Animals Breathing rate / life span

December 30th, 2011

 
Just for fun we’ve compiled a table of animals breathing rate / life span. Not a scientific evidence, but enough to see the connection! Mole and Shrew are “relatives”, as well as House mouse and Bat, but Mole and Bat live in lower oxygen/higher CO2 environment. Their lifespan is times greater than that of above-the-ground “relatives”.

Happy New Year from the Buteyko Clinic!
Breathe less – live healthier and longer!

 

Animal Breathing rate,  breaths/min Life span,  years
Giant Tortoise 4 150
Whale 6 111
Elephant 4-5 (lying down) 70
Horse 8-15 50
Chimpanzee 14 40
Monkeys 32 18-23
Dogs 20-30 10-20
Mole <Underground tunnels> 4
Shrew 140-170 1
House mouse 95-160 1.5-3
Bat <Caves> Up to 40

 
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Buteyko Clinic USA offers unique breathing rehabilitation programs that result in long term drug free control over asthma, allergies, COPD, rhinitis, chronic cough, snoring, sleep apnea, anxiety, panic, chronic hyperventilation syndrome and other chronic conditions.
Visit our websites www.asthmacare.us and www.buteykohelponline.com

Contact us today for a free consultation.

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Flu(s) blues. What to do if virus strikes.

December 9th, 2011

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The holiday season is here, and we want to look and feel our best. Unfortunately, this time of the year coincides with the beginning of the dreaded increase in upper respiratory infections. People with weakened immune system and chronic respiratory conditions are especially at risk. Instead of loading on OTC cold /flu medications that are not effective, but often create more problems, these simple rules will help you to get over your cold /flu faster and avoid complications.

- To unblock congested nose, perform nose unblocking exercise. Good demonstration of the exercise you can find here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeLqJXRVq-Y

- It is important to ensure nasal breathing all the time; every effort should be put into unblocking your nose, so you don’t mouth breathe.  If you have a severe congestion and nose unblocking exercise helps only partially, natural decongestant sprays (such as with grapefruit seed extract) can be a good add-on. Saline rinses can be very helpful also. For bedtime, if everything else fails, and you cannot breathe through your nose all night, OTC decongestant sprays, such as  Afrin, can be used, but not more than for 3 days.  Decongestant teas can be a good option, but  read the label. For example, overconsumption of licorice, often found in decongestant teas, might elevate blood pressure. Educate yourself on the herbs you are taking, and consume specific herbal teas/supplements in moderation.

- Do Short Breath Holds (SBH) exercise (3-4 sec breathholds) throughout the day, about 10-15 min at a time. A good demonstration of SBH exercise you can find here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDtVGzSH_Uo&feature=related

- If you have fever, chills, fatigue, stay in bed and rest, but if not, try not to stay in bed all day, move  around. Lying down all day long will increase hyperventilation.

- Remember correct way to cough and blow your nose. Do not force cough. Do not blow your nose too hard. When need to cough, take a small breath through the nose, cough gently with your mouth closed or cap mouth and nose with tissue/hand/elbow. Gentle breath holding and quiet breathing with smaller inhales will stop coughing fit before it has a chance to develop. Start doing breath holds after normal exhale at the first sign of cough or if you need to relieve mucus. Sometimes you feel that mucus plug has shifted and makes you congested, but it is “not quite there” to cough it up effortlessly. Gently reducing your breathing together with doing holds will shift the mucus plug, while forcing it out by taking big breaths through the mouth and coughing repeatedly will make your airway constrict more. When blowing nose, blow gently, one nostril at a time, then wipe, then hold your breath for a few seconds.

-  Dental hygiene is very important during upper respiratory infections. Brush and floss your teeth twice a day, clean your tongue with tongue scraper. Sanitize your brush and tongue scraper often. Rinse with natural alcohol free mouthwash that contains herbal extracts and essential oils. Many of them have natural anti-viral / anti-bacterial extracts/oils in them.

- To relieve sore throat, use a solution of baking soda and salt in warm water. Gargle 2-3 times a day (once at bedtime). Don’t drink or eat for at least half an hour after gargling.

- Taking immune boosters might help. Echinacea can be taken at the very first sign of symptoms and continued for three days only. Recent clinical studies confirm that Elderberry can help prevent and relieve flu, including H1N1 virus. Elderberry can be taken for the duration of the flu / cold and as a preventative measure whenever you need a gentle immune boost.

- Drink plenty of liquid. Green and herbal teas and warm water with a bit of fresh lemon juice are the best. Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Tea with honey and lemon is excellent for soothing sore throat or relieving that “raw” congested feeling in your chest. Raw local honey is the best, if available.

- If you don’t have appetite, don’t make yourself eat; if you do, it is better to have smaller portions and lighter foods.

- Great foods that will speed up the recovery are homemade chicken soup (made from chicken meat with bones, root and other vegetables) and salads with raw garlic and onion. Raw garlic and onion are natural anti- bacterial and anti-viral foods.

