Nexus - 0605 - New Times Magazine-pages

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breathe in a shallower way, so that their lungs could return to nor- mality—that is, with the carbon dioxide level at around 6.5 per cent. To achieve this re-education, it was important for people to see what factors were making them over-breathe in the first place. Professor Buteyko came up with the theory that a majority of | mality—that is, with the carbon dioxide level at around 6.5 per the human population actually over-breathes, some more severely cent. To achieve this re-education, it was important for people to than others. Because people are unaware of this factor, he called see what factors were making them over-breathe in the first place. it hidden hyperventilation—long-term over-breathing not clearly visible to the individual. TRIGGERS THAT MAY CAUSE OVER-BREATHING He noticed that the result of obvious over-breathing has the According to Professor Buteyko's research, the majority of peo- equivalent effect of an acute and serious anxiety attack: shaking ple over-breathes or hyperventilates. Some people seem to over- hands, anxiety, chest pain, air hunger, finger tingles and spasm breathe more than others, so they may be more susceptible to cer- (tetany), cramps and racing pulse. He went on to find that the tain external factors. effect of less serious over-breathing, which is not noticed immedi- There are a number of triggers which seem to make this situa- ately, has equally dire consequences for a person's health over tion a special problem for those who have a tendency towards time. asthma: The amount of air we breathe is measured in litres. Table 1 1. The belief that deep breathing is helpful and improves shows the effects of normal breathing and over-breathing. health. This is received wisdom in the Western world, though In general, the person's system becomes ill through over-breath- not in Eastern cultures, where shallow breathing is practised for ing, and is then more prone to viral illness and allergies. The shift bodily and mental health. We breathe in more air when we exer- in the rate of body activity disturbs the normal flow of chemical cise, it is true, but it does not follow that regular deep-breathing is reactions in the body and results in further illness. beneficial. In fact, try to make the barbecue fire catch by breath- If over-breathing disturbs our basic total ing in deeply and blowing out hard, and you metabolism, as the Professor believes, we can will rapidly become faint. Observe top athletes start to understand how it might cause a diverse and swimmers: these super-fit people have the set of symptoms: bronchospasm (spasming of In general, the person's slowest pulse and shallowest breathing in the the air tubes), heart blood- vessel spasm and system becomes ill population. A fit, healthy body breathes slowly increased blood pressure. These symptoms are . A and more shallowly. Swimming is the best recognised and help us define certain diseases: through over breathing, sport for asthma sufferers because swimmers asthma, angina and hypertension. Professor and is then more Prone | hold their breath while exercising; they practise Buteyko concluded that if breathing is not cor- to viral illness and the Buteyko method without realising it. rected, this in turn leads to further deterioration . 2. Stress from both positive and nega- of asthma, sclerosis (hardening) of blood ves- allergies. tive emotions. Both excitement and depression sels and lungs, myocardial infarction (heart cause stress, and research shows that people under stress over-breathe. 3. Over-eating. When we eat too much, the system has to work harder to process the food, and this can cause over-breathing. To avoid this, one should not over-eat. It is also a fact that animal protein makes the body work harder. Many asthma sufferers will have noticed that red meat and cheese (animal protein), for example, sharply increase hyperventilation. To avoid over- breathing caused by the food we eat, it is better to eat more plant products than ani- mal products. You should also eat raw attack) and strokes. In fact, he claims over-breathing to be directly linked to at least 150 diseases. The Buteyko theory states that these diseases are the body's defence mechanism against the excessive loss of carbon dioxide through over- breathing. It is important to remember that the human organism tries at all times to keep carbon dioxide at the normal, beneficial level in the lungs. Buteyko theory explains that when we over-breathe, the body adopts a defence mechanism to retain The shift in the rate of body activity disturbs the normal flow of chemical reactions in the body and results in further illness. carbon dioxide. These are the signs of this at work: food more than cooked food, as raw food causes less over-breath- 1. Spasm of the airways and air sacs. These close up to ing. make openings narrower in an effort to keep the carbon dioxide in 4. Lack of regular exercise. Physical activity, on the other the lungs. hand, encourages the release of carbon dioxide from the body 2. Mucus and phlegm development. This is another way for cells, increasing its level in the lungs. In vigorous exercise the body to narrow the airways in an attempt to trap the carbon (except for swimming), of course, we breathe deeply, which dioxide. results in a short-term drop in the carbon dioxide level, but the 3. Swelling of the mucus lining and the bronchial tubes. long-term result of fitness is a higher level of carbon dioxide in This is a further way for the body to narrow the airways. the lungs and better nourishment of all the cells in the body. Asthma sufferers will instantly recognise the above symptoms. 5. Prolonged, excessive sleep. Professor Buteyko's research There is another that is not obvious to those who over-breathe: demonstrates that lying down for a long time, especially on the 4. Increased production of cholesterol in the liver. This back, while asleep or while bed-ridden, causes severe over-breath- causes a thickening of the cell walls of the blood vessels, which in —_ ing. Techniques to avoid over-breathing in horizontal positions turn prevents transfer of carbon dioxide from the blood vessels are described later. Patients should sleep only 6 to 7 hours if back to the small air sacs in the lungs. possible, on the left side, and breathe through the nose with the Professor Buteyko concluded that to avoid making the body ill mouth firmly shut. through over-breathing, and also to avoid the uncomfortable and 6. Hot and stuffy environments. We over-breathe when our unpleasant effects of the defence mechanism at work, the solution body detects that the air we are breathing does not contain what was to educate the over-breathers so that they could learn to we need. On the other hand, mild or cold temperatures all assist allergies. NEXUS - 37 THE RESULTS OF OVER-BREATHING AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 1999