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Archive for the ‘quality of life’ Category
Saturday, August 21st, 2010
Rebecca Adlington is an asthmatic, has won gold medals for her swimming. Why has her asthma helped her do this?
All asthmatics breathe 2 or 3 times more than normal, this lowers carbon dioxide in the body to dangerously low levels (We all need carbon dioxide, like every living thing on the planet,to survive. It is essential for life. ) This is one of the main factors that lead to “asthma attacks” caused by smooth muscle wrapped around airways spasming, tightening and restricting breathing. This can be seen as the body’s way of stopping hyperventilation and further carbon dioxide loss that could be life threatening.
Now let us consider Rebecca ready to win the next medal at the side of the pool. Because she is asthmatic, she has a very low carbon dioxide store in her body before she dives under the water. Whilst swimming half the length under water she cannot breathe so her carbon dioxide levels rise to normal, she surfaces and completes the swim above water now with optimal carbon dioxide and oxygen in her body. This scenario is very similar to a pearl diver who trains himself to purposefully hyperventilate before diving thus giving him much longer under water before needing to surface.
So, what’s the conclusion? should we look for future great swimmers from the population of 5.3 million asthmatics in the UK? Should Rebecca carry on suffering the misery of asthma in order to stay on top?
No. We should all breathe normally during our normal daily lives, this may reduce the risk of succumbing to over a hundred modern diseases and extend our healthy lives. However if you want to replicate Rebecca’s experience try hyperventilating before diving into the water but take care not to over do it as you could pass out! Pearl divers don’t spend their leisure time hyperventilating , they only do this when at work otherwise they would shorten their life expectancy somewhat or suffer asthma, hypertension, hay fever, panic attacks, IBS, ME and a myriad other possible ailments that are treated with drugs in our society.
 Asthma helps gold medalist!
Tags: Asthma, carbon dioxide, drug therapy, Exercise, health, hyperventilation, over breathing, pearl divers, swimming
Posted in Asthma, Exercise, General health, Health promotion, breathing, drug therapy, quality of life, sports performance | 1 Comment »
Monday, July 26th, 2010
Exercise and Asthma
Asthmatics often have a problem with exercise because they either lack stamina and need to slow down or stop sooner than they would like, or they develop breathing difficulties. Why does this happen?
Since at least 1968 it has been well-documented that people who have asthma breathe more air each minute than is considered normal, and this elevated breathing pattern continues when the person sleeps, watches television, and of course while exercising.
During exercise, everyone has to breathe more air, but if you are already breathing more than you really need to before you even start, then the extra burden will cause more problems than usual.
Part of the problem is that while breathing too much air, additional pollen, dust and pollutants are also inhaled. The airways try to restrict the intake of these irritants by narrowing the airways, which makes the breathing muscles work harder to provide sufficient gas exchange for the desired level of activity, creating fatigue sooner rather than later.
The other major part of the problem is that an excessive breathing pattern creates an abnormally high rate of cooling and drying of the airways. Airways function best when they are warm and moist, and so they react in a negative way to this excessive breathing.
To compensate for the drying out, airways increase mucus production, and in an effort to slow down the flow of air, the inner airway lining swells and the outer smooth muscle tightens. These are symptoms of asthma, but instead of recognising that breathing too much air is causing the problem, the person usually just takes a puff of their reliever and continues to breathe badly. The more you breathe the more short of breath and the tighter the airways become…
You seldom see animals with asthma, and you also seldom see them breathing through their mouth, even when they are exercising. So take a leaf out of their book and go a little slower so that you do not become excessively short of breath. By following this rule you will build fitness without distressing yourself. Copy of article by Jenny Stark www.buteykoworks.com
 Asthmatics can exercise!
Tags: Asthma, asthma management, breath training, breathing, British Thoracic Society, Buteyko, buteyko breathing, Exercise, hospitalization, sports performance, the Buteyko Method
Posted in Asthma, Exercise, General health, breathing, quality of life, sports performance | No Comments »
Friday, July 16th, 2010
 Suppress the dis-ease is one option, e.g. take a pain killer. Control your body’s attempts to deal with the problem behind the dis-ease, e.g. use an anti inflammatory drug to calm down severe inflammatory reactions would be another way. Ignore it , it may go away, e.g this would be called expectant treatment this might make sense sometimes. Remove the offending part could be the only choice left sometimes e.g. tonsilectomy . Or just dig deeper than the dis-ease and try to find its origins, this could be a very effective and long lasting solution for the patient e.g. teach correct breathing , diet, exercise, relaxation and self -esteem, help develop a whole person. Who knows this last approach may become the medicine of the 21st century? If that were to happen all mainstream medicine would become complementary medicine and a large part of CAM would become mainstream medicine, now wouldn’t that be a revolutionary concept? There are osteopaths who see , like its founder, surgical intervention complementary to their work. If the person cannot help themselves, cannot be helped by naturopathic means then modern medicine may be the only solution left. In the last 50 years we have taught people to take less and less responsibility for their health and put that responsibility on the shoulders of the doctor or surgeon. We now find the burden too great practically and financially. The gentle revolution is beginning. The Buteyko Method has a prime place in this new individual health empowerment.