- Try not to lower your temperature until it reaches alarming degrees such as above 102F (39 C)*. Raising temperature is body’s way to fight bacteria / virus. One natural way to gently bring fever down is to take a lukewarm bath (with the  temperature slightly lower than the body temperature).  If your fever is high, you experience weakness or dizziness, be sure you are assisted and supervised while taking a bath, and of course, always supervise children. One of the Russian folk remedies to lower temperature and fight virus is to drink plenty of hot tea with homemade pureed sugared berries or berry preserves, such as raspberry or black currant.  Resulting sweating usually causes drop in  temperature. Interesting, Dr Mercola suggests the tea, which he says works by the same principals.  A tea made from a combination of elderflower, yarrow, boneset, linden, peppermint and ginger; drink it hot and often for combating a cold or flu. It causes you to sweat, which is helpful for eradicating a virus from your system.

* The exception is if you know that you/ your child have a history of seizures or other complications caused by high fever.

- If congestion and mucus persist and become bothersome, breathing exercises such as Short Breath Holds (SBH) or breathholds of about half of your Control Pause (What is Control Pause – How to measure your Control Pause) will help  to shift and expel mucus easier. There are few herbs that are natural expectorants, but be thoroughly informed of what you are taking. Do not take them for a long period of time. If you have lung conditions such as COPD,
pulmonary hypertension, bronchiectasis, consult your doctor before taking any herbal or other expectorant

- Let yourself fully recover and try not to expose yourself to cold temperatures outdoor until your symptoms subside significantly

- Having adequate levels of Vitamin D3 is shown to shorten the duration of the cold/flu and increase resistance to upper  respiratory infections in general. Safe sun exposure is the best way for the body to take and utilize Vitamin D, but in winter months it becomes problematic. Know your Vitamin D level; if you are deficient, take supplements (D3). Probiotic supplements and Cod Liver Oil / Krill oil / Fish oil are other good supplements to take to strengthen immune system and reduce inflammation. Oregano oil is known for strong anti-bacterial, anti-fungal properties. Supplementing with Vitamin C and Zinc can be very helpful during upper respiratory infections.

- All these measures should help you shorten the duration of your cold/flu and avoid complications, but if fever persist for more than 5 days, especially if you have lung disease or history of chronic respiratory / ENT infections, visit a doctor to make sure you don’t have pneumonia or other bacterial infection. Other symptoms that should prompt visit to the doctor include ear or sinus pain with a lot of nasal stuffiness or drainage, shortness of breath, cough that is not subsiding after a couple of weeks, coughing up dark colored green or yellow sputum.

- If you were diagnosed with bacterial infection and needed a course of antibiotics, follow by at least one month of probiotic supplements.

- And finally, consider taking a full Buteyko course, such as the one we offer. One of the major advantages of learning the Buteyko Breathing is that once your breathing is physiologically healthy, you become much more resistant to viral, bacterial and fungal infections.  It is that simple –PREVENT upper respiratory infections rather than fight them later.

Have a safe, healthy and joyful Holiday Season!

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Buteyko Clinic USA offers unique breathing rehabilitation programs that result in long term drug free control over asthma, allergies, COPD, rhinitis, chronic cough, snoring, sleep apnea, anxiety, panic, chronic hyperventilation syndrome and other chronic conditions. Contact us today for a free consultation.

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Role of Carbon Dioxide in Breathing Control

December 2nd, 2011

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Contrary to what most people think, under normal circumstances, CO2 controls our breathing, not oxygen. Our body carries more oxygen than we need – a ‘reserve’ in case of extreme situations where we might need a burst of energy. When the CO2 levels rise to what body’s chemical receptors ”are taught“ is the correct amount to trigger breathing cycle, they signal the respiratory center in the brain, and the brain, in turn, sends signal to breathing muscles to take a breath.

The problem here is that these chemical receptors are adjustable in order to adapt the body to different situations. If we over-breathe for longer periods of time, the chemo-receptors are “desensitized” and reset to trigger breathing cycle at lower levels of CO2.
The healthy level we should be triggered to breathe is about 40 mm Hg of arterial (pA) CO2. The average asthmatic is triggered by only 33 mm Hg of pA CO2 (the Brisbane trial). Smooth muscle constricts at about 30 mm Hg.

Ironically, the more you breathe (and the longer you neglect the problem), the less oxygen your body can utilize (although plenty is available), the more symptoms associated with blood vessel and smooth muscle constriction are present. As a result, you are left with breathlessness, wheezing, cough, nasal congestion, sleep apnea, headaches, brain fog, anxiety, fatigue, digestive dysfunctions and more.

What Buteyko does is teaching you to breathe physiologically healthy again—correcting dysfunctional breathing (which in time will “reset” your chemo-receptors) without use of drugs or devices.

