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research into the method and the results it has achieved for asthma sufferers. The results are astonishing and suggest a direct link between our breathing patterns and our level of health. method for asthma sufferers and their families. I believe it is the great medical breakthrough of the 20th century, and I am proud to be author of the first-ever book on this subject outside Russia. The book was the result of my own investigation of the theory and practice of the method, and relied on my close experience with the clinics and the patients who have benefited from the method. That experience is ongoing and growing. I have the sanction of Professor Buteyko and of the Buteyko clinics to reveal the method, its scientific bases and its results. THE THEORY BEHIND THE BUTEYKO METHOD and practice of the method, and relied on my close experience The Buteyko theory is that the basic cause of asthma is habitu- with the clinics and the patients who have benefited from the al, hidden over-breathing (literally, taking in too much air when method. That experience is ongoing and growing. I have the breathing). The treatment is based on bringing the breathing to sanction of Professor Buteyko and of the Buteyko clinics to reveal normal levels and thus eradicating over-breathing (hyperventila- the method, its scientific bases and its results. tion) and reversing the need for the body's defence mechanisms. These defence mechanisms, according to the theory, include | THE IMPORTANCE OF CARBON DIOXIDE spasm of the airways, mucus production (in the chest, nose, throat You may have thought that in a discussion about the lungs we and ears), and inflammation (swelling) of the bronchial walls. would talk about oxygen first and foremost. But the first thing I The Buteyko method's message is that when asthma sufferers want to bring up here is how important carbon dioxide is in the learn to alter the volume of air body. In fact, we know that they habitually inhale, their BREATHING LEVELS each human cell needs a spe- asthma attacks can be signifi- cific concentration of carbon cantly reduced and the use of | Table 1. dioxide—about 7%—to sus- tain normal life. When human life first began on the planet, the com- position of the atmosphere asthma drugs and apparatus can be reduced or entirely eliminated. It is possible that the Normal 3 to 5 litres Healthy level of breathing per minute 6.5% carbon dioxide in air sacs. economies of the industrialised Hidden 5 to 10 litres Results in very was different from what it is countries worldwide could save over-breathing per minute gradual sickness today, for there was more than billions of dollars spent annual- not easily noticed, 20% of carbon dioxide in the ly on asthma drug subsidies and and illness air that living beings breathed. hospitalisation, if their health develops over But the percentage has fallen administrators took notice of many years. greatly, and now our air con- the advances in asthma treat- . ; _ tains only 0.03% of carbon ment pioneered by Professor Over-breathing 10 to 20 litres — This is known as dioxide. Our bodies have had Buteyko. per minute an “attack”, where to compensate gradually for The method is on record as the adult asthma this, and they have done so by having benefited 100,000 sufferer, or a person creating an internal air envi- patients in Russia, and it is offi- with a related ronment in the small air sacs cially recognised by the condition, hyper- inside the lungs. With the Russian Government. ventilates rapidly. action of normal, healthy Professor Buteyko's experimen- tation and his documented clinical trials on patients in Russia indicate that the great majority of asthma sufferers that 6.5% of carbon dioxide over four years old can be sig- exists inside the lungs, in bal- nificantly relieved by the method (younger children may find it ance with the oxygen that we also need to stay alive. breathing, these air sacs, or alveoli, contain around 6.5% of carbon dioxide. So, as we breathe in and out normally, Severe 20 to 30 litres At this maximum over-breathing per minute level, the person suffers a sudden anxiety attack. more difficult to learn), and any individual on asthma drug treat- An important factor that seriously affects that level of necessary ment can reduce that drug intake by 90% or more in the majority carbon dioxide in the lungs is over-breathing, also known as of cases. hyperventilation. If we breathe in too great a volume of air for Outside Russia, the first Buteyko clinical trials on asthma suf- our body's needs, we breathe off carbon dioxide too rapidly and ferers were completed in 1995 in Australia by Associate Professor the lungs are unable to maintain the right level in the air sacs. Charles Mitchell of the Queensland University Medical School, When carbon dioxide is low due to over-breathing, this causes a Dr Simon Bowler of the Mater Hospital and Ms Tess Graham of chemical reaction which makes it hard for oxygen to be released the Buteyko Group. The results of the first half of the trial, which from the bloodstream into the tissues of the body. The tissues of were presented to a conference of the Thoracic Society in Hobart the body then become starved of oxygen, despite the blood being on 30 March 1995, supported the findings of Professor Buteyko, rich in oxygen. and a press release at the time made the general findings public. Tissues starved of oxygen cannot be healthy: they become irri- The Buteyko method is taught in all capital cities and many table; and smooth muscles react by going into spasm. Smooth country areas of Australia, as well as in New Zealand, Europe and muscle is found around our air tubes and around blood vessels, the United States [see contact details at the end of this article]. arteries and veins, and forms part of the wall of the intestines. With more than 10,000 people having learnt the method in Oxygen starvation of vital organs (such as the brain) excites the Australia as at mid-1999, the success rate continues to be very breathing centre in the brain, thereby creating a state of breathing high. Asthma sufferers attending the clinics have found that, after stimulation. This increases the breathing even further, creating a learning and practising the method, they can reduce their use of "shortness of breath" sensation in the already deep-breathing per- relievers and preventers to varying significant degrees. son, which further deepens the breath and creates a vicious circle It is impossible to overestimate the importance of the Buteyko because even more carbon dioxide is breathed off. Normal breathing 3 to 5 litres per minute Healthy level of 6.5% carbon dioxide in air sacs. Hidden over-breathing 5 to 10 litres per minute Results in very gradual sickness not easily noticed, and illness develops over many years. Over-breathing 10 to 20 litres per minute This is known as an "attack", where the adult asthma sufferer, or a person with a related condition, hyper- ventilates rapidly. 20 to 30 litres per minute At this maximum level, the person suffers a sudden anxiety attack. 36 + NEXUS AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 1999