Asthma/irritable airway/bronchospasm is an extreme version of allergy which can be life-threatening.   Emergency treatment is best done in an Emergency Room, where the full range of respiratory support is available.  Office treatment is best directed toward milder attacks, and towards long term resolution of the problem.

 

Short term symptom relief can be had very gratifyingly with the Infraspinatus Respiratory Reflex (IRR) technique.  This is an approach first described thirty years ago in the American Journal of Family Practice.   The nerve plexus in the infraspinatus muscle (which lies on the surface of the shoulder blade) is anesthetized with local anesthetic, causing measureable relaxation of the nerves controlling bronchospasm.   People with moderately severe asthma attacks can enjoy a 30% improvement in pulmonary function (PFTs) within half an hour. 

 

IRR can be done every two weeks, and in the published trial about 80% became symptom free after 6 or 8 biweekly treatments.   I have had several patients with similar success, one of whom comes back every 3 or 4 years for a “top up,” but in between is symptom free on no medications.