You can effectively combat your asthma or other condition with good understanding of Buteyko principals, simple breathing exercises and useful information on how to incorporate the Buteyko breathing into your life.
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Buteyko Clinic USA offers unique breathing rehabilitation programs that result in long term drug free control over asthma, allergies, COPD, rhinitis, chronic cough, snoring, sleep apnea, anxiety, panic, chronic hyperventilation syndrome and other chronic conditions. Contact us today for a free consultation.

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Sleep With Buteyko

September 2nd, 2011
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Apply the Buteyko Method to address snoring, sleep apnea and insomnia.
First part of the book contains complete Buteyko instructions, second part of the book documents the science behind chronic hyperventilation and how it contributes to snoring, sleep apnea and insomnia. A must read!
 
What is Sleep Apnea?Apnea is a Greek word meaning “without breath.”
There are three types of apnea during sleep: central, obstructive and mixed. Mixed apnea is a combination of central and obstructive sleep apnea. It can be argued with some conviction that chronic hyperventilation offers an explanation for both types of sleep apnea.

 Central Sleep Apnea

Central sleep apnea affects approximately 5% of sufferers and results from the brain not sending the right signals to breathe. Excessive breathing volume during sleep causes a reduction in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide. This shifts the pH of the blood in an alkaline direction. To maintain the pH within normal levels, a natural bodily response is to hold the breath, allowing the pH to revert to normal. In other words, central apnea occurs from breathing in excess of metabolic requirements.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

During your school days, you may remember reading about Joe the “fat boy” from the Pickwick papers written by Charles Dickens in 1837.

Joe ate in great quantities and was liable to fall asleep during any situation. His breathing was heavy, he snored and he was continuously sleepy. Originally described as the Pickwickian syndrome, his breathing was later labeled as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
While obstructive sleep apnea more often affects men with a neck size of 17 inches or larger, it can also affect children and adults who are not overweight. Children who breathe through their mouth are at risk of developing cranio-facial changes, such as undeveloped jaws, smaller airways, and narrow faces. It also increases the likelihood of the child developing lifelong sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of apnea and is characterized by holding the breath from collapse of the upper airways during sleep. This holding of the breath, which prevents airflow to the lungs, may occur between five and fifty times per hour. Each breath hold can range from a few seconds to over one minute, causing one’s blood oxygen saturation to decline to as low as 50%.

After a period of holding the breath during sleep, the centre within the brain that controls breathing alerts the rest of the brain that the breath is being held and the individual partially wakes up. This is followed by gasping, a sharp intake of breath, and spluttering, which is often of great concern to sleep partners who in turn suffer from sleep deprivation. The sufferer is unaware that he or she is holding his or her breath, often feels that he or she slept well but wonders why he or she is so tired during the day.

All patients with sleep apnea breathe extremely heavily while sleeping. A normal routine is thunderous snoring followed by complete cessation of the breath.

Imagine sucking air through a collapsible rubber tube. As one sucks air through the tube, the walls of the tube tend to collapse inwards from the pressure created by drawing air. During a gentle draw of air, pressure is minimal and the inner walls of the tube do not collapse. However, during a strong draw of air, the walls can collapse and the more effort one makes to suck air through the tube, the more the walls collapse.
An engineer looking at this problem might offer two solutions. The first is to widen the tube. The second is to reduce the airflow.

Widening a human airway through surgery is a last resort. While losing weight from around the neck region is helpful, a more plausible option is to reduce breathing volume.

Large breathing volume causes the airway walls to collapse, resulting in holding of the breath. During the cessation of the breath, the chest and diaphragm continue to try to draw air into the lungs. This results in jerking and heaving as the diaphragm presses downward. The greater the heaving of the chest and diaphragm, the more the airway walls are drawn inward. Eventually, the patient begins to breathe again.

Symptoms resulting from sleep apnea include excessive daytime sleepiness, waking up tired, loud snoring, holding the breath during the night, loud snorts, gasps upon resumption of breathing, dry throat, dry mouth, and headaches in morning, problems with memory and concentration, heartburn or reflux, swelling of the legs, needing to urinate during the night, sweating during sleep, chest pain, and elevations in blood pressure. Of course, this loud snoring accompanied by loud snorts and gasps can also lead to marital problems.

 Side effects of CPAP

The normal treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. The patient wears a mask over the face and air is applied at a pressure that exceeds the airway opening pressure, thereby enabling the patient to breathe without cessation. In simple terms, it may be best understood as a small vacuum cleaner working in reverse, applying sufficient air pressure to force the airways open.
The CPAP can resolve apneas in many patients, leading to improved sleep quality, decreased sleepiness, and lower blood pressure.1,2,3,4

The machine helps the patient as long as he or she continues to use it. On the downside, it does nothing to address the major contributory factor of sleep apnea, namely chronic overbreathing. Wearing a mask during sleep can be claustrophobic, uncomfortable, cumbersome, and inconvenient, and getting tangled in the tube can be annoying. The air is very dry, which may cause rhinitis, a dripping nose, a blocked nose, and nasal irritation. Even when the mask is worn correctly, the feeling of the airflow is often described as putting ones head out of a car window while the car is moving at 30 miles per hour. Partners and patients often find the humming of the machine very distracting. The machine has to be cleaned on a regular basis, but few do this. Overall, while it is accepted as the gold standard of treatment, the CPAP machine has major short comings.

