ONE of the first seminars of its kind in the region is hoping to give a boost to asthma sufferers in the North-East.

The idea comes from chronic asthmatic, Dennis Champion, who felt that Health Secretary Alan Milburn's Darlington constituency is the ideal location.

Two years ago Mr Champion said his quality of life was appalling, but now he no longer suffers from the symptoms of asthma.

Mr Champion, 56, of Whitley Bay, puts his success down to the controversial system of controlled breathing developed in the 1950s by Russian scientists Konstantin Buteyko.

A seminar on the effects of Buteyko will be held at the Dolphin Centre in Darlington later this month.

Mr Champion said: "After two years of Buteyko, I don't have the symptoms of asthma and I feel much stronger.

"We're especially keen to get anyone who suffers from extreme symptoms of asthma to come along, and find out how it can help them."

Buteyko is viewed with great scepticism by most orthodox doctors, but has a growing following in Australia an d New Zealand.

Based on the theory that asthma is caused by the way we breathe, Buteyko involves breathing exercises which produce a more slow and more shallow breath.

Mr Champion has linked up with regional development agency One NorthEast to bring Buteyko to the North-East.

The seminar begins on Sunday, June 25, and to find out more, call 0191-2818796.