Bronchial thermoplasty could help with asthma.

Asthma breakthrough is a breath of hot air - Telegraph

Extract:

"The first new treatment for asthma that removes the need to take drugs was revealed yesterday by scientists from Britain and Canada and hailed as a breakthrough for millions of sufferers.

Patients in the trial had fewer attacks, symptoms were reduced and they needed to take their asthma drugs less in the year after receiving the treatment.

About 5.2 million people in Britain suffer from asthma and 2.6 million have severe symptoms.

Of these about 500,000 have asthma that is so severe it cannot be effectively controlled by drugs.

Every year in Britain about 1,400 people die from an asthma attack.

The treatment is called bronchial thermoplasty. The procedure reduces smooth muscle in small and medium-sized airways using radio waves to produce heat.

During an asthma attack, the airway muscles contract. Because bronchial thermoplasty thins the muscle walls, they cannot narrow as much when irritants trigger asthma attacks. This reduces asthma symptoms."

Another article about it is here: 'Lung-burning' gives hope for asthma patients - Independent