During one study of 300 patients referred to the London Chest Ventilatory support unit, it was found that 96% of patients complained of at least one side effect resulting from the therapy, while 45% complained of a side effect from the nasal mask.5

In a study of 80 patients, Verse et al. found that the most prevalent side effects were disturbance of the mask during the night (71.3%), dry mouth (47.5%), dry nose (46.3%), pressure marks from the mask (41.3%), crusts within the nasal cavity (38.8%), and hearing loss (26.3%). Mouth and nose dryness were considered the most irritating side effects.6

In another study of 41 patients with OSAS, the paper noted that “the most frequently reported problems were a tender region on the bridge of the nose and discomfort associated with a dry nasal mucosa. Although CPAP treatment was initially accepted by most patients, adverse effects and other difficulties decreased patient compliance, with time, in many cases.”7

A paper published in The Canadian Respiratory Journal observed that “compliance is a significant problem and has been incompletely assessed in long-term studies.” After evaluating 80 patients to determine long-term compliance with CPAPA, the authors concluded that “although many patients with OSA derive subjective benefit from, and adhere to treatment with CPAP, a significant proportion of those so diagnosed either do not initiate or eventually abandon therapy.”8

The journal Sleep found that only 40% of the 162 newly diagnosed patients who required CPAPA therapy accepted the treatment. The paper noted that compliance was higher in higher socioeconomic groups than the lower.9 Other researchers found that “failure to comply with treatment has been reported to be as high as 25 to 50%, with patients typically abandoning therapy during the first 2 to 4 weeks of treatment.”10

According to Broström A et al., “Adherence to CPAP treatment is a multifaceted problem including patient, treatment, condition, social, and healthcare related factors. Knowledge about facilitators and barriers for adherence to CPAP treatment can be used in interventional strategies.”11

References

1. Pepperell JC, Ramdassingh-Dow S, Crosthwaite N, et al. Ambulatory blood pressure after therapeutic and subtherapeutic nasal continuous positive airway pressure for obstructive sleep apnea: a randomised parallel trial. Lancet. 2002;359:204-10.
2. Hack M, Davies RJ, Mullins R, et al. Randomised prospective parallel trial of therapeutic versus subtherapeutic nasal continuous positive airway pressure on simulated steering performance in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Thorax. 2000;55:224-31.
3. Norman D, Loredo JS, Nelesen RA, et al. Effects of continuous positive airway pressure versus supplemental oxygen on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure. Hypertension. 2006;47:840-5.
4. Shivalkar B, Van de Heyning C, Kerremans M, et al. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: more insights on structural and functional cardiac alterations, and the effects of treatment with continuous positive airway pressure. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006;47:1433-9.
5. Kalan A, Kenyon GS, Seemungal TA, Wedzicha JA. Adverse effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy in sleep apnea syndrome. J Laryngol Otol. 1999 Oct;113(10):888-92.
6. Verse T, Lehnhardt E, Pirsig W, Junge-Hülsing B, Kroker B. [What are the side-effects of nocturnal continuous positive pressure ventilation (nCPAP) in patients with sleep apnea for the head-neck region?].[Article in German] Laryngorhinootologie. 1999 Sep;78(9):491-6.
7. Kuhl S, Hollandt JH, Siegert R. [Therapy with nasal CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). II: Side-effects of nCPAP therapy. Effect on long-term acceptance] Laryngorhinootologie 1997 Oct;76(10):608-13.
8. Wolkove N, Baltzan M, Kamel H, Dabrusin R, Palayew M. Long-term compliance with continuous positive airway pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnea Can Respir J. 2008 Oct;15(7):365-9.
9. Simon-Tuval T, Reuveni H, Greenberg-Dotan S, Oksenberg A, Tal A, Tarasiuk A. Low socioeconomic status is a risk factor for CPAP acceptance among adult OSAS patients requiring treatment. Sleep. 2009 Apr 1;32(4):545-52.
10. Zozula R, Rosen R Compliance with continuous positive airway pressure therapy: assessing and improving treatment outcomes. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2001 Nov;7(6):391-8.
11. Broström A, Nilsen P, Johansson P, Ulander M, Strömberg A, Svanborg E, Fridlund B Putative facilitators and barriers for adherence to CPAP treatment in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a qualitative content analysis. Sleep Med. 2010 Feb;11(2):126-30. Epub 2009 Dec 9.

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Buteyko Clinic USA offers unique breathing rehabilitation programs that result in long term drug free control over asthma, allergies, COPD, rhinitis, chronic cough, snoring, sleep apnea, anxiety, panic, chronic hyperventilation syndrome and other chronic conditions. Contact us today for a free consultation.

