Manage Asthma With Buteyko Breathing
Unless you live in a bubble, you can never completely control your existence and design your life so you can avoid coming into contact with presumed allergens and irritants that can trigger an attack. No matter how cautious you are, there will still be the possibility of being exposed to your triggers, and being caught again in the frightening cycle of airway constriction, wheezing and coughing, tightness of chest, exhaustion and other symptoms.
The most common way to live through these attacks is to get hooked on steroids, but as studies show, these medicines cause side effects that can sometimes be as bad, or even worse, than the asthma itself. That is why more and more people are looking into alternative ways of addressing asthma, and one of the fast-emerging ways to manage asthma in the past half-decade is a method called Buteyko breathing. Under an asthma attack, your natural response is to breathe through the mouth to force more air into your lungs. The attack often incites panic, so you intuitively take rapid, deep breaths – in other words, you tend to hyperventilate. And this, according to believers of the Buteyko method, is actually causing spasms in the bronchial tracts and may even be the underlying cause of asthma. Hyperventilation lowers the carbon dioxide levels in the blood and the body’s response is to constrict the airways to conserve it. When you follow Buteyko breathing, you learn how to inhale through your nose rather than the mouth, and you take shallow and slow breaths. You practice doing this until it becomes natural and habitual that you continue to breathe this way even when you’re not conscious of it, such as when you’re speaking and sleeping. This method of breathing makes sure you have sufficient carbon dioxide in your body, so your airways can relax. Doing slow, shallow nasal breathing has been shown to quickly avert an asthma attack, and over time, practicing the Buteyko method can free you from the tyranny of steroid medication for life. What makes the Buteyko method even more appealing to asthmatics and their families is the fact that the exercises are so convenient and inexpensive to do. You don’t need to buy expensive equipment or even to go out of your home to practice and become accustomed to the method of breathing it recommends. As with any treatment, however, not all patients achieve the same results. You will need the supervision of a well-trained therapist to make sure you are doing everything correctly, that you are making the most of the health benefits it can offer, and that you are still taking medications if necessary for your condition. It is also important for the Buteyko method to be complemented with recommended lifestyle changes, such as learning how to manage stress, following an exercise regimen that’s safe for you, and making the right food choices There are practitioners and books available that can help you master the Buteyko method. The problem that I find is the books can be hard to learn from and time consuming. Buteyko method practitioners can be hard to find and expensive. The best option might be a professionally designed breathing devices that can offer the same benefits. Enter your name and email address in the form on this page and we'll send you the details on the device that will have a great impact on improving your breathing. |
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