Expected Client Outcomes

With asthma and emphysema, Buteyko Asthma Management expects to the Buteyko Techniques to allow sufferers to dramatically reduce their medication, and enjoy a much improved quality of life. This is conditional on the sufferer following the Buteyko programme as they have been taught, and using their medication as their condition demands.

Mild and Moderate Asthma
Mild and moderate asthmatics can expect to gain a great deal from the Buteyko Breathing Techniques. Provided they do the exercises until they are largely free from the symptoms of asthma, and normalise their breathing, they can expect to have at least a 90% reduction in reliever medication, and a subsequent reduction in preventer medication.
Mild asthmatics will have a reduction in the symptoms of their condition, and as symptoms reduce, an improved quality of life.

Chronic Asthma
Chronic asthmatics response is similar to the moderate asthmatics. Chronic asthmatics may have to be more diligent and more persistent with their exercises than mild asthmatics at first, but if they persist with the programme they will achieve similar results.

Relative reduction of medication and reduction of the symptoms of asthma will be similar to mild asthmatics’ reductions. Chronic asthmatics will enjoy a comparatively better improvement in quality of life than mild asthmatics, because they have a significantly poorer quality of life to begin with.

The asthmatics studied in the Brisbane trial were chronic and used an average of 1288mg of reliever per day before being taught the Buteyko Method.

Asthmatic Children
While the Buteyko children’s exercises are slightly from the adult exercises, they have the same outcomes. Children’s exercises are simple and designed to be fun, making it easy for children to master them.
Quality of life improvements are dramatic as children successfully using the Buteyko exercises can lead a normal child’s unrestrained life, without fear of constant asthma attacks.

Extremely Severe (Life Threatening) Asthma The small proportion of extremely severe asthmatics derive benefit from the Buteyko Method. These people are prednisone dependent, frequently have severe asthma attacks requiring hospitalisation, and have a high probability of dying from their condition.

Usually, these people are desperate, and as they have more to gain, they often are more willing to put in the necessary extra time exercising to improve their condition. Experience suggests that Buteyko will help these sufferers though combination of severe asthma and extreme medication regimes over a long period of time sometimes causes too much damage for them to enjoy a complete recovery from their condition.

Buteyko Asthma Management is always willing to attempt to help asthmatics with life threatening conditions, but does not wish to raise unrealistic expectations.

Emphysema
Suffers of emphysema will greatly reduce their medication, and enjoy a much improved quality of life if they use the Buteyko Method. The amount of mucous they produce also fails dramatically. The caveat is emphysema sufferers must be aware they will need to continue to do the Buteyko exercises daily or their condition will return.

This is due to the damaged airways that all emphysema suffers have – without the continuous exercises their condition will deteriorate to its previous level of severity.

Non Compliance:
To obtain benefit from using the Buteyko Method, the asthmatic needs to follow a carefully planned programme. This requires considerable commitment for the first three to four weeks after a Buteyko course, and using the exercises on an as needed basis after this time.

If asthmatics do not follow the programme that their condition demands, it will return. Usually asthmatics make considerable progress in the first month of using Buteyko, and dramatically reduce the number of sets of exercises they complete as their condition reduces in severity.

Buteyko courses teach asthmatics how to monitor their condition, so they know when they need to do the exercises, and when they do not. Buteyko advises asthmatics to do certain exercises when they are likely to have an attack. If they know they are going to become stressed, are about to exercise, or before they are likely to come in contact with asthma triggers, they should do some Buteyko exercises as a precaution.

For the Buteyko Method to succeed, the sufferer must want to control their condition and improve quality of life. They must be willing to follow the program and do the exercises the program requires them to do. Without the exercises they will not control their condition.