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Chernobyl anniversary and tragedy in Japan. What can you really do to protect yourself.

April 15th, 2011
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HELP JAPANESE VICTIMS
The Buteyko Clinic USA will donate 10% of every workshop fee or DVD set sales fee earned during months of May and June to the victims of Japanese earthquake /tsunami.   

  
Improve your health and help those in need!  Learn about Programs and Self Study materials we offer.  

 In the wake of Japanese disaster we searched the web for statistics on nuclear plants. In the US alone we have over 100, and 4-6 new ones might be built by 2018.While nuclear disasters are considered rare (how rare is reasonably rare?), the outcomes might be especially devastating and lasting for decades. Even the most modern plant can suffer from a huge natural disaster, like Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
And no matter how far we are in the world from the place of event, the above-normal amounts of radiation can reach us by air, water, contaminated fish and such.That tragic event naturally raised a question – what can we really do to protect ourselves if something like this happens? There are a lot of nutritional recommendations you can find now on natural health websites, including supplementing with potassium iodide, sea vegetables and immune support herbs. However, not knowing your iodine level and other health parameters, it might be unsafe for some to supplement with potassium iodide. It will not offer a lot of protection either.

Consider the Buteyko Breathing. Not only it optimizes your immune and digestive systems, it prepares your body to fight harmful outside influences with greater efficiency.

This month it will be 25 years since the Chernobyl catastrophe (26th of April, 1986). In 1990, at Shevchenko’s Central Hospital in Kiev, Ukraine, there was the Buteyko Breathing Method trial involving victims of Chernobyl disaster; some of the participants were those who responded first and therefore received large doses of radiation. After the treatment, the participants reported decreased headaches, decreased stomach pain as well as significantly diminished dizziness, nausea and fatigue. The official results were reported as –out of 50 patients with radiation sickness due to Chernobyl’s nuclear plant disaster, 82% of patients had considerable improvement in blood analysis, cardiovascular parameters (blood pressure, pulse, etc.), work of the digestive system, and reduction in medication. No cases of side effects or complications due to the breathing exercises were reported.

We all wish that more long-term studies could be done in the Western medical world on different applications of the Buteyko Method. With such impressive results after small trials, how can we disregard this simple and effective technique?

Meanwhile, you can start Buteyko breathing to improve your own and your family’s health. This way, the most important part of your “emergency preparedness kit” will always be with you.

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Buteyko Clinic USA offers unique breathing rehabilitation programs that result in long term drug free control over asthma, allergies, COPD, rhinitis, chronic cough, snoring, sleep apnea, anxiety, panic, chronic hyperventilation syndrome and other chronic conditions. Contact us today for a free consultation.

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New Buteyko Children DVD set is available!

April 9th, 2011
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TO VIEW OR PURCHASE ALL BUTEYKO BOOKS CLICK HERE
DOES MOUTH BREATHING CREATE UGLY CHILDREN?
DOES MOUTH BREATHING CAUSE SNORING AND SLEEP APNOEA? 
 
 
 
 
 
Toddlers and young children generally have well-defined, broad and good-looking faces. However, a different story emerges with many teenagers. A visit to a high school will uncover many long, narrow and flat faces with sunken cheek bones, receded chins, narrow jaws and prominent noses. So what happens in the interim? Why do children develop crooked teeth and narrow faces?
Many young children have beautifully straight teeth at the age of five or six but the teeth and face can quickly change if they leave their mouth open. Consensus from thousands of oral facial myologists, hygienists, dentists, orthodontists and published papers worldwide is that for the face and, consequently, teeth to develop correctly, a number of factors must be employed by the growing child. Such factors include:

  • Mouth closed with lips gently together;
  • Three quarters of the tongue resting in the roof of the mouth, with the tip of the tongue placed before the front teeth;
  • Breathing through the nose;
  • Correct swallowing;

According to Meredith, 60% of the growth of the face takes place during the first four years of life and 90% takes place by the age of 12. Development of the lower jaw continues until around age 18.
Based on these observations, for correct craniofacial growth to take place, early intervention with nasal breathing and tongue posture is essential. In the words of Dr Carl Schreiner, “The deleterious effects of nasal obstruction are virtually complete by puberty so the window of opportunity is relatively brief. Delay in intervention may result in unsuccessful orthodontic treatment which may require orhthagnathic surgery at an older age”.

WHY DO ANIMALS NOT DEVELOP CROOKED TEETH?

Of all the species on earth, humans are most affected by crooked teeth. The traditional explanation is that the child inherited smaller jaws from his or her mother and larger teeth from his or her father. Could this be true?
In the aptly entitled book, Why Raise Ugly Kids? Dr Hal A. Huggins questions the genetic argument and cites his observation of working on the family farm. One comment is as follows: “Horse and donkey – cross them and you get a fine work animal. Used them a lot on the farm and know what? I never saw a mule with horse’s teeth and a donkeys jaw.”
Dogs, with the exception of those who have been crossbred, are another good example, as the pups of a labrador father and poodle mother will have straight teeth. “Domestic dogs don’t develop malocclusions (crooked teeth) unless they are selectively crossbred for the purpose as with bulldogs”.
According to Australian orthodontist Dr John Flutter, “every child’s face has the growth potential to match its own set of teeth.”Bearing this in mind, Dr Mike Mew advocates that “there is no evidence that we should not accommodate 32 well aligned teeth today or that there has been any genetic change.”

