that at the 6 month follow up stage, the Buteyko group had:
- Improved asthma control from 40% to 75%
- 39% of patients decreased inhaled corticosteroids
- 21% eliminated inhaled corticosteroids
You may listen to a radio interview, about the study, with Professor Cowie via the following link.
Egyptian study (2012)
In the abstract of a study published in the Egyptian Journal of Chest Diseases and Tuberculosis, it states:
“A new dawn is emerging by recognizing that correct breathing volume is fundamental to maintaining good health, the new beginning is based on the life’s work of Russian scientist professor Konstantin Buteyko. The Buteyko breathing technique method as suggested by Professor Buteyko helps to decrease the number and severity of attacks as well as the dosage of medication. As a result of this therapy, the indicators of acid-alkali balance and lung ventilation improved.”
The study paper also stated:
“The results of this study support the good effect of BBT (Buteyko breathing technique) on patients with bronchial asthma. It significantly decreased the recurrence and the severity of the main bronchial asthma symptoms (nocturnal waking, morning symptoms, activity limitation, shortness of breath, wheezing, PEFR% predicted, and Inhaled Corticosteroids). And it significantly increased PEFR. BBT (Buteyko breathing technique) will improve patients’ function level and the capacity for independent living by decreasing the severity of asthma symptoms and recurrence of asthma attacks.”
“Buteyko is so effective at controlling asthma, if a drug could show these results, then it is likely that it would be used widely in asthma control.”
Note:
PEFR (peak expiratory flow rate) is the fastest rate at which air can move through the airways during a forced expiration starting with fully inflated lungs. It’s a test that measures how efficiently the lungs are working.
You may access the Egyptian study via this link.
Indian study (2013)
An experimental study published online in the Indian Journal of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy reported the following:
“Buteyko Breathing Technique (BBT) group showed significant improvement in the FEV1 and PEFR and a significant decrease in the levels of dyspnea (difficult or laboured breathing; shortness of breath).”
“Buteyko Breathing Technique has given a logical treatment for reversing hyperventilation disorders which are responsible for recurrent asthmatic attacks, so it can be concluded that Buteyko Breathing exercises, when done regularly and properly, can stop or reverse the decline in lung function and reduce dyspnea in asthmatic patients.”
Note:
FEV1 is the maximal amount of air you can forcefully exhale in one second. It is then converted to a percentage of normal. For example, your FEV1 may be 80% of predicted based on your height, weight, and race. FEV1 is a marker for the degree of obstruction with your asthma. It is automatically calculated during spirometry or pulmonary function testing. It is calculated by using a spirometer.
You may access the abstract of the Indian study paper via this link.
Irish study (2013)
An exploratory study was carried out by researchers at Limerick University Hospital. The study investigated the effectiveness of the Buteyko breathing technique on the nasal symptoms of patients with asthma. All the participants in the study had a diagnosis of asthma and chronic rhinosinusitus (inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose and one or more paranasal sinuses). Participants underwent weekly sessions of Buteyko breathing training for 3 weeks and they were followed up for 3 months after training.
The participants completed questionnaires to rate their nasal symptoms before training commenced and 3 months after training. There were significant improvements in the participants’ nasal symptoms, in that what the researchers referred to as the ‘sinonasal obstruction symptom evaluation scores’ showed a 71% reduction after 3 months. You may access a brief report of the study via this link.
Buteyko Breathing Clinics (Dublin and County Wicklow)