The late Academician Amosov wrote: “Breathing training can significantly improve health. K.P. Buteyko has been advocating this for more than 30 years. The official science does not like him, but his arguments are reasonable. The essence of the idea is that modern civilized man breathes too deeply, washing out of the blood carbon dioxide, which not only delivers oxygen molecules to the cells of the body, but is also the most important regulator of the functions of internal organs. The result of carbon dioxide leaching from the blood is spasms of the bronchi, blood vessels and intestines. Angina, arterial hypertension, bronchial asthma, stomach ulcers, colitis develop.”
An indication of the installation of the respiratory center as a regulator of C02 in the blood is the respiratory pause. Buteyko offers several gradations, but his “maximum pause” seems sufficient to me. The technique of its definition is the following. It is necessary to sit down, having straightened a back, to relax and smoothly breathe for 10 20 seconds. On the background of the next calm exhalation, clasp your fingers and mouth and note the time on the second hand. And – endure as long as you can. In no case should you measure the pause after a deep breath.
The evaluation of the indicators is as follows. The norm – 60 s, 50 s and less is considered pathology: 50 s – 1st degree, 40 s – 2nd, 30 s – 3rd, 20 s – 4th, 10 s – 5th. Below 5 s is the “boundary of life”. Exceeding the pause of more than 60 s is evaluated as “super endurance”. I will not give its gradations, the last figure is 180 s.
My pause varies between 60 and 65 s.
The simplest Buteyko training is as follows. You need to breathe in such a way that you want to inhale more deeply. More difficult training – long breath delays. In general, you need to constantly monitor your breathing, breathe shallowly, not allowing yourself to take deep breaths or yawn.
Buteyko gives figures of correspondence of lengthening of a breathing pause and increase of carbon dioxide in blood. The increase is noticeable, but not very large.
I have many times tested on myself the effect of breath-holding for headaches. In about ten minutes, the pain subsided, and then disappeared altogether. Very helpful breath-holding in cases where you need to warm up, also when you have a stuffy nose or when there are any asthmatic phenomena.
THE ESSENCE OF THE BUTEYKO METHOD AND PREPARATION FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION
A healthy person at rest and at low physical activity breathes only through the nose, slowly and shallowly, with a frequency of 6-8 breaths per minute. Breathing should have the same rhythm as the heartbeat. Shallow breath, normal, passive, calm exhalation, and after it – an automatic pause as an integral component of each breathing cycle, during which, in general, occurs gas exchange in the lungs. In the patient it is disturbed, the pause between exhalation and subsequent inhalation is absent.
Even at rest, the patient is breathing through his mouth, breathing produces deep, rapid, with a frequency of up to 20 and even up to 50 times per minute. Breath curves of a healthy and a sick person look different.
Compared to breathing frequency, a more important value is their depth, which determines the level of ventilation of the lungs. If a healthy person at rest after exhalation can hold his breath for at least 60 seconds, the ability of a sick person is very limited, the delay of his breath does not exceed a few seconds (5-10). The deeper the breathing, the shorter the pause after exhalation and the delay after it, the sicker the person is, and it is necessary to correct his breathing as quickly as possible.
For more than fifty years of practice K. P. Buteyko and his associates have established that improper breathing can be corrected voluntarily. They have developed essentially new methods of early diagnostics, the prevention and non-drug treatment of diseases by way of VEDB (Volitional elimination of deep breathing).
The essence of Buteyko’s method consists in gradual volitional reduction of respiration depth (liquidation of chronic hyperventilation of lungs) at rest, during motor activity and at physical load by constant relaxation of respiratory muscles during training till the appearance of easy sensation of lack of air.
The practice of using VEDB gave positive results in the absolute majority of patients even when all medications were cancelled. The way of breathing on Buteyko demands from the engaged certain qualities – force of will, persistence, diligence, discipline and conscious desire to not allow occurrence of disease or “to overcome” it.
To apply the Buteyko VEDB method, careful preparation is necessary, except for those cases when emergency aid is required. The patient needs to learn the theory and principles of the VEDB method, the technique and mode of its implementation in accordance with the indications and contraindications. Before the start of treatment, the patient should study only the theory of the method for 1-3 days, the knowledge of which is evaluated on a five-point system. They are considered to be in direct relation to the therapeutic effect. Treatment is preceded by a deep breathing test performed by the doctor, which is evaluated as positive if the patient’s condition worsens when breathing deepens and improves when the depth is reduced, and is a specific test if it causes the patient’s main symptoms of the disease (for example, an attack of choking in bronchial asthma).
The results of the deep breathing test of the patient practically convince the doctor that the cause of the disease is deep breathing, which can be corrected by the Buteyko method.
According to installation of K. P. Buteyko, as a result of deep breathing and increased pulmonary ventilation excessive removal of carbon dioxide from the body occurs, which in turn leads to narrowing of the bronchi, arterial vessels in various areas of the human body, their damage and a decrease in the flow of oxygen to the cells, tissues and organs. As a result of their oxygen starvation all kinds of metabolism are disturbed, which is expressed in the appearance of allergic reactions, tendency to colds, deposition of salts. Numerous diseases arise and progress, including bronchial asthma, manifesting as various symptoms: nervous system agitation, sleep disturbance, shortness of breath and choking, headache and other forms of pain.
Existing deep breathing is further aggravated by::
- strong emotions;
- Heavy eating and overeating, especially the abuse of protein foods (fish, meat, broths, eggs, caviar, cottage cheese, milk), as well as
- the use of strong coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- deep-breathing types of exercise;
- heat;
- prolonged sleep, especially on the back;
- coughing.
Reduce breathing depth and increase carbon dioxide content in the body:
- mental rest, psychotherapy sessions, hypnosis, muscle relaxation;
- natural elevation of body temperature;
- dosed fasting, vegetarianism, raw eating, use of some medicinal plants;
- physical activity, mountain climbing up to 4 km in altitude, most yoga exercises;
- moderate tempering, wearing light clothing in low air temperatures, walrus bathing;
- massage and self-massage, hydrotherapy, sauna;
- sleeping in the prone position on a hard bed.
INDICATIONS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS FOR RESPIRATORY GYMNASTICS BUTEYKO
The indication for VEDB is the presence of deep breathing (determined by the value of the control pause – see below) and, as a consequence, such symptoms of the disease as:
- difficulty in nasal breathing;
- loss of sense of smell;
- habit of breathing through mouth;
- fear of stuffiness;
- frequent deep breathing with participation of additional muscles;
- absence of a pause after exhalation, even at rest;
- dry cough or cough with sputum;
- dyspnea at physical activity and even at rest;
- feeling of lack of air, incomplete inhalation, tightness and pain of different nature in the chest, spasms of the larynx and bronchi.
Such people have bad posture, deformed thorax. They often suffer from vasomotor rhinitis, chronic tonsillitis, inflammation of the sinuses, pulmonary emphysema, bronchiectasis, they are prone to frequent colds, pneumonia.
Contraindications to Buteyko breathing exercises are relative and include:
- mental illness and mental defects that do not allow
- The patient to understand the essence of the method and master it;
- Diseases threatening severe bleeding;
- Infectious diseases in the acute period;
- exacerbation of chronic tonsillitis;
- interictal period.
You can learn more about how to master the VEDB method in our Holistic System of Weight Loss, Recovery and Rejuvenation course.