Tags: breath training, breathing, Buteyko, buteyko breathing, drug therapy, drugs, health, hyperventilation, medicines, phamaceuticals, sick, Stress, the Buteyko Method, wellbeing
Posted in Doctors, General health, General medicine, Health promotion, breathing, drug therapy, quality of life | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
Did you ever stop to think what happens when you take a breath? Like most of us the answer is almost certainly , no!
Well, take a minute now to find out. Our in-breath draws in air that gives us access to the oxygen we need to live, our out-breath removes carbon dioxide and unused air. What most people don’t know is the simple fact that taking in oxygen does not automatically mean absorbing oxygen, in fact good absorption of oxygen by our tissue requires just the right amount of carbon dioxide in our bloodstream. If the carbon dioxide level is too high we suffer from the ill effects of too much of this gas and that may make use yawn or breathe more to clear the surplus out but if the carbon dioxide level is too low we suffer from poor oxygenation of our tissue, respiratory alkalosis, spasm of smooth muscle and a widespread breakdown of all our body’s chemistry. The consequences of the latter may include the development of any one or more of the A to Z of modern diseases including asthma, allergies, angina, hay fever, hypertension, sleep apnoea, panic attacks, anxiety states, migraines, IBS, ………….It is safe to say that there is no disease that could not benefit from normalizing our breathing! When however did anyone advise you that you could help yourself to better health simply by improving your breathing? Probably never as we all have been led to believe that breathing is something we all do perfectly and automatically! If that is the case it is a unique human activity, as I can think of no activitiy we all do perfectly! So let’s all learn to breathe correctly. How? There are many ways but I am convinced one of the most effective ways is through the training and insight that The Buteyko Method gives people. Oh yes! You believe your breathing is OK? Why not check it now on this site?
Tags: Add new tag, Asthma, breath, breath training, Buteyko, buteyko breathing, buteyko hay fever, buteyko hypertension, buteyko sleep, buteyko sleep apmea, carbon dioxide, hyperventilation, mouth breathing, nitic oxide, nose, over breathing, oxygen, the Buteyko Method, wellbeing
Posted in Asthma, Buteyko Kent, Children's health, General health, Health promotion, breathing, quality of life | No Comments »
Monday, May 31st, 2010
 In just five days, you can learn safe, simple, but highly effective breathing techniques that will help you to take control of your asthma – and stop it controlling you.
The Buteyko method can dramatically improve your breathing in just five short session. Improve your quality of life and give you the techniques and confidence to better manage your asthma.
It may help you reduce your need for drugs.
Buteyko is suitable for adults and children. It is endorsed by the British Thoracic Society and proven to be safe and effective in clinical trials* Detailed research information HERE
We hope that this site will enable you to understand the basics of our training method and the impact this may have on your health, once you are satisfied you’ve learnt enough and want to take the next step to
train yourself you have a number of options:
1. Download the free book ‘ Escape from Asthma”, this will get you started,
2. If you have Skype video facility contact us for details of the training on Skype,
3. Request our DVD Training Pack for learning at home with telephone and/or e-mail support,
4. If you are within “commuter” distance from Hawkhurst, Kent, UK enquire about enrolling on one of our local courses and finally
5. You could search the internet for “Buteyko” to find a local practitioner or check HERE
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Tags: Asthma, asthma management, breath training, breathing, British Thoracic Society, Buteyko, buteyko breathing, Exercise, hospitalization, sports performance, the Buteyko Method
Posted in Asthma, Buteyko Kent, Health promotion, Research, quality of life | 10 Comments »
Thursday, May 27th, 2010
Chronic hidden hyperventilation (CHHV) is almost the norm in the West, the new pandemic! Dr L C Lum of Papworth & Addenbrooks Hospitals Cambridge described the effects of CHHV as protean.
CHHV has been associated with the A to Z of most modern diseases from asthma to Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome.
CHHV leads to major physiological changes throughout the body that have been thoroughly researched and documented.
It takes about 30 seconds to identify CHHV in any patient (See “Check Your Own Breathing” on this site or watch video: Check your own breathing. )
Once identified the doctor could easily give his patient some simple basic tips for improving their breathing or refer to a practice nurse to help the patient.
By addressing CHHV many associated health problems will be helped and the need for drug therapy may be reduced with a financial saving, reduced risk of adverse side effects and a increased quality of life. References available on request.
Tags: asthma management, breath, breath training, breathing, British Thoracic Society, buteyko breathing, buteyko hay fever, buteyko hypertension, buteyko sleep, buteyko sleep apmea, doctor, drugs, GP, health, hyperventilation, hyperventilation. asthma, over breathing, practice., side-effects, wellbeing
Posted in Asthma, Asthma nurses, Buteyko Kent, Doctors, General health, General medicine, Research, quality of life | No Comments »
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
The Buteyko Method could help you return to living a full normal life again. It teaches you how to improve your breathing in five training sessions. This will help you take better control of your asthma, safely reduce your need for drugs and improve the quality of your life. The method is endorsed by the British Thoracic Society and proven to be safe and effective in clinical trials.
