Russian scientist and physician Konstantin Buteyko pioneered a novel asthma treatment, writing in 1991 that, "The essence of the method is to decrease the depth of breathing by will power and by relaxation of breathing muscles until one achieves a slight feeling of lack of air. All mentally healthy adults and children from the age of three can use the method." He blamed hyperventilation for asthma and many other disorders.
Buteyko's Experience
Dr. Buteyko began studying breathing patterns of terminally ill patients as a medical student in Moscow in 1946. An observed link between over-breathing and illness prompted him to modify his own breathing which cured his previously uncontrolled hypertension and other breathing symptoms. Years of clinical trials and research uncovered the roles of breathing depth, rate, muscle control and other factors in disease. He sought to restore normal carbon dioxide blood levels by controlling ventilation and by doing so to treat respiratory diseases without drugs.
Effectiveness Established
Soviet medical bureaucracy opposed Buteyko's practice and practioner training for many years. But his successes were impossible to suppress and eventually brought international recognition. In 2000 Australian reserachers reported in the "Journal of Asthma" that the technique significantly decreased asthma symptoms and improved quality of life for people with the disease. In the U.S., the Cleveland Clinic lists the Buteyko Breathing Method among effective complementary and alternative asthma treatments.
As of 2010, Buteyko Method practioner training is offered in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, England and Denmark.
The Buteyko Test
The Buteyko Test assumes an unhealthy person chronically hyperventilates and is therefore accustomed to carbon dioxide blood levels that are too low. If you are such a person you cannot tolerate holding your breath for long. Count the seconds after starting to hold your breath until you feel a slight discomfort, then resume breathing. A normal person should feel no discomfort until 40 to 60 seconds. If you must resume breathing after less than 10 seconds, this test suggests you have a chronic, possibly serious disorder.
For people with a poor test result, comprehensive breathing-training courses are offered at Buteyko Centers and on DVD for home use.
Everyday Breathing Tips
The Buteyko Method offers tips for everyday breathing:
Breathe only through your nose.
Try to decrease your normal amount of breathing.
During sports or exertion do not breathe through your mouth.
Breath control is especially important under stress or anxiety.
Practice healthy diet and lifestyle.
Contact
The U.S. Buteyko Center for patient care and for health care practitioner training is located in Woodstock, New York. You can reach the Center by phone at 845.684.5456 or mail at P.O. Box 576, ZIP 12498-0576. You can query by email at: info@buteykocenterusa.com.
As with all alternative medical therapies, you should consult with your physician before you consider altering any medically prescribed procedures or drugs already in use.
