Q My asthma is getting worse and I really want to do something to get on top of it. Can you offer any advice?

A With upper respiratory infections coming back onto the scene with the change in seasons now is a good time for asthmatics to think about doing something positive about their breathing.

It hardly needs stating that smoking should be stopped and smoky places avoided but it still amazes me how many asthmatics still smoke.

Beyond that the benefits of regular exercise are well recorded in terms of improving lung function and conferring a sense of control over breathing. This is the key in asthma - to generate a sense of control and relaxation in breathing and there are a number of ways to address this.

Research has shown that yoga benefits asthma and there are specific yoga breathing exercises which are easily learned. A programme of graded breath-holding has been shown to be of great help to some asthmatics although I personally would not feel comfortable recommending this to people with severe disease or when asthma is flared up.

Another approach is simple meditative breath watching in which the emphasis is learning deep relaxation in association with observing the breath closely. This facilitates the learning of self-soothing which is particularly helpful in relaxing contracting airways and preventing the downward spiral of anxiety and increased airways contraction in an asthma attack.

Beyond all that it's always worth catching up with the doctor to make sure your medication is correct and the delivery system is optimal. Most people benefit from a bit of attention in this respect.

Updated: 08:47 Monday, October 07, 2002