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.
Posts Tagged ‘hyperventilation’
Why asthma can help you win a gold medal.
Saturday, August 21st, 2010How should we fix dis-ease?
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.
High blood pressure, breathing & beetroot. What’s the link?
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010Cardiovascular disease kills over 110,000 people every year in the UK alone. More than 25% of the world’s adult population is hypertensive, and it has been estimated that this figure will increase to 30% by 2025. Dr Buteyko cured himself of life-threatening hypertension that did not respond to medical treatment by learning to breathe normally. This laid the foundation for his life’s research work and eventually to the respiratory & lifestyle training system that is now called the Buteyko Method. So where is the beetroot connection? A study published in the US Journal Hypertension showed that beetroot juice is as
effective as nitrate tablets in reducing blood pressure. Amrita Ahluwalia, author of the study and professor of vascular pharmacology at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry said they had now proved why. The research shows that the inorganic nitrate content in beetroot is changed into the gas nitric oxide when eaten. This gas keeps the blood vessels open and relaxed and keeps blood pressure down. Here is the connection; we produce nitric oxide when we breathe up to 50% of it is produced in our nasal passages only when we breathe through our noses. There is a strong correlation between hypertension and hyperventilation and the most common factor found in people with these conditions is that they mouth breathe. Hence less nitric oxide is produced. There are however many more physiological consequences of hyperventilation that also raise blood pressure ( spasm of smooth muscle, reduced oxygen delivery of blood, etc) that may be found in other articles. See this article for more details< http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/10433877.stm> The conclusion is those with hypertension might be able to reduce their blood pressure by eating more beetroot or if they don’t like beetroot, they could learn how to breathe normally instead!
Better Breathing for Life
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010Did 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?
AsthmaCareKent is coming to help all asthma sufferers
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010Did you know that you can help manage your asthma better with simple breathing exercises? Did you know the method for doing this has been clinically researched and proved successful? Did you know it will help “get your life back”; better sleep, exercise without breathlessness, less wheezing more energy? Did you know the method of training has been endorsed by the British Thoracic Society and that this year nurses will be training on the first University course in the UK? If you want to know more about this method contact us at info@AsthmaCareKent.co.uk
A Message to Your Doctor
Thursday, May 27th, 2010Chronic 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.
If asthma is ruining your life, the Buteyko Method will help you get your life back.
Thursday, May 20th, 2010The 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.
Buteyko is for Everyone!
Thursday, May 6th, 2010Although 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.
Iatrogenic Disease
Thursday, May 6th, 2010Millions of asthma patients across the world have their original suffering from asthma aggravated and increased by the insidious development of iatrogenic diseases.
[iatrogenic \ahy-a-truh-JEN-ik\, adjective:
A malady induced inadvertently by a physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures. Iatrogenic stems from the Greek iatros, physician.]
Long term use of many asthma drugs may be responsible for any of the following conditions:
Adrenal suppression: Symptoms: weight loss, vomiting, irritability, depression, dehydration, hypotension, diarrhea, muscle fatigue, or joint pain. Bronchospasm: Tightening of the airways akin to an asthma attack. Candidiasis: A fungal growth that can affect gut, mouth and urinary tract. Cataracts : Blurred vision due to clouding of the lenses of the eyes. Glaucoma: Increased intra ocular pressure that can lead to blindness. Growth retardation: Mainly a concern for parents of growing children. Osteoporosis: Loss of bone density with possible collapse of bones. Palpitations: Noticable heart beats giving anxiety & distress. Tachycardia: Rapid heart beats, with chest pain & rapid breathing.
* These are all officially published reported adverse effects of the use of common asthma drugs.
A recently published New York Times article HERE highlighted this terrible dilemma of a patient having to choose between either repeated hospital emergency admissions from asthma attacks without asthma medication or progressively going blind with asthma medication . Happily this patient learned how to reduce his asthma medication safely and escape this terrifying dilemma. The solution? The Buteyko Method.
There is good evidence that the treatment of asthma with modern drugs may manage the symptoms but actually worsens the patient’s condition. Reliever medication increases hyperventilation (an underlying problem for all asthma sufferers) and preventer corticosteroids suppress the immune system increasing the risk of chest infections and colds (common triggers for many asthma patients).
Does it not therefore make good clinical sense to help the asthma patient take more active control of their condition in order to reduce the need for medication? This is the simple plea of many Buteyko Practitioners to the medical profession.
Scientific Research supports The Buteyko Method
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




