Jill McGowan was convinced that a programme of breathing retraining--the Buteyko Method - could reduce the medication needs of people with asthma. So she gave up her nursing job and sold her house and car to finance research. Training requires five 90-minute sessions. The 30-minute exercise programme has to be repeated six times a day initially. Introduction of the method to the NHS could have a major impact on asthma management with potentially huge savings on cost.