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Breathing Techniques for Breathlessness

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Managing Breathlessness in Clinical Practice

Abstract

Breathing techniques are most commonly used in combination with positioning and the fan to the face or other facial cooling. This chapter will focus on three different breathing techniques that can help reduce the feeling of breathlessness:

  • Breathing Control

  • Pursed-lips Breathing

  • Recovery Breathing

Technique selection, modification to suit the patient and combining techniques will be discussed, as well as the role of breathing pattern re-education in breathlessness management.

My doctor said you would teach me how to breathe correctly. What a ridiculous idea, I have been breathing all my life!

– A patient’s view on breathing techniques.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Palliative Care, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK

    Sara Booth, Julie Burkin, Catherine Moffat & Anna Spathis

Authors
  1. Sara Booth
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  2. Julie Burkin
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  3. Catherine Moffat
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  4. Anna Spathis
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© 2014 Springer-Verlag London

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Booth, S., Burkin, J., Moffat, C., Spathis, A. (2014). Breathing Techniques for Breathlessness. In: Managing Breathlessness in Clinical Practice. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4754-1_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4754-1_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-4753-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-4754-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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