At this time of year there are
often patients, both children and adults that present to the clinic who have been
diagnosed as having asthma. Whilst Osteopaths in no way treat conditions; asthma
or otherwise, we are very interested in treating people. Lauren Storey &
Gina Guscott, Osteopaths at the Somacare Osteopathic Clinic in Harpenden
explain how Osteopathic treatment can be helpful in managing asthma.
Asthma has been defined medically as a
‘Chronic inflammatory disease, (which has) an associated hyper responsiveness
that leads to recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness
and coughing.’¹. There are thought to be many associated environmental and
genetic links which lead to this response ² ³. If you have these symptoms & suspect you
may have asthma, you must see your primary care Doctor.
Once
diagnosed, Osteopathy can help with the mechanical effects placed on your body
by asthma. There have been recent studies which have looked at the ways in
which Osteopathy can benefit the way in which your lungs function. Osteopathic
treatment has been shown to increase the amount of air your lungs can hold and increase
the amount your rib cage can expand to allow it to do this⁴. It has also been
shown to improve the function of your diaphragm, the primary muscle used in
breathing, enhance the clearing of airway secretions, and to possibly enhance
autoimmune function⁴. Studies since this have then gone on to again show
improvement in chest expansion and mobility⁵ and peak expiratory flow, the maximum
speed at which you can forcefully breathe out⁶.
How
is it that Osteopath’s can help the lungs to function in this way? As Osteopaths
we look at the structure of a patient’s body as we believe this is important to
the way in which it functions. Using our hands we can gently enhance the
movement within joints, soft tissues including muscles and fascia. We do this
to help the body reach its full potential by removing any barriers preventing
it working to its full potential. As Osteopaths we are also happy to discuss
the varying ways in which asthma can be helped through lifestyle and
environment.
For
further information as to how Osteopathy can help you, call Somacare
Osteopathic Clinic on 01582 769411.
References
1 As defined
by Global iniative for asthma (GINA) in ‘Prevention of allergy and allergic
asthma’ World health organisation (WHO) document based on WHO/WAO meeting Geneva January 2002
2 M Innes
Asher, Alistair W Stewart, Javier Mallol, Stephen Montefort, Christopher KW
Lai, Nadia Aït-Khaled, Joseph Odhiambo and The ISAAC Phase One Study Group.
(2010) ‘Which population level environmental factors are associated with
asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema? Review of the ecological analyses of
ISAAC Phase One.’ Respiratory Research. 11:8
3 Miriam F.
Moffatt, D.Phil., Ivo G. Gut, Ph.D., Florence Demenais, M.D., David P.
Strachan, M.D., Emmanuelle Bouzigon, M.D., Ph.D., Simon Heath,Ph.D., Erika von
Mutius, M.D., Martin Farrall, F.R.C.Path., Mark Lathrop, Ph.D., and William
O.C.M. Cookson, (2010) A Large-Scale, Consortium-Based Genomewide Association
Study of Asthma. New England Journal of Medicine.
363:1211-1221
4 WA Rowan
and MP Rowane (1999) ‘An osteopathic approach to asthma’ Journal of the
American Osteopathic Association. vol. 99 no. 5 259
5 SE.
BOCKENHAUER, KN. JULLIARD, KIM SING LO, E HUANG, AM SHETH (2002) Quantifiable
effects of osteopathic manipulative techniques on patients with chronic asthma.
American Osteopath Association vol. 102 no. 7 371-375.
6 PA Guiney,
R Chou, A Vianna, J Lovenheim (2005) Effects of Osteopathic Manipulative
Treatment on Pediatric Patients With Asthma: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal
of the American Osteopathic Association. vol. 105 no. 1 7-12
