The Papworth method is a specific diaphragmatic breathing

Breathing

Breathing is the process that moves air in and out of the lungs. Aerobic organisms require oxygen to release energy via respiration, in the form of the metabolism of energy-rich molecules such as glucose. Breathing is only one process that delivers oxygen to where it is needed in the body and...

 technique that was developed in the 1960s. The technique emphasises nose breathing

Nose breathing

Nasal breathing refers to the state of inhaling and exhaling through the nose.It is considered superior to mouth breathing for several reasons. Air travels to and from the external environment and the lungs through the sinuses, as opposed to the mouth. The sinuses do a better job of filtering the...

 and the development of a breathing pattern to suit current activity. It also involves relaxation exercises that, in concert with the breathing technique, have been purported to aid depression and anxiety.

Developed at Papworth Hospital

Papworth Hospital

Papworth Hospital is a heart and lung hospital in Cambridgeshire, England. It was home to the first successful heart transplant in the UK and one of the world's first beating-heart transplants.-History:...

 in Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, 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

Abdomen

In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...

 and diaphragm rather than the chest. The Papworth method bears striking similarities to the Buteyko Method

Buteyko method

The Buteyko method or Buteyko Breathing Technique is a form of complementary or alternative physical therapy that proposes chronic "breathing retraining" as a treatment for asthma as well as other conditions. The method takes its name from the late Ukrainian doctor Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko ,...

, another complementary therapy for the treatment of asthma

Asthma

Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...

.

Clinical trial

The first known randomised controlled trial to investigate the Papworth breathing technique has shown that it can cut asthma symptoms by a third in patients with mild asthma

Elizabeth A. Holloway and Robert J. 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. Patients who had not been given the therapy scored 32.8.

This improvement in symptoms was still maintained one year later. At 12 months patients who had been treated using the technique scored 24.9, while patients who had not scored 33.5. See Thorax Online (BMJ) abstract (summary) http://thorax.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/thx.2006.076430v1>