DEAR FRIENDS, I am sending you this article because when I myself took the "let's see how long I can hold my breath" test I could do it for a miserly 17 seconds..............not so great - in spite of Yoga and walks around the block with my dog T.T. I asked my friend Michael Tanner, a knowledgeable friend in Ireland ( http://www.aislingfoundation.
Here it is - according to testimonials, people clear their asthma within as little as six weeks and can in some cases abandon all medications!
Buteyko Breathing
Introduction
Professor Konstantin Pavlovic Buteyko, a Russian Doctor observed a relationship between the breath and health of his patients. His research over many years, led him to develop the, 'Buteyko Breathing Technique'.
It has taken many years for the technique to be accepted by a few in the medical profession despite Clinical Trials showing it to be effective and safe. In order to encourage you to give it a try these are two Clinical Trials which show conclusively that the system works.
This is a brief summary of a Clinical Trial in Russia held in 1981.
The Balanced Volume Breathing (BVB) method was tested and approved by the E.M.Sechenov's Medical Institute between 27.2.81 and 21.5.81
The trial involved patients suffering from regular asthma attacks (once a day or more) during the previous month. Some of the patients had severe asthmatic conditions leading to asphyxia. The purpose of the experiment was to demonstrate the relationship between the major symptoms of the disease (bronchospasm, cough, blockage of nose, etc.) and hyperventilation. The patients were asked to undergo a three stage hyperventilation test (developed by Professor Buteyko in 1968).
The method is based on a conscious decrease in depth of breathing and specifically designed for patients suffering from bronchial asthma. It is based on the fact that clinical results show improvement proportional to the decrease in lung ventilation.
83% showed considerable improvement, 17% some improvement - nobody remained the same or got worse.
As the control pause increased from 10 to 40 seconds, so did the concentrations of IgA, IgM, IgG and IgE. Forced expiratory volume (Rait's measuring scale) was raised front 36.7 to 173.2 (Table IV). The acid-alkali balance of the blood normalised (it became less basic), the pCO2 of the arterial blood increased from 24.6 to 36.3 mm Hg
Conclusions:
* The BVB method as suggested by Professor Buteyko helps to decrease the number and severity of attacks as well as the dosage of medication.
* As a result of this therapy, the indicators of acid-alkali balance and lung ventilation improved.
* The method may be taught to children from 3 years of age up either in hospital or as outpatients.
* This method is endured by children of any age over 3.
* This method is most effective in acute periods of bronchial asthma in very ill patients.
This clinical trial, funded by Australian Association of Asthma Foundations, was conducted in December 1994- January 1995 through the Mater Hospital (Brisbane). It was conducted by Professor Charles Mitchell and Doctor Simon Bowler. The results were released at the conference for Thoracic physicians Society in Hobart in March 1995.
39 asthmatics were recruited following a publicity campaign. All individuals gave a convincing history of asthma and were taking significant doses of asthma medication. They were randomly divided into two groups which were stratified by daily bronchio dilators use. Before division medication intake was optimized for one month to minimize usage of bronchio dilators. The control group was trained by a physiotherapist in conventional techniques including relaxation, coughing and abdominal breathing techniques. In the Buteyko group the Buteyko method was taught by an experienced Buteyko Practitioner. The trial was 'blind' which means, that neither group was aware of which group they were in.
Summary of the results
Bronchiodilator use at 3 months 90% decrease 9% increase
Inhaled steroids use at 3 months 49% decrease no change
Symptoms score at 3 months 71% improvement 14% improvement
Quality of life at 6 weeks 54% improvement 24% worsening
Buteyko Breathing Breathing Basics
"The theory of life, in brief, is such that carbon dioxide is the basic nutrition of every life form on Earth - if it disappears, there will be no life on Earth. It acts as the regulator of all functions in the organism; it maintains the internal environment of the organism; it is the vitamin of all vitamins."
Konstantin Pavlovic Buteyko.
But just as oxygen is no use to you without carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide is no use either without oxygen. This is why breathing properly is essential for good health. It helps to keep the correct balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen, and once you put it right, all of the other good things that you do for yourself, such as eating well and exercising, will be more beneficial.
