Botox a breath of fresh air for asthma sufferers

Botox is emerging as the all-rounder of wonder treatments, with Australian researchers saying they now have good evidence that it can be used to help patients with asthma suffering voice box problems.

Doctors at Melbourne’s Monash Health injected Botox (botulinum toxin) directly into the vocal chords of asthma patients who experience severe spasms of breathlessness and wheezing.

A group of 11 patients received a total of 24 injections, with 60 per cent reporting a reduction in symptoms.

According to the findings published earlier this week in the Respirology journal, the Botox partially paralysed the muscles, causing the voicebox to relax and allow air through to the lungs.

The majority of patients reported significant improvements in their asthma symptoms one month after the botox treatment, which was also shown to improve airway size on CT scans.

Sixty-eight year old Lyn Dowsey took part of the trial and reported that the treatment helped overcome her asthma symptoms that would lead to frequent hospital stays and leave her feeling like she was being strangled.

Approximately two million Australians have asthma, with about 250,000 considered to suffer these severe episodes.

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) has recently started funding Botox injections to prevent chronic migraines.

Have you ever used Botox? What for?