Tags: Angina, Asthma, asthma management, Buteyko, death from asthma, drug therapy, drugs, hospitalization, hypertension, hyperventilation, medicines, phamaceuticals, sleep apnoea, Stress, the Buteyko Method
Posted in Asthma, Buteyko Kent, General health, Health promotion, Stress management, quality of life, sports performance | No Comments »
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
Although the Buteyko Method is recognized worldwide for asthma management many people seek this training for the numerous conditions associated with hyperventilation. This year alone I have taught people with anxiety, panic attacks, sleep apnoea, depression, emphysema, COPD and others who have no illness but wanted to improve their health or sporting performance.
The general rule is “if you are breathing more than normal your health will be adversely affected and you will benefit from Buteyko training”
Once you have learnt the Buteyko Method you have the knowledge for life.
Don’t waste this opportunity to raise your QOL and general health, check your own breathing on this site now, then decide to improve it.
Next Free Introductory Talks in Hawkhurst & Crowborough, Kent UK Phone for details and to book 01580 752852 You will learn how to improve your breathing and hence your health even with this short talk. You will learn how you can start to take better control over your asthma right now!
The next courses will be held in Hawkhurst, Crowborough and Tunbridge Wells Kent in July, phone for Registration Form & details.
Tags: breath, breathing, Buteyko, depression, exercises, health, hypertension, hyperventilation, IBS, marathon, ME, over breathing, panic attacks, sleep apnoea, Stress, the Buteyko Method, wellbeing
Posted in Buteyko Kent, General health, Stress management, quality of life, sports performance | 23 Comments »
Saturday, April 17th, 2010
“My chest consultant is very pleased with the difference the Buteyko Breathing Method has made with my asthma, I have been free of any real asthma attacks since the course.” Mrs J DÂ Hants
“I’ve been astonished & also very pleased with the excellent result: there is no disruption of their life at all by their disease, normal activities, not waking at night,not needing to use any reliever medication. It’s just great….75% control is about as good as anyone has got in any study of asthma.
The neat thing about it is that it has no side effects.It’s very safe.
The Buteyko technique certainly has been shown to be an important adjunct to treatment.” Dr Bob Cowie, the respiratory consultant conducting the Calgary Trial of The Buteyko Method
Recently endorsed by The British Thoracic Society because of the quality of research trials.
There may be many people who would like to see the scientific evidence supporting the Buteyko Method. Much of this has been brought together on the BIBH website and may be accessed HERE
Tags: Asthma, asthma management, breathing, Buteyko, buteyko sleep, buteyko sleep apmea, buteyko breathing, buteyko hypertension, buteyko hay fever, breath training,, Clincal Research, drugs, hyperventilation, the Buteyko Method
Posted in Asthma, Research, Safety Warnings, quality of life | Comments Off
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
There is a general view that once diagnosed with asthma you are an asthmatic for life! Well, the argument goes that it is in your genetic makeup and most asthmatics will agree that it seems to run in the family. Modern medicine accepts this as a fact and aims to help the sufferer to manage their condition as well as possible. Management is primarily with drugs that may include relievers, short acting ones and long acting ones, preventers that might be steroids inhaled, taken by mouth or by injection, leukotiene receptor antagonists, antihistamines, cough suppressants, mucolytics, antimuscarinic bronchodilators, etc etc.
There is another body of opinion however that takes a different view of asthma. This view is based on the observation that many people diagnosed with asthma may “grow out of it” or cease to suffer from it for no apparent reason, that recent research (1) has indicated that up to 40% of people diagnosed with asthma do not have this condition and should not be on the medication prescribed, that the very disease concept “asthma” is not a clearly defined condition and for this reason should be abandoned as a diagnostic condition (2) and last but definitely, not least, a lifetime’s intensive research by Dr K P Buteyko led him to the conclusion that the array of signs and symptoms often associated with the condition called asthma were primarily the result of chronic hidden hyperventilation amongst those genetically predisposed to these reactions from dysfunctional breathing.(3). Finally it is clear that current treatment of asthma is not succeeding in bringing this epidemic condition under control, there has been a 70% increase over recent years and there are no signs of this growth stopping.(4)
The few clinical trials that have been conducted to test the link between hyperventilation and asthma symptoms all show positive results, every asthmatic is observed to over-breathe by a factor of two or three times normal, when they learn to reduce their breathing their symptoms diminish and need for medication reduces. Clearly there is substance in these findings and more trials need to be done to convince the medical establishment of this important relationship. The problem is that the vast majority of clinical trials are financed directly or indirectly by the major drug companies and it would appear to be commercial suicide for them to spend their research funds to demonstrate their products were not always necessary as these drugs represent approximately 20% of their earnings and growing.
1. REFERENCE 2. REFERENCE 3. REFERENCE 4. REFERENCE
LIVE DEBATE 22/4/2010
Tags: Asthma, asthma management, Buteyko, drug therapy, drugs, hyperventilation, medicines, over breathing, phamaceuticals, the Buteyko Method
Posted in Asthma, General health, drug therapy, quality of life | 10 Comments »
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