MOUTH BREATHING CAUSES CROOKED TEETH

During the 1960s, dentist Egil P Harvold recognised that “oral respiration associated with obstruction of the nasal airway is a common finding among patients seeking orthodontic treatment.”To determine the relationship between mouth breathing and crooked teeth, he conducted a number of experiments by blocking the noses of young monkeys with silicon nose plugs.
“The experiments showed that the monkeys adapted to nasal obstruction in different ways. In general, the experimental animals maintained an open mouth. All experimental animals gradually acquired a facial appearance and dental occlusion different from those of the control animals.” The mouth-

breathing monkeys developed crooked teeth and other facial deformities, including “a lowering of the chin, a steeper mandibular plane angle, and an increase in the gonial angle as compared with the eight control animals.”
Harvold claimed to be able to reproduce the equivalent of most human dental irregularities; “Any common type of dental irregularity can be produced experimentally in monkeys with normal dentition.”
In support of Harvolds findings, Dr Mew states that “it is hard to escape the conclusion that in monkeys, a change in the action and posture of the
tongue can produce severe malocclusions”.
DOES MOUTH BREATHING CAUSE SNORING AND SLEEP APNOEA?

“Open-mouth breathing during sleep is a risk factor for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and is associated with increased disease severity and upper airway collapsibility.” The study which involved 52 patients found that “the more elongated and narrow upper airway during open-mouth breathing may aggravate the collapsibility of the upper airway and, thus, negatively affect OSA severity.”

In another study, 385 patients with obstructive sleep apnoea were examined through a questionnaire. Results showed that upper airway symptoms were common, with 61% of patients reporting mouth dryness, 52% with nasal stuffiness, 51% with dryness of the nose, 30% with sneezing, 24% with mucus in the throat, and 17% with a runny nose.

Ohki et al. performed a study to determine the relationship between oral breathing and nasal obstruction in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. The study involved 30 normal subjects and 20 patients with snoring or sleep apnoea. Researchers found that chronic nasal obstruction and resultant mouth breathing may induce obstructive sleep apnoea.

In a paper entitled, “How does open-mouth breathing influence upper airway anatomy?”, Lee et al. tested the hypothesis that open-mouth breathing during sleep may increase the severity of obstructive sleep apnoea. After an analysis of 28 patients, researchers concluded that “open-mouth breathing is associated with reduction of the retropalatal and retroglossal areas, lengthening of the pharynx and shortening of the MP-H in the upper airway.”

After reviewing texts and articles on Medline, the centre for research disorders in Cincinnati, Ohio concluded that obstructive sleep apnoea, sleep fragmentation, and disturbed sleep often result from nasal obstruction. The authors of the paper observed that “since breathing through the nose appears to be the preferred route during sleep, nasal obstruction frequently leads to nocturnal mouth breathing, snoring, and ultimately to OSA.”The paper advised that allergic rhinitis and other upper respiratory disorders should be treated more aggressively.

A Polish study noted that children with sleep respiratory disorders wake up tired, with blocked noses, were breathing through their mouth, tire easily, have concentration problems, are irritated, and demonstrate hyperactivity that may resemble ADHD symptoms. The paper further states that “long-term disease leads to exacerbation of all-systemic symptoms, results in cardiovascular complications, induces developmental inhibition and cognitive dysfunction, and is responsible for school/social failures and reduced life quality.”

In a paper entitled, “The nose and sleep disordered breathing: what we know and what we don’t know,” performed an analysis of medical literature on the subject. The analysis confirmed that “SDB (sleep disordered breathing) can both result from and be worsened by nasal obstruction.” It was stated that “nasal congestion typically results in a switch to oronasal breathing that compromises the airway.” Furthermore, “oral (mouth) breathing in children may lead to the development of facial structural abnormalities associated with SDB.” The paper concluded that the change to mouth breathing that occurs with chronic nasal obstruction is a common pathway for sleep-disordered breathing.

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Buteyko Clinic USA offers unique breathing rehabilitation programs that result in long term drug free control over asthma, allergies, COPD, rhinitis, chronic cough, snoring, sleep apnea, anxiety, panic, chronic hyperventilation syndrome and other chronic conditions. Contact us today for a free consultation.

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People With Asthma are more at risk for Diabetes and Heart conditions.

