The Papworth method is a specific
diaphragmatic breathing
Breathing (or ventilation) is the process of moving air into and from the lungs to facilitate gas exchange with the internal environment, mostly to flush out carbon dioxide and bring in oxygen.
All aerobic creatures need oxygen for cell ...
technique that was developed in the 1960s. The technique emphasises
nose breathing and the development of a breathing pattern to suit current activity. It also involves
relaxation exercises that, in concert with the breathing technique, have been purported to aid depression and anxiety.
Developed at
Papworth Hospital
Royal Papworth Hospital is a specialist heart and lung hospital, located on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridgeshire, England. The Hospital is run by Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
The hospital is a world-leading cardio ...
in
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, the method seeks to control "over-breathing" (rapid shallow breaths taken at the top of the chest) that are usually associated with persons under stressful conditions. The aim is to encourage gentler, more relaxed breathing, using the
abdomen
The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the tors ...
and diaphragm rather than the chest.
Effectiveness
The first known
randomised controlled trial
A randomized controlled trial (or randomized control trial; RCT) is a form of scientific experiment used to control factors not under direct experimental control. Examples of RCTs are clinical trials that compare the effects of drugs, surgical t ...
to investigate the Papworth breathing technique has shown that it can cut
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, c ...
symptoms by a third in patients with mild asthma.
Elizabeth A. Holloway and Robert J. West from University College London (UCL) randomised 85 people with mild asthma to either five sessions of treatment by the breathing and relaxation method on top of their medical care or to usual drug therapy alone.
Patients scored an average of 21.8 on the St George's Respiratory Symptom Questionnaire after completing five treatment sessions of the Papworth method in addition to their usual therapy. Patients who had not been given the therapy scored 32.8.
This improvement in symptoms was still maintained one year later. At 12 months patients who had been treated using the technique scored 24.9, while patients who had not scored 33.5.
See also
*
Hyperventilation syndrome
Hyperventilation syndrome (HVS), also known as chronic hyperventilation syndrome (CHVS), dysfunctional breathing hyperventilation syndrome, cryptotetany, spasmophilia, latent tetany, and central neuronal hyper excitability syndrome (NHS), is a re ...
*
Buteyko method
The Buteyko method or Buteyko Breathing Technique is a form of complementary or alternative physical therapy that proposes the use of breathing exercises primarily as a treatment for asthma and other respiratory conditions.
Buteyko asserts th ...
, another breathing method that emphasizes relaxed nasal breathing to combat overbreathing
References
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Medical treatments