Learn to breathe again with the Buteyko method

Take a deep breath.

 

This is what we do when we're tired, afraid, or nervous. This is what we've been told to do by our parents, friends, or coaches. And it helps. Or so we think.

 

According to a group of breathing practitioners, any examination of the physiology of respiration indicates that this concept is quite misleading, and even dangerous.

 

At first, the idea of learning how to breathe seems strange, or even silly. Why would you need to learn to do something you couldn't help doing in the first place? Doesn't breathing come naturally?

 

It turns out, it doesn't. At least not according to practitioners of the Buteyko technique, a method developed by Russian medical doctor and scientist, Dr. Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko.

 

Through clinical observations, Buteyko found that human breathing habits don't adhere to what physiology books describe as normal. According to Buteyko, the ideal breathing is light, and only through the nose.

 

Seeing that low level hyperventilation was becoming increasingly prevalent in modern society, he discovered that “over-breathing” is a major underlying cause of human illness.

 

As explained on the Buteyko Asia website, natural or normal breathing results in a very specific accumulated gas mixture that our organism requires to function properly—for the cells of the brain, heart, kidney and other organs, our blood requires a concentration of 6.5% carbon dioxide and only 2% oxygen.

 

Over-breathing results in a lack of carbon dioxide, which in turn leads to oxygen deficiency. Citing Russian physiologist Verigo and Dutch scientist Bohr, the site explains that without carbon dioxide, oxygen is bound to the blood's hemoglobin, and is unable to reach the brain, the heart, the kidneys, and other organs.

 

Effect on chronic health problems like asthma

 

Senior Buteyko practitioner Jac Vidgen explains that bad breathing is related to general health for anybody, and is a major issue underlying a lot of chronic health problems, including asthma.

"The work I do addresses something that people aren't thinking about. We don't think about our breathing until we're short of breath," he says.

 

He explains that the method is definitely not exclusive to things that seem to be related to breathing, like asthma, emphysema, and anxiety conditions.

 

Vidgen, 62, shares that he didn't originally intend to become a full-time practitioner, but he was fascinated when he first observed how effective the technique was, particularly with asthma. "It allows asthmatics to reduce their symptoms within days," he says, adding that he himself used the technique to clear his nose and stop sneezing.

 

"I realized my allergies had a breathing component and even though I had been doing what I thought was yoga for years, actually my breathing wasn't good," he says.

 

Vidgen explains that Buteyko is designed to address chronic low grade hyperventilation based on the assumption that most modern humans breathe that way, and people with chronic illness all over-breathe. "By reducing their breathing to a more normal level, they're able to reduce their chronic illness," he says.

 

Over the years, Vidgen says he has seen remarkable things. "People who were dependent on oxygen were able to live without oxygen. That's a pretty big thing (for) people who'd been using medicine for years and years and years (to) significantly reduce or remove it safely and feel better, not worse, and feel more in control. (It’s also helpful to) people who've been prescribed sinus surgery who as a result of doing Buteyko didn't need to have it," he says.

 

But Vidgen warns that this is no miracle cure or quick fix.

 

"Those people who achieved those results usually worked quite hard. But it's not particularly easy having to use machines or medicines or oxygen. So the exchange of the work is usually a pretty good investment," he says.

 

According to Vidgen, part of the problem is people don't want to think about their breathing, and they don't see it as a factor in disease and illness. "It's not news people necessarily want to hear because they don't want to think about their breathing. They've got other things to think about," he says.

 

In fact, he points out that the speed and noise of technology are also factors that play a part in illnesses.

 

"Technology has hit us like a bomb, and it's still going off at a rate we can barely comprehend," he says.

 

While he notes that the range of stimulus available is fun and exciting, the cost on health is enormous. "It allows for all sorts of interesting advancements. But you're seeing children now developing an increasing range of peculiar things... so the nature of illness is changing. It's a lifestyle change. The pressure of modern life is very stressful," he says, adding that issues like posture, diet and medications, and mistakes during exercise also contribute to dysfunctional breathing.

 

Pollution, dust, and the weather, according to Vidgen, are minor factors which trigger bad breathing. On the other hand, he says sedentary stress is a major issue. "We sit and stimulate our brains, and the way we were designed is to have our brains stimulated in action. Fight or flight. And that was a major part of human development for hundreds and thousands of years. Now things have changed in our diet, they've changed from the agricultural revolution onwards," he says.

 

He explains that because the industry is geared toward medication and services for those who are already sick, it is up to people to seek out alternatives that promote wellness.

 

But this is not a popular choice. "The way people are directed is toward the industry and not toward alternatives to the industry, where you have to do some work and be more healthy and that's not very attractive," he says.

 

He notes that the lack of support for Buteyko stems from the fact that doctors are driven to prescribe. This is contrary to the nature of Buteyko, because the method, if effectively practiced, results in a long-term solution.

 

"If I get my job done with a student, I can't sell them anything else. That's the end of the story. It's not very commercial, but it's very interesting for those people who would like to take control of their own health. It's an extremely potent tool," he says.

 

From 4 to 93

 

Based on his 17 years of teaching Buteyko, Vidgen says the method can help those as young as 4 and as old as 93.

 

"That would have to be a very compliant, disciplined four-year-old. Because I've seen six-year-olds who are almost impossible to work with, because the parents have no control," he says.

 

During an introductory workshop, it was clear that the patient would have to exert a huge amount of effort in order to successfully practice the technique. Even the simple idea of breathing through the nose may seem impossible for some, especially those who are used to having their mouths slightly open. Vidgen suggests taping the mouth closed at night, in order to relearn the proper way of breathing.

 

Of course, if the patient is determined, it is quite possible to successfully practice the method, and as one 93-year-old patient proved, it's never too late to learn something new. "After he finished my workshop he went to Europe, flew to Europe. It's just incredible,” says Vidgen.

 

Vidgen explains that apart from the patient's own work, his role is also very important.

 

"That's the trickiest part of my work, managing people through the process. So it's a very interactive thing," he says.

 

He explains that the learning and practice needs to be managed and adjusted, depending on what goes on in the patient's body.

 

Learning the method also does not come cheap, and the rates also depend on how severe the patient's condition is. "The cost may be more because they may need to do it in a structured way over a longer time," he says.

 

Vidgen encourages those interested in the breathing method to do research on the website, and contact him in order to discuss their health concerns. He also gives free introductory lectures four times a year, in a series of 3-5 in a week.

 

The workshop is held in five 2-hour classes held over two weeks. In certain cases, the workshop may be done privately, or online via Skype.

 

"As long as I have interaction with the student, I can get results," he says. –KG, GMA News

 

For more information, email jacvid@gmail.com or visit http://www.buteykoasia.com and http://buteykoasia.multiply.com.