March 31st, 2011

 

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March 21, 2011 — Asthma may increase your risk of developing diabetes and heart disease, shows new research presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in San Francisco.
The common denominator between these conditions appears to be inflammation, according to researchers led by Young J. Juhn, MD, MPH, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Juhn and colleagues followed 2,392 people with asthma and 4,784 people without asthma from 1964 to 1983. People with asthma were at higher risk for developing diabetes and heart disease…
Steroids used to treat asthma may also increase diabetes risk, he says, “Sometimes steroids throw people into diabetic state.” Given the high rates of prediabetes and undiagnosed diabetes, Tolbert urges all people with asthma to get screened to see if they are at risk for diabetes. (WebMD)

No surprise in this study. Years of breathing difficulties, airway inflammation and daily drug use required with persistent asthma, take toll on asthma patients. Unaware asthmatics continuously hyperventilate and even more so during asthma attacks. Trying to draw more air in, force cough or mucus out, while overdosing on relievers, produces more symptoms and more inflammation in the long run. Considering typical for asthmatics limited physical activity, poor sleep, emotional upsets, sensitivity to allergens and other environmental influences, no wonder their bodies become susceptible to diabetes, heart disease, COPD and other serious health conditions.

Our health is essentially a combination of many factors and influences – genetic, physical, mental, emotional, environmental. A one-dimensional approach where we follow doctor’s prescribed medication regimen and hope for the best is failing to address the core of the problem and will likely create more problems in the future.

There is often a necessity for asthmatics to strictly follow prescribed drug course, as asthma can be crippling and even life threatening. But the Buteyko therapy is a complimentary multi dimensional approach, which will address not only your asthma symptoms and long term inflammation reduction, but your overall health and wellbeing. You will experience a better sleep, less reaction to allergens, less emotional upsets and better stress handling. Your physical activities will be better tolerated. Together with a gradual reduction in medication, it will significantly reduce your risk of developing other serious health conditions.

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Buteyko Clinic USA offers unique breathing rehabilitation programs that result in long term drug free control over asthma, allergies, COPD, rhinitis, chronic cough, snoring, sleep apnea, anxiety, panic, chronic hyperventilation syndrome and other chronic conditions. Contact us today for a free consultation.

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Yoga and stretching for asthmatics

March 4th, 2011
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Yoga for asthmatics By Pippa Kiraly, CBE



We are always told it’s wise to stretch out after strenuous exercise to counterpose for the muscles we have just been working hard.
An asthma attack is very strenuous exercise, even a continuous wheeze is strenuous exercise, but no one has ever suggested that we do other exercises to loosen up the muscles we use in asthma.
That’s where yoga comes in.

As a child, my mother massaged my aching ribs, that is, the intercostal muscles, after an asthma attack.

Over time, the intercostal muscles of chronic asthmatics become very tight. Using the upper chest causes auxiliary breathing muscles also to become tight, causing the shoulders to pull inwards because of tight pectoral muscles and to hunch up, thanks to tight shoulder muscles, while the neck muscles become prominent ropes. At the same time the lateral muscles also tighten up making it hard to twist around in a seat. With the neck so tight the head won’t turn easily, it gets hard to be able to glance over the left shoulder when driving.

When asthmatics learn Buteyko, they begin to learn to use a previously rigid diaphragm again, and to relax the smooth muscle around the airways. However, while they may be able to breathe more easily, their lungs and torso are still encased in what feels like a straitjacket of overworked, understretched muscles.That is where exercise like yoga can be very helpful, particularly in combination with massage. Gentle yoga will show a person where their muscles are tightest, and that person can then go to a massage therapist and request work in that area.. It’s an ongoing regime.Weekly yoga helps the massage therapist know where to work first, and the massage helps the person to be able to move more easily in yoga poses. I’m not talking here about the extreme forms of yoga, such as Ashtanga or Bikram yoga. Hatha and Iyengar are  excellent and Viniyoga, a form of Iyengar, is even better, as it works with the torso muscles more than most forms of yoga, but any slow form of yoga would help. It should be a class where the teacher gives individual monitoring to make sure poses are being done correctly.However, yoga breathing as it is taught in this country, is in many cases not helpful. Please, if you go to a yoga class, tell the teacher you will be doing your own breathing exercise and stick to Buteyko principals. Start off with reduced breathing during the opening meditation, and keep it quiet throughout the class, mouth shut, no holds on an inbreath. I guarantee you will feel wonderful at the end.



Like Buteyko, this is not a quick fix. Alternating yoga and massage each week for a few years will make a huge difference to most asthmatics. I know, I’ve done it. An addendum to this: Many asthmatics are on steroid medications, and one of the long term side effects of these is osteoporosis. I’d suggest every asthmatic on steroids should be doing exercise such as yoga to help  strengthen muscles and keep bones strong.

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Buteyko Clinic USA offers unique breathing rehabilitation programs that result in long term drug free control over asthma, allergies, COPD, rhinitis, chronic cough, snoring, sleep apnea, anxiety, panic, chronic hyperventilation syndrome and other chronic conditions. Contact us today for a free consultation.

