Buteyko Breathing and Asthma
Posted on | July 4, 2009 | No Comments
The Buteyko Breathing method is a method of reduced breathing that’s applied in the treatment of asthma. Developed by Professor Konstantin Buteyko in the 1950s, the method has since been acknowledged by medical authorities worldwide.
Professor Buteyko was a Russian respiratory physiologist and he noticed that people who were suffering from the diseases of modern civilization – hypertension, heart disease, asthma, diabetes – breathed more heavily than healthy individuals. Professor Buteyko then developed a program of exercises based upon the mechanics of normal, healthy breathing to teach people how to adopt a correct breathing pattern and overcome their illnesses.
The Buteyko Breathing method is based on the theory that over-breathing causes asthma in those that have a genetic predisposition to it, and so by learning to breathe less, asthma is reversed and acute asthma episodes are no longer triggered. This theory has been tested by several independent clinical trials over the last two decades and the results have been consistently positive.
The clinical trials of the Buteyko Breathing method have occurred in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada and have been published in major medical journals. Bob Cowie, the author of the clinical trial that took place in Calgary and was published in The Journal of Respiratory Medicine in 2008 summed up his findings by saying, “The Buteyko technique certainly has been shown to be an important adjunct to treatment.” When summarized the trials show that people with asthma who practice the Buteyko Breathing method can expect an average 90%
reduction in reliever medication and 50%
reduction in preventer steroid medication within 3-6 months.
Significant media coverage of the Buteyko method has occurred in Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand and this has helped to promote the concept in these countries, where it is often taught by physiotherapists to asthma patients in hospitals. The British Thoracic Society has given the technique a “B” rating which essentially supports the fact that the method has been clinically studied and the positive outcomes achieved are highly likely to be as a result of the Buteyko method itself and not some other factor.
Why has the Buteyko Breathing method not been readily adopted by doctors in the United States? It may well be because they are not aware of it. The method has had little or no media coverage in the United States and the medical journals in which the trials were published were in many cases non-US based journals. Physicians get much of their information about new treatments from drug reps, and this being a non-drug asthma treatment, is clearly not something that will be promoted by drug companies. The Mayo Clinic is one renowned US medical institution that supports the method. The Mayo Clinic website mentions, “Breathing exercises may improve your quality of life, help reduce asthma symptoms and reduce the amount of medication needed to control your asthma.”
Anyone wanting to learn the Buteyko Breathing method usually does so by taking a class of instruction. The classes are offered by trained Buteyko practitioners and they may occur once a week for three or four weeks, or be offered as an intensive weekend course. You can find Buteyko practitioners offering classes or private instruction in your area by searching the internet.
There is certainly plenty of evidence to suggest that the Buteyko Breathing method is an effective complementary asthma treatment, and sufferers who are looking for non-drug asthma treatment that works may be well-advised to investigate this method further.
Brenda Stimpson is the President of Breathingwise Inc. based in Pasadena, California. She is a trained physiotherapist and Buteyko practitioner who has long had a professional interest in disorders of the respiratory system.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brenda_Stimpson
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