It also involves relaxation exercises that, in concert with the breathing technique, have been purported to aid depression and anxiety.
Developed at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire, England, 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 and diaphragm rather than the chest.
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.