Today, I spoke with one of the Bronchial Thermoplasty researchers at the University of Southern California , he was kind enough to explain this new and potentially revolutionary treatment for severe asthma. The theory, is that if you reduce the amount of smooth muscle ( one of the culprits that causes airway narrowing… which in turn causes shortness of breath) , that you would reduce bronchospasm and therefore the symptoms. The reduction of this smooth muscle is accomplished by exposing the air passages to heat with a special device which is inserted into the lungs.
So far, they’ve had some pretty dramatic and positive results from this experimental therapy. Ironically, the severity of my own asthma excludes me from participating in these trials………My asthma is just too severe…… BUMMER!!
The good news is that this new procedure/device will probably be approved by the FDA within the next 2 years and available to everyone.
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