Harmonica Techs, inventor of the Pulmonica, recently shared the results of seventy-eight pulmonary and cardiovascular rehabilitation professionals who completed a survey regarding breathing disorder treatments. Three quarters of the professionals said that they observed improvements in spirometry results in their patients with all of the listed interventions in the survey.
The survey was conducted at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) where the professionals were asked if they had “observed spirometry results improve in patients” in a wide range of interventions. Spirometry measures the air in volume inhaled and exhaled by patients and allows doctors to assess if the lungs are functioning properly. This test is the most frequently used to evaluate pulmonary function and diagnose several diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, asthma and other breathing complications.
The results revealed that 59 healthcare professionals (of the 78) observed improved spirometry results following a pulmonary rehabilitation program that included monitoring, exercise, and education. The majority of the attendees were pulmonary rehabilitation professionals.
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Furthermore, 51 of the 78 respondents said they had witnessed improved spirometry results after doing exercise. Those with breathing disorders are known to often avoid exercise, which causes weakening of the muscles around the lungs. Doing exercise regularly improves muscle strength, especially in diaphragm and chest muscles, and as a result, breathing naturally improves.
Additionally, 40 of the 78 said that after proper use of medications, improved spirometry results were observed. According to a recent study, 93 percent of pulmonary patients that use an inhaler have an improper technique; proper use of medications save money and improve breathing.
Half of the respondents said that after patients learned abdominal and pursed lip breathing, spirometry results improved, and about one third saw improvements after anxiety relief and stress reduction therapy. 23 percent observed improvements after percussive therapy, and 14 percent after playing wind instruments.
Finally, seven percent of the professionals reported that they had never seen improvements in the spirometry tests.
Mary Lou Keller of Harmonica Techs said in a press release: “These results are supportive of our own study’s results. All nine patients improved their pulmonary function after the following program: eight weeks of educational information sessions on proper breathing techniques and the use of their medications; a brief exercise program using stretching, hand weights and chair exercises; medication adjustments, where appropriate; and use of our novel harmonic device, the Pulmonica® Pulmonary Harmonica.”