Bagpipes.

[Cosychair]

Very interesting on countryfile last night.They say playing bagpipes can help with asthma.

Lovely lady with copd willing to give it a go.

Wish her all the best with it. 🙂

[risabel59]

The bag pipes are really hard to play!! My son plays them, and he has to get fit to play them. Everyone starts with a chanter, then you move on to a set of pipes with one drone (the bit that sticks up). I can't even get a sound out of them. But they are great for your lungs. I took up clarinet recently for asthma and EDAC.

Good luck

R x

[Mandevilla]

I love the sound of bagpipes but my husband hates it - I can just imagine the look on his face if I told him I was taking up the bagpipes for the sake of my health!

[Bingo88 in reply to Mandevilla]

🤣

[fraid]

For the sake of the rest of us, try singing loudly instead, preferably behind closed doors in a sealed room! 😂😱 I must say though that starting singing again has increased my lung capacity and voice strength, my near deaf dog can now hear me too! 😁 There are other less demanding and deafening , breathing exercises you can do, enjoy. 🤗

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

I started the oboe aged 7 because my mum heard wind instruments were good for asthma and I'd recently been diagnosed. I did like the clarinet sound but couldn't deal with the transposing as I have perfect pitch and it did my head in at that age. 😂Beginner oboists, especially children, sound AWFUL!! For AGES! It's worse than little violins, I thought the cats were going to leave home. I knew I was getting better when the cat was willing to sit under me when I practised (and no he wasn't deaf lol).

Played the oboe for years, did Grade 8 and took up the cor anglais too. I really enjoyed it and I think it's the reason (maybe plus singing) I now have an epic best peak flow well above predicted. However not sure how much that actually helps me as I still have severe asthma now as an adult (it was mild when I was younger) and I get told I can't be that bad because of my peak flow.

I tried to restart the oboe/cor anglais and got them serviced, new reeds etc but I can't seem to do it anymore properly. You have to play every day to keep your lip in and even on good days it actually seems to set my lungs off! I did look around and can't seem to find any medical literature on playing the oboe with more severe asthma. I already know it's generally ok for mild, I've been there and done that! My best guess is it's like flutter devices which I believe can set off twitchy airways if not careful. Was hoping there was something out there on easier instruments for twitchy lungs but nada.

Tempted to retry the clarinet and meanwhile have acquired good plastic tenor and alto recorders from eBay and Vinted, which is fun - working my way through a book. I'm not expecting anything asthmawise really, I just like having a wind instrument on the go - I already play the cello.

[Ember123 in reply to Lysistrata]

I learned to play clarient and oboe. My parents were told that a musical instrument would help with my asthma as well as swimming. My dad's side of the family are all muscial and all play brass instruments. I couldn't get a sound out of a brass instrument so went for woodwind. I really did help with my asthma. Still play to this day.

[Tiggertheterrier in reply to Lysistrata]

I played clarinet and recorder for many years, plus singing from infant school. I can't sing now due to constant globs of mucous sitting on my vocal cords...just croak like a frog. But I too defy expectations on peak flow readings - usually get raised eyebrows from the medics, plus a 'wow, really?' 'Your asthma seems well under control' - to which I usually commence a pantomime conversation - "oh no it isnt"..........just wish some medics would have less reliance on peakflow readings as the be all and end all.

[Starstream20]

I saw that. I was previously told to buy a mouth organ this helps too 😀

[SuziElley]

I sing, as part of an amateur Operatic group. Although my breathing isn’t what it should be, I find I can snatch the odd breath in an appropriate place so as not to be noticed. The breathing is good for my lungs. I also play the flute which again is good for lungs. Anything that uses l’un/breath control is good for us, even if we can’t manage it as we would want to! All the best, but maybe try something a little easier than bagpipes to begin with!

[LittleMissFaffALot]

I'm a first study flute player but I also teach general woodwind (not double reeds). I can get a great peak flow, even when I'm struggling - on Thursday days I just spend 5 minutes coughing after I've done it!!

I had a pre-op last week (nothing directly asthma related) and said to the nurse about being a flute / woodwind player when she got me to do my peak flow. She said I'm already doing my breathing physio for pre-op. I'm not allowed to immediately post-op cos of the specific surgery they're doing on my throat 🙁

[Holly_ALUK Asthma Nurse]

Hello - have a look at the Asthma + Lung UK website as we have support groups that include similar such as Harmonica for Lung Health and Singing for Lung Health. asthmaandlung.org.uk/groups...