Did you know that singing or playing a musical instrument is good for your respiratory system? People who sing or play a wind instrument gain additional strength and flexibility in muscles in the chest wall. Improved muscle flexibility, called elastance, allows them to take deeper breaths with less fatigue.

Singing or playing a wind instrument trains people to breathe more deeply, helps clear mucus from the lungs, and helps establish normal breathing rhythms. A study published by the Journal of Asthma showed that children who played brass or reed instruments suffered fewer asthmatic episodes than those who played other instruments. Researchers also suggest that those who played a wind instrument felt more confident about their condition and that it could be a good form of long-term therapy in dealing with asthma.

And it doesn't have to be a big instrument. It can be as small as a harmonica, which requires a slow breath in and out. This therapy has also been found effective with many muscular dystrophy patients.

In a Symposium of Music and Wellbeing held in London a few years ago, researchers found significant improvement in the condition of children with asthma who learned to play wind instruments, including:

• An increase from 67% to 100% in the number of children with good inhaler technique
• An increase from 33% to 83% in the number using reliever medication less than once a day
• An increase from 23% to 83% in the number reporting no activity symptoms.

So.if you have asthma, tooting your own horn could be some of the best medicine possible.

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