Increasingly patients report the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies in the management of asthma. What do you know about the different CAM therapies and how helpful they are?

• Is Alternative Asthma Treatment Effective And Safe
• What Is Complementary and Alternative Medicine?
• Why did you consider an alternative asthma treatment?
• Does Acupuncture Help Ease Asthma?
• Asthma Herbal Medicine: Treating Asthma With Herbs

What do you think about CAM? Have you ever tried CAM for your asthma? Leave a comment and let us know.

I am commonly asked about the relationship between diet and asthma. Patients are very interested to know if there are foods that are worsening their asthma or if certain foods might improve their asthma.

One of the common foods thought to potentially improve or prevent asthma is fish because of the high content of omega-3 fatty acids in some types of fish. Certain populations (e.g. Eskimo) with high omega-3 intakes have been noted to have comparably low rates of asthma. The theory is that high levels of omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties that improve or prevent asthma.

However, studies giving omega-3 fatty acid supplementation to patients have not generally shown improvements in asthma function or deceases in symptoms or medication use. While there was no significant asthma benefit, there were also no side effects.

So why do populations eating a lot of fish have less asthma, but giving fish oil showed no benefit? Possibly it is not the omega-3 fatty acids, but some other yet undetermined substance, that is improving asthma. Possibly it has more to do with a general good diet as opposed to a particular vitamin or mineral. While increasing your fish consumption may not improve your asthma, fish can be a good part of a healthful diet.

Have you ever used the Buteyko Breathing Method to try and improve your asthma. A number of studies have demonstrated improvement of asthma symptoms and reduction in amount of medicine needed, but not improvements in actual lung function. What do you think? Take the poll or leave a comment in the forum.

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Breathing Exercises Improve Quality of Life, But Not Control of Asthma

If you have not gotten your seasonal or H1N1 flu vaccine yet, it's not too late. Just because you are hearing less about the flu in the news does not mean you do not need a flu vaccine!!

There are now more options for your yearly flu vaccine. While you can get a 'flu shot' that has been the traditional method for flu vaccination, a newer vaccine that allows you to receive the flu vaccine via a nasal spray is also available for those of us with needle phobias.

Remember, the flu vaccine is not for everyone. Flu vaccines are not approved for children under 6 months of age. While most other people can receive a flu vaccine, you need to discuss vaccination with your health care provide if you:

• Have a severe egg allergy.
• Have previously had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination.
• Developed Guillane-Barre within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine previously.
• People who have a moderate-to-severe illness with a fever (they should wait until they recover to get vaccinated.

Additionally, the nasal spray vaccine, or FluMist, can only be taken by in children, adolescents, and adults 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant. Persons with a weakened immune system and certain other chronic diseases may not be able to recieve the FluMist vaccine. Asthmatics and children under 5 with recurrent wheezing may also want to avoid the nasal spray as it may worsen asthma in some individuals.

Additionally, you want want to consider some recent research before you choose which vaccine to take this year. In a study released earlier this year in the New England Journal of Medicine, the flu shot was twice as effective as the nasal spray in preventing flu in healthy adults. While the nasal spray was less effective in this study, the nasal spray is still more protective than doing nothing if you have a needle phobia.

Remeber, a flu vaccine is the most effective way to prevent the flu this year.

Breathing training may improve your quality of life and decrease the amount of medication you need, but isn't likely to control your asthma alone.

Researchers from the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at the University of Aberdeen in Aberdeen, UK performed a randomized controlled trial--a type of research trial designed to see if one method is more effective than another method--to determine if formal breathing training improves quality of life and actual asthma control. Respiratory therapists provided breathing training for one group of patients, while nurses provided standard asthma education to the other group. The intervention consisted of specific abdominal (belly) and nasal breathing techniques. Participants were encouraged to practice the exercises for at least 10 minutes each day.

After six months, quality of life scores were significantly improved in the group performing breathing training exercises compared to the group receiving traditional asthma education. Additionally, measures of anxiety and depression were also decreased among the respiratory training group. However, while the breathing training was associated with slightly better reported control of asthma symptoms, measures of actual, objective asthma control like peak expiratory flow rate were not significantly different between the groups.

While this study did not demonstrate a decreased need for asthma medication, other studies have shown a decrease in both rescue inhaler use and inhaled steroids. Breathing training may benefit patients whose asthma impairs their quality of life. Importantly, the intervention was relatively brief and differences persisted for six months without additional training

So what is the take home message for me and my asthma? Breathing training may not decrease your need for medication, but it may significantly improve your ability to live with your asthma and decrease anxiety or depression related to asthma. Importantly, breathing exercises are not hard to learn, won't cost you anything, and can be learned in a short time period.

For more information, check out a series of videos that demonstrate how to do breathing exercise that were shown in a 2006 article to improve not only quality of life, but also asthma control.

Mike Thomas et. al. Thorax (2008). Breathing exercises for asthma: a randomised controlled trial. Published Online First: 3 December 2008.

Is measuring your peak flow is an important part of your asthma care plan? If the measurements are going to be meaningful, you need to know how to figure out what your peak flow should be. Learn several different ways to determine what your normal peak flow should be.

Learn More

What Is My Personal Best Peak Flow?

What Should My Normal Peak Flow Be?

Controlling your asthma can be very difficult if you don't know why you're having difficulties. Triggers are the things that cause you to wheeze and set off an asthma attack. Examples include pollens and dust, but triggers are not always easily identifiable.

Learn More About Triggers

• Identify and avoid your asthma triggers
• Understanding asthma triggers
• Allergens and irritants
• What are your asthma triggers?

The day-to-day hassles of any chronic illness like asthma can make anyone feel overwhelmed. How do you talk with others about your asthma? There are things you can do to make your life with asthma easier and get more out of your doctor's visits. Help others by sharing how you cope with the many different aspects of asthma.

How Do You Let Other People Know What It Feels Like To Have Asthma?

10 Tips For Coping With Asthma

Does Stress Affect My Asthma?

How was your asthma over the Thanksgiving holiday? Did too much eating and family have an effect on your asthma? Take the poll and leave a comment.

While asthma can be difficult and discouraging at times, we all have a lot to be thankful for. Related to your asthma, what is it that you are thankful for?

Leave a comment or join the discussion in the Asthma Forum