The Cochrane Group is a global independent network of researchers and professionals who study healthcare recommendations. The group accepts no Big Pharma money, and makes independent assessments of medical issues.

In the American Family Physician, the Cochrane Group presented a study on whether yoga helps asthma patients.

The authors looked at 15 randomized, controlled trials with 1,044 subjects. Yoga was found to significantly improve the quality of life on each measure of a seven-point scale on the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire.

Regular yoga was found to improve asthma symptoms and reduce medication use by more than five times.

Asthma affects nearly 25 million Americans. Currently, there are no clinical guidelines for asthma that recommend yoga therapy. But there should be.

As an asthma sufferer myself, I have found daily exercise to be the most effective therapy for minimizing use of medications.

Diet also plays a role in dealing with asthma — even though the powers that be still fail to acknowledge the fact.

Eating a standard American diet full of foods laden with refined sugar, salt, oils, and flour, along with consuming dairy-based foods, is a disaster for asthma patients.

Finally, it’s important to drink an adequate amount of water to combat asthma.

Asthma does not have to control your life. Making a few simple dietary changes, drinking plenty of water, and exercising can minimize most asthma symptoms.