The three most important things for physical life are eating, drinking and breathing. And of all three, breath is the one that is the prime requirement. Breathing is an automated process to ensure that it continues correctly unfortunately it can become destabilized and we then develop problems
According to conventional science the main purpose of breathing is to supply the body with sufficient oxygen and to remove excess amounts of carbon dioxide. We are taught in school that we breathe in oxygen and we breathe out carbon dioxide, and this over-simplification gives many of us the impression that carbon dioxide is a waste gas. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
Do you think that dizzy feeling you have after blowing up a balloon or two is good for you? Probably not, yet time after time the value of deep, forceful breathing is promoted as being healthy.
Our body stores something like 90 times more carbon dioxide in the body than oxygen. Do you think this because the body cannot get rid of it, or because it is actually required?
Danish scientist Christian Bohr discovered more than one hundred years ago that carbon dioxide has a strong influence on oxygen delivery from the blood to the tissue cells, and it has consequently been called the "Bohr effect".
* Breathing too much air each minute causes too much carbon dioxide to be exhaled from the lungs
* Extra carbon dioxide leaves the blood to enter the lungs, making the pH of the blood slightly more alkaline
* When the blood is slightly too alkaline, less oxygen is released from haemoglobin to the tissue cells
Therefore: breathing too much air paradoxically makes you more short of breath and prone to making extra lactic acid.
It is essential for the body to operate efficiently to have the correct level of CO2 in our system otherwise we may create many problems for ourselves.
Breathing through your nose is not only the natural way to breathe because it is the start of the respiratory system, but it is also the healthiest way because the nasal passages are designed to filter out particles, kill germs and to warm and moisten the air. Breathing through the mouth, which is the start of the digestive tract, does none of these things effectively.
Buteyko Breathing
Basic information
This is just a basic outline - you will find it more helpful to "go to the professionals" through classes if possible. Please consult your doctor BEFORE starting the exercises to check (s)he is happy for you to try them.
Equipment
* A tabulated chart or notebook to record your progress. * Micropore tape and lip salve.
* A watch with a second hand or a stop watch. * Lots of determination !
In general: Try to always breathe through your nose at all times. Be mindful of how you breathe when eating and talking. Watch out for what happens when you laugh/cough/cry/ sigh - you may begin to over-breathe. Try to keep your breathing slow and steady.
Blocked nose: To clear a blocked nose breathe out slightly, pinch your nose then hold your breath for a short time. You can also move your head back and forwards slowly, while doing this, or walk around the room, or maybe climb some stairs. You may have to repeat this several times.
At night: This is a very important part of the technique because you can undo all your good work during the day by breathing through your mouth at night. Protect your lips with some lip salve, then tape your mouth using micropore tape to prevent your mouth opening when asleep. A good tip is to turn the ends of the tape back, so you can remove it easily. At first you can get used to this feeling by taping your lips during the day or evening when there's no one around to see how silly you look! You should try to avoid sleeping on your back. The best position is to lie on your left hand side. This technique should result in a better quality of sleep.
Dealing with an asthma attack:
An asthma attack should be dealt with a control pause followed by reduced breathing for 3-5 minutes, a control pause and more gentle breathing. If not better by then, take a dose of ventalin (or your usual respiratory distress reliever).
Unexpected side effects of doing exercises: You may experience some unexpected side effects, ranging from a runny nose, stomach upsets, tiredness to reduced appetite. However, you may get 'good side effects' like need for less sleep and increased energy levels.
Note on Food:
All food increases the breathing rate so you should only eat when hungry, and then only enough to satisfy the appetite. Of course, it is best to eat fresh organic food as far as possible.
Precautions:
1 DO NOT TAPE your mouth if you are feeling sick or have been drinking heavily.
2 DO NOT decrease any prescribed medicine without consulting your doctor.
3. If the EXTENDED PAUSE doesn't agree with you, don't do it. You will still make good progress. - slowly and steadily.
4. DO NOT leave your reliever medicine at home - even if you feel a lot better - you may still be allergic to your triggers for some time.
5. Remember, SLOW AND STEADY IMPROVEMENT IS THE BEST. The maximum benefit will take time - a rough estimate is one month of practice for every year you have had as
Buteyko Breathing Basic Technique
Buteyko Exercises
Sit in a relaxed manner, with an upright posture leaning slightly forward wearing comfortable clothing. These exercises should be done on an empty stomach ideally, or at least an hour after eating.
