Related Experiment Videos
Relaxation therapies for asthma: a systematic review
A Huntley1, A R White, E Ernst
1Department of Complementary Medicine, School of Sport and Health Studies, University of Exeter, Exeter EX2 4NT, UK. A.Huntley@ex.ac.uk
Thorax
|February 6, 2002
Summary
Relaxation techniques show limited evidence for asthma management. While muscular relaxation may improve lung function, other methods lack proven efficacy due to poor study quality.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Evidence-Based Medicine
Background:
- Emotional stress is a known trigger and exacerbator for both acute and chronic asthma.
- Extensive literature exists on relaxation techniques for managing asthma symptoms.
- The clinical efficacy of these interventions requires systematic evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and assess the evidence for or against the clinical efficacy of relaxation techniques in asthma management.
Main Methods:
- Conducted four independent literature searches across major databases (Medline, Cochrane Library, CISCOM, Embase).
- Included only randomized clinical trials (RCTs), with no language restrictions.
- Extracted and critically assessed data from trials comparing treatment and control groups.
Main Results:
- Identified 15 trials; nine met appropriate comparison criteria.
- Two of five RCTs on progressive muscle relaxation or mental and muscular relaxation showed significant effects.
- Hypnotherapy, autogenic training, and biofeedback RCTs revealed no therapeutic effects.
- Overall methodological quality of the included studies was poor.
Conclusions:
- A significant lack of evidence exists for the efficacy of most relaxation therapies in asthma management.
- This deficiency stems from poor study methodology and inherent challenges in conducting such trials.
- Some evidence suggests muscular relaxation may improve asthma patients' lung function, but other techniques lack supporting data.