Procedure treats asthma without drugs

This isn't really a pharmacy story, but I thought it was an interesting new treatment.

From the Globe and Mail:
Asthma can be treated, safely and effectively, with a procedure that uses electromagnetic energy to alter problematic muscles in the airways, according to promising new Canadian research.

The procedure, known as bronchial thermoplasty, does not cure asthma, nor will it eliminate the ubiquitous inhaler, but it reduces symptoms and lessens the need for drugs to treat the condition.

It is the first non-drug treatment for the common breathing disorder, good news for sufferers who have trouble controlling their symptoms with traditional anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids. ...more