Bronchial Thermoplasty Non-Drug Treatment for Severe Asthma

The Boston Scientific Corporation has released that its acquiring subsidiary Asthmatx, Inc., introduced two year findings from the Asthma Intervention Research 2 (AIR2) Trial evidence of the long term safety and effectiveness of bronchial thermoplasty in adult patients who have severe asthma. The findings were given by Dr. Mario Castro, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine and Principal Investigator of the AIR2 trial, at the CHEST 2010 meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians in Vancouver.

The findings had emphasized main long term results showing the constancy of safety and effectiveness of bronchial theromplasty established on the relative amount of patients enduring severe irritations and 84% decline in emergency room visits for respiratory symptoms noted at one year in patients treated with BT in comparison to a control group which received pseudo procedure out to two years.

Dr. Castro stated it was gratifying to witness the valuable benefits of BT remain up to two years in patients with severed asthma who were part of the study. These clinical important improvements, combined with constant and maintained long term safety, validate that BT as a meaningful new treatment choice for patients with severe asthma who have poor control regardless of taking high doses of corticosteroids and long acting bronchodilators.

BT is a bronchoscopic procedure usually done under medium sedation with patients usually going home the same day. The Alair® System gives exact controlled thermal energy to the airway wall to decrease extra airway smooth muscle. The procedure reduces the airways ability to tighten therefore decreasing the occurrences and severity of attacks.

Positive safety and effectiveness information at one year post-bronchial thermoplasty were published in the January 2010 issue of American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

During the immediate time following BT in the AIR2 trail, as expected there was a temporary increased frequency of worsening respiratory related symptoms, which were the kind expected following bronchoscopy in patients with asthma. These occurrences usually happened within one day of the procedure and worked through on a average within seven days with standard care.

To learn more about this outpatient procedure you can visit Bronchial Thermoplasty online.

Asthma is one of the most common diseases around today not to mention costly. The number of persons with asthma has increased within the last few decades. To date there is no known cure for asthma. Five to ten percent of persons in the United States have been diagnosed with severe persistent asthma.

Alternative treatments range from herbal medicines to practitioners of chiropractic and acupuncture.

Many persons have sought alternative treatments and have acknowledged the fact that they have worked in control of their asthma and symptoms along with frequency rates of attacks or onsets.

Persons reasons for alternative care for asthma are among several noted reasons from asthma medications being difficult to use, taking daily doses becomes a burden and can cause numerous unpleasant side effects along with harmful effects from long term use.

Below are a few of the common alternative treatments mainly used for asthma.

Chiropractic

Chiropractic care is not only rated number one choice for alternative medicine but comes in first place especially among parents who have children that are asthmatic.

Spinal misalignment produce an array of health problems due to the vertebrae pinching vital nerves and confine their effectiveness.

In Australia a trail at 16 treatment centers was conducted involving 420 patients average age of 46 years old. The trail was to discover what effects spinal manipulation has on health. This consisted of various forms of manual therapy to improve symptoms and lower cortisol levels in asthma patients.

The report had shown in the patient group who received manipulations showed major improvements in asthmatic symptoms. In addition patients who had manipulations had significant increases of IgA and lower levels of cortisol even when asthma treatments had ceased, suggesting that treatments effect a patients long term health.

The report reflected that the effects produced by spinal manipulation go further than what is usually believed. The increased health results received after spinal manipulations were done reduce the occurrences and severity of disease causing invasion of airways.

A study in 2001 on spinal manipulations and children with asthma concluded that after three month of treatments children had a higher quality of life and asthma severity greatly lower.

Acupuncture

Even though several studies have been conducted in the United States they have no definite conclusion on acupuncture and asthma. However, documented studies have been done in other countries which indicate that acupuncture can reduce and at times eliminate asthma symptoms.

A Chinese study in 2005 had shown that acupuncture increased lung functioning and lessened asthmatic attacks in 90 patients with chronic asthma.

A German study had revealed the results of 20 patients with allergic asthma. Twelve thirty minute long sessions for span of four weeks was done. Seventy-nine percent had seen an increase in overall well being.

Acupuncture aims to cure the condition rather than treat the symptoms on their own. Its goal for asthma treatment include opening lungs and bronchial airways, strengthening lungs, decreasing inflammation in the lungs and moistening the lungs.

Chinese Herbal Medicine

Four different conditions are usually diagnosed by asthma. Each of these are treated by different Chinese medicine. Some of the medicines include Er Chen Wan, Ping Chuan Wan and Dry Cough Pills.

Herbs

There are various herbs used in the treatment of asthma. Some of these herbs traditionally include:

Ephedre or Green Tea to open bronchial passageways.

Hyssop Tea to relieve respiratory congestion.

Grindela herbal remedy used in cases of chronic bronchitis, asthma and emphysema.

It is best to check with an herbalist who is familiar with herbs and asthma so they can advise you which herbs would be best for your type of asthma.Sources:

Medical News Today

Chiro Community

Chiropractic Resources

Resolution Health

Dr. Shen

Herbal Remedies Information

Herbal Supplement Resource