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Functional relaxation and guided imagery as complementary therapy in asthma: a randomized controlled clinical trial
C Lahmann1, M Nickel, T Schuster
1Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Technische Universitat Munchen, Munich, Germany. lahmann@tum.de
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
|April 30, 2009
Summary
Functional relaxation (FR) and guided imagery (GI) show promise for improving asthma symptoms. FR demonstrated a clinically relevant long-term benefit as a complementary therapy for respiratory parameters in adult asthmatics.
Area of Science:
- Respiratory Medicine
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Asthma is a prevalent and disabling respiratory condition.
- Existing evidence for relaxation therapies in asthma is limited by trial quality.
- Non-pharmacological interventions are needed to complement standard asthma care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of functional relaxation (FR) and guided imagery (GI) in adult asthmatics.
- To assess the impact of FR and GI on respiratory function.
- To determine the long-term benefits of these relaxation techniques.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 64 adult asthmatics.
- Interventions included FR, GI, combined FR/GI, and a placebo control (CI) over 4 weeks.
- Primary outcomes were forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) and specific airway resistance (sR(aw)).
Main Results:
- FR, GI, and FR/GI groups showed improvements in FEV(1) compared to the control group post-treatment.
- These improvements in FEV(1) were sustained at 4-month follow-up for all intervention groups.
- Changes in specific airway resistance (sR(aw)) mirrored the improvements observed in FEV(1).
Conclusions:
- Functional relaxation (FR) positively impacts respiratory parameters in asthma patients.
- FR offers a clinically relevant long-term benefit as a non-pharmacological, complementary therapy.
- These findings support the integration of FR into asthma management strategies.
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