1: Pulse:
Check your pulse rate at start by timing it for 15 seconds then multiplying by 4 (your pulse rate per minute).
2: Control Pause:(CP)This is a measurement of your state of health. It is also a difence against asthma. After a normal exhalation, the breathing is 'paused' and a record kept of the amount of seconds this pause can be held. It is to be discontinued at the first sign of discomfort so that reduced breathing can be resumed with no need to gulp or gasp for air.
3: Reduced breathing:This is the first line of defence against asthma and is the most important, yet most difficult type of breathing to master. Achieving this will vary from person to person and this is why the classes and videos are important.
Try to be as still as possible while doing this with good posture. You should imagine you are breathing from the bottom of your stomach - but only in small amounts - as if breathing through a straw - either slowly (say four breaths a minute), or more frequently may suit some individuals.
You should feel 'hungry for air' while doing this. It is a slow way of fending off an attack. This can also be called 'shallow breathing'.
4: Extended Pause (EP) Extending your Control Pause by adding 2 to 10 seconds to your CP time. The nose should be pinched shut to stop cheating! Resume reduced breathing through the nose and resist urge to gulp air through the mouth. This can be helped by various techniques such as moving a hand, swallowing, stretching and finally walking.
For most people, the EP is considered safe provided it does not provoke a bout of over breathing at the end. A feeling of dizziness or heat at the end is normal. If you breathe out first at the end, you have been holding too much air in your lungs. Your lungs need to be comfortable - not too full and not too empty, during the exercises. Sets of exercises are to be carried out ideally three times a day. These should be done before eating, and particularly on waking and before sleeping. The sequence of exercises is as follows-
1.Take pulse
2. CP Control Pause
3. several minutes of reduced breathing
4. EP Extended Pause
Repeat above twice more and take final pulse at end This should take about 20 minutes
There is a breathing practice which may be helpful that can be done whist walking or even sitting on the bus. You count as you breath in and then hold the breath for four times the count, then slowly release the breath taking twice the inhalation count or half the holding count.
Repeat - it is the repetition that is important so there is no point in trying to use big numbers. Find a count that is comfortable and maintain it. After a couple of days then maybe try increasing the inhalation by one and see how it goes. Gradually increase the count overtime, there is no rush and keeping on with exercise is important. If you try to do too much too soon then it becomes impossible and gets abandoned.
As a guide to the early ratios 1:4:2 2:8:4 3:12:6 4:16:8
Find a comfortable level for you - practice several times a day for 5-10 minutes - increase the count slowly in your own time
Keep a chart to monitor progress. (e.g., Date, Time, Pulse, CP, EP, Medications, symptoms, etc.)
Don't be discouraged if you have a small set back in progress after a couple of weeks, just look at how much you have achieved, and cheer yourself up!
Buteyko Breathing
Basic Technique Continued
The pulse rate should decrease at the end of the session and this indicates that the method has been carried out correctly. The CP (Controlled Pause) should improve by one to two seconds a week even though the EP (Extended Pause) might improve by such an amount each day.
You should start to feel much better when a CP of 25 seconds is achieved. A control pause of 30 - 40 seconds and an extended pause of 60 would be excellent figures to achieve.
It is possible to project the rate of improvement from these figures.
Once a figure of 30 seconds for the CP (Controlled Pause) is reached, the exercises can be tapered off to twice a day, and then stopped with just an occasional CP to check on how you are doing. It is important not to overdo the number of EPs (Extended Pause) in a day. The body needs to improve in its own time. Slow steady improvement is best.
As many people have a low grade infection it can be helpful to use something like Grapefruit Seed Extract to help reduce this problem. We are usually short of many essential ingredients in our nutrition and it is a very good idea to add kelp powder and hemp oil to our diets.
The combination of these supplements with the Buteyko Method will help you get faster improvements.
None of the above information is intended to prescribe or treat any disease or ailment. It is for your information and you are advised to consult your medical professional on any health matter.
For more detailed information:
http://www.buteyko.com/method/
http://www.aislingfoundation.
http://www.bulkherbstore.com/
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment