People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience breathlessness or air hunger (dyspnea) as the most burdensome aspect of the disease. Unfortunately, there is no medication that can improve the reasons for breathlessness.
Although bronchodilators (medications used to dilate the air passages) provide necessary immediate relief, what if breathlessness in COPD could be reduced within just 5 minutes daily by strengthening your breathing muscles? Without medication, exercise, or painful interventions?
A study with 30 COPD patients recently showed that performing RMT with THE BREATHER for only 2 weeks significantly reduced breathlessness and improved exercise capacity [1].
In this article, we will explore the study mentioned above in detail and learn how RMT with THE BREATHER benefits COPD patients.
What is the reason for breathlessness in COPD?
COPD is an incurable lung disorder and is a leading cause of death and chronic disability. The progressive limitation of airflow through the airways causes chronic inflammation of the lung, excess mucus production, loss of lung elasticity, and hyperinflation. Therefore, the lungs are not able to fully recoil during exhalation, trapping residual air in the lungs, and decreasing the volume of the next inhale (decreased inspiratory capacity).
The diaphragm, representing the main breathing muscle, loses its ability to contract during inspiration fully, reducing the force of the airflow into the lungs during inspiration. This situation is then met by a desire of the body for oxygen during exercise (respiratory demand), which the lungs and respiratory muscles are unable to meet, causing the feeling of dyspnea and exercise intolerance.
From a medical perspective, dyspnea and exercise intolerance are based on weak respiratory muscles that are unable to fulfill the required work of breathing. Specific strengthening of the respiratory muscles will improve the muscles’ ability to meet the demand and reduce the perceived breathlessness and exertion.
Clinical study investigating the effect of THE BREATHER on COPD patients
Researchers at the Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences in Loni, India, recently set out to investigate the respiratory muscle-strengthening effects of THE BREATHER in patients with mild to moderate COPD.
Study participants were asked to train using THE BREATHER for two sets of 10 breaths, twice per day, for 2 weeks. The intensity of the training, guided by the settings of the dials for inhaling and exhaling, was chosen to exert the respiratory muscles but to not fatigue them during a training session.
THE BREATHER is a respiratory muscle training device that strengthens both inspiratory and expiratory muscles by breathing against a set resistance, which can be increased in line with training progress.
The researchers measured respiratory muscle strength and exercise capacity before and after the 2-week study period and compared it to a control group that did diaphragmatic breathing without resistance.
Results of the clinical study validating the effects of THE BREATHER on COPD
A comparison of baseline and final data assessed before and after the 2-week training period showed that using THE BREATHER increases respiratory (inspiratory) muscle strength by 31%, compared to an 8% increase in the control group.
In addition, the researchers found that patients who had used THE BREATHER could increase their total distance walked in 6 minutes by 55 feet, compared to an increase of 35 feet in the control group. These findings show that using THE BREATHER for 2 weeks effectively reduced respiratory muscle weakness, suggesting a decrease in associated dyspnea, as well as an increase in walking capacity.
Conclusion and discussion
RMT using THE BREATHER effectively improves respiratory muscle strength and exercise capacity in COPD patients within only 2 weeks.
These findings are in agreement with other studies, showing that RMT increases inspiratory muscle strength by 24% in cardiac patients, thereby reducing dyspnea by 29%, underlining the correlation between respiratory muscle strength and perceived dyspnea [2].
In addition, the significant effects seen here in patients with mild to moderate COPD within 2 weeks suggest that it may be possible to reduce symptoms and potentially slow down the progression of COPD by regular RMT.