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Buteyko Courses Online

February 18th, 2011
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We’ve launched a new website dedicated to Buteyko online courses, self study and online support www.buteykohelponline.com.

Our Buteyko Online Course is a complete educational program that can help you to alleviate symptoms of many chronic diseases, boost the immune system, significantly reduce or eliminate medications, increase energy and stamina, improve athletic performance and overall quality of life. Whether you suffer from a major health condition or just want to learn about the greatest disease prevention tool discovered in the 20th century, we can help!

No matter where you live, you can learn the Buteyko Breathing method by taking our online class without leaving your home, and at your own pace, on your own schedule, while having best practices private sessions with an accredited Buteyko professional.

Latest editions of internationally praised Buteyko books, and visual and audio training materials are provided with each course, as well as a full one year support. That gives you the confidence and freedom to concentrate on healing and move at your own pace. To make it even easier, we offer flexible monthly payments while keeping our low fees and extended support!

The website gives you an overview of the Buteyko Method, as well as description of health problems that might originate form (or might be worsened by) the dysfunctional breathing / chronic hyperventilation. The healing potential of the Buteyko method is powered by doctors and students testimonials that you will also find on our website. Read the description of our Online Course and Phone Consultations, find Sign up Info, buy Self-Study materials and more!www.buteykohelponline.com

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Fighting chronic disease –Don’t kill the messenger

February 10th, 2011
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It looks like the war on chronic diseases has been a failure, costing society increasingly burdensome loads, financial and social. A newly released report says that despite all the medication and advanced care available, asthma takes a heavy toll on Americans, causing thousands of deaths and sending nearly 2 million people to emergency rooms for treatment each year.

According to the Buteyko theory, the reason for failure is that the majority of the diseases are essentially our self protection mechanism; they are the way for our body to communicate its stresses and needs. Unfortunately, it is our mentality that any symptom /disease is an enemy, and we need to get rid of it immediately with medical intervention. But this approach often results in the real cause of the disease being neglected. It only shuts our body’s cry for help and leads to the development of more diseases and symptoms.

It is hard to imagine that a disease might be our friend, but if one believes that we are intelligently designed and have tremendous healing abilities, then a disease or a symptom becomes a biofeedback mechanism. We do not develop migraines, anxiety or asthma because we are deficient in Ibuprofen, Paxil or Albuterol. Think about it – a body in distress has the only way of communicating back – through symptoms, and repeated symptoms, and, if not attended to, even more severe symptoms. Instead of killing the messenger we have to be grateful, listen and look for the real reason.

A fever, for example, is beneficial because it is a mechanism activated when body needs to kill bacteria / virus. Would you want to “treat” what is actually saving you?

High cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension in some ways are just like fever. It is a mistake to “treat” them; instead, we have to recognize what is causing them in the first place and remove the cause.

Let’s look at respiratory diseases. It can be summarized that two main reasons can produce respiratory distress. One is obvious – viral or bacterial infection, toxin inhalation and such. In this case we are well aware that our immune system will do its best to fight off invaders. Cough, mucus, sneezing, runny nose, airway spasm, fever – body is mobilizing all its physiological might to help you to get rid of harmful substances. A cold or a flu is a good example – there is no point in “treating” it – you are cured when your body is done fighting it.

The second, less obvious reason of respiratory distress is chronic hyperventilation. More hidden and developed over months and years, it can cause much more serious, persistent problems. But look what is similar – with continuous cough, excessive mucus, chronic post nasal drip, airway spasm and swelling your body is protecting you from extremely damaging effects of hyperventilation. It doesn’t know how to tell you better but by means of asthma, sleep apnea, chronic sinusitis, chronic nasal congestion, nasal polyps and such. It is closing your airways to stop you from breathing way above your physiological norm and acquiring more and more damage, which in time might become irreversible.

As Marina and Vladimir Buteyko suggested in their book  THE BUTEYKO THEORY ABOUT A KEY ROLE OF BREATHING FOR HUMAN HEALTH, our bodies possess physiological Mechanism of Regulation and Restoration, which is a set of biochemical, biophysical, nervous and subconscious processes providing the restoration of health after the damages. Any chronic disease is just a breakage of one or several Mechanisms of Regulation and Restoration in a body. All mentioned conditions arise from one underlying pattern of inefficient metabolism caused by us consistently violating the rules of healthy physiology.

To resolve the problem, recognize what’s causing it and start working on reversing it. Depending on how deeply dysfunctional breathing affected your body, you might need medications and surgical intervention as an emergency solution, but for a profound healing effect consider fixing the problem instead of its manifestation. Recognizing hyperventilation early and starting intervention as soon as possible will protect you from a host of health problems later.

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Buteyko Clinic USA offers unique breathing rehabilitation programs that result in long term drug free control over asthma, allergies, COPD, rhinitis, chronic cough, snoring, sleep apnea, anxiety, panic, chronic hyperventilation syndrome and other chronic conditions. Contact us today for a free consultation.

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