Heimlich Manoeuvre for Asthmatics

The Heimlich Manoeuvre may be useful in stopping and preventing asthma attacks, according to it's creator Dr Henry J. Heimlich.

In a letter to the editor of Alternative Medicine Review, Dr Heimlich described the growing evidence that the Heimlich manoeuvre could be an effective emergency measure for asthmatic attacks and his own progress in teaching asthmatics to use the Heimlich manoeuvre as a preventative measure.

Dr Heimlich quoted two pieces of anecdotal evidence in his support. The first came from a woman at a conference attended by Dr Heimlich:

"My Sister is an asthmatic. One day when I was visiting, she suddenly couldn't breathe and was turning blue. The only emergency measure I knew was the Heimlich manoeuvre. I did it and she immediately took a deep breath and recovered".

The second came from the mother of a four-year-old asthmatic girl who one day suffered an attack so severe she could not use her medication. "I was about to rush her to the emergency room, but I knew there wasn't time". Apparently, the mother performed the Heimlich manoeuvre and the child recovered. The mother now uses the Heimlich manoeuvre preventatively, and the child no longer has asthma attacks or needs medication on a regular basis.

Dr Heimlich explains that asthmatic attacks are caused by excess mucous in the lungs and airways which prevent sufferers from exhaling, effectively stopping them from breathing at all. "In the asthmatic, mucous plugs clog narrowed airways and air cannot get out. Trapped air distends the lungs, preventing both inhalation and exhalation".

The Heimlich manoeuvre forces air from the diaphragm which pushes mucous into the larger, unobstructed airways, releasing the blockage and allowing normal breathing.

The Heimlich manoeuvre was first devised to clear blocked airways in choking victims. The procedure has even been shown to be of use in saving drowning victims by clearing the lungs of water.

Dr Heimlich suggests that using the manoeuvre "once or twice a week keeps bronchi free of mucous" and may be sufficient to prevent asthmatic attacks. However, he does issue a warning: "Asthmatics should not try to learn to use the manoeuvre in one day or they will have a sore abdomen; instead spread the learning process over a few weeks".

Dr Heimlich also went on to warn against the use of CPR to treat asthma: "Pressing on the rigid chest provides little compression of the lungs and, therefore, unlike the Heimlich manoeuvre, is ineffective in producing an air flow".

Over 5,000 each year die as a result of asthmatic attacks.

For more information, visit www.heimlichinstitute.org.

Monday, 10 September 2001