Buteyko

The Buteyko system for asthma and some other breathing problems believe that breathing too much/overbreathing is the cause of those breathing problems.  I have observed that UDB is the primary cause of overbreathing.

Dear Mike:

Just found this while surfing, confirms what you said about Buteyko, I tried it and it was a waste of money, in fact I ended up in the hospital, quite soon after

Barbara

From Mike: 

Thanks Barbara.

Buteyko is a form of endogenous breathing. Try it. It works for some, not all. But also realize that you may well have developed a non optimal breathing habit UDB and someday it will begin to restrict your ability to breathe and probably so slowly you will never realize it unless someone has shown you how to breathe fully and in balance without limiting your air supply.  From what I have seen, Buteyko controls your responses and conditions you to use more of the same oxygen supply or have less need for oxygen.  I believe it does too little to develop your breathing volume (FEV1) to the max. The Framingham Study USA clearly proved it was breathing volume that is the primary market for longevity.  I will add efficiency of exhalation to reduce the oxygen cost of breathing (Carl Stough) and support in rebalancing the nervous system. It is NOT about CO2. Excessive CO2 is a byproduct of bad breathing but it is not the root cause.

Environment, stress, allergies, nutrition, immune system dysfunction are very relevant factors but poor mechanics and coordination of the breathing are I believe what sets up the tendency towards asthma in the first place.  Also, there is a HUGE emotional factor in asthma. See breath holding. 

I have developed hands on and breathing exercise training techniques that have been very successful in reducing or eliminating inhaler and steroid usage, often in a matter of a few minutes.

mike

Buteyko, a controversial issue.

"There are people who "compensate" or are able to tolerate lower levels than that because of their lung disease process" quoted from an email to me from a department head respiratory therapist connected with the Mayo clinic.  mgw

The alt.support.asthma News Group debates its virtues and downfalls ad nauseam. It's proponents tout it as a cure/treatment for everything from Asthma to Migraine, Hay Fever, Sinus and Allergies, Emphysema and COPD, Severe Snoring and Sleep Apnea. Its critics call it "Quack" Medicine, "Snake Oil", or worse, a money making pyramid scheme to cheat desperate people out of their earnings. My opinion happens to agree with the critics.

According to Buteyko Breathing Page, "...asthma is simply your body's way of helping to restrict the amount of air you are breathing, so that more carbon dioxide is trapped in, and a possibly fatal event is avoided. It is just like plumbing - if you want to reduce the flow thru a pipe, simply make it smaller or clog it up." Buteyko is a technique of slowing respirations and decreasing Tidal Volume in an attempt to raise Alveolar CO₂ (PACO₂). They state that CO₂ is an important factor in determining the pH of the blood, which is quite true, but they neglect take into account the buffering effects of hemoglobin and bicarb, effects of hypoxia on breathing and PACO₂, or account for the actions of Asthma Triggers.

This is in direct opposition to the National Institute of Health's definition found in the newest 1997 Asthma Treatment Guidelines: "Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways in which many cells and cellular elements play a role, in particular, mast cells, eosinophils, T lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and epithelial cells. In susceptible individuals, this inflammation causes recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing, particularly at night or in the early morning. These episodes are usually associated with widespread but variable airflow obstruction that is often reversible either spontaneously or with treatment. The inflammation also causes an associated increase in the existing bronchial hyperresponsiveness to a variety of stimuli (NHLBI 1995). Moreover, recent evidence indicates that subbasement membrane fibrosis may occur in some patients with asthma and that these changes contribute to persistent abnormalities in lung function (Roche 1991)."

BUTEYKO:  CONTROLLING THE BREATHING PAUSE AKA A SHALLOW BREATHING TECHNIQUE  (From an email health professional whose name escapes me.)

From Mike White: 
i agree with all you say and want to add that there is a HUGE mechanical component. The poor breathing can be rapidly changed without the "confronting" energies of the "overbreathing" breath.

I believe Buteyko works largely because  it inhibits sympathetic nervous system response by holding one's energy static for enough time to maintain equilibrium and inhibit or detach from associated thought processes that cause excessive/overstimulated responses.

An acupuncturist colleague says an asthmatic's energy "goes up" meaning from the belly to the chest. I call it an over stimulation of the ANS.  A Taoist might say that they are ungrounded.

So when the patient is asked to consciously hold their breath they inhibit the sympathetic response. This is good for SOME asthmatics but not so for others. Asthmatics need to be DRIVEN downward so the foundation of their breathing STAYS where you want it. 

If it is too intense, breath holding-back can lock up the entire breathing system. Extending the exhale and stimulating the reflex does not.  But stimulating the reflex may not work for asthma as well as breath holding-back.  I believe breath holding gives the wrong inner sensing to the breath holder. There are better ways by using one of our capnometers.  A biofeedback device that lets you watch your CO2 levels on a computer screen and manipulate the percentage by breathing slightly less or more.
 

From John Neal Rhodes:
There was a study, The Brisbane Trials, done on the effects, or lack there of, of Buteyko. The study is flawed by losing its double blind component due to leaking the information of which group was receiving which therapy. A quote from the study: "This loss of blinding might have favorable influenced Buteyko subject's self assessment of asthma control and adversely affected the control group." The study also incorporates a great deal of subjective data, which is always suspect. In addition to that, the Buteyko subjects received more follow up phone calls as to their conditions (seven as opposed to one), further skewing the subjective data. The only definitive data returned by this study was that steroid use was reduced to a greater extent in the Buteyko group. Interestingly at the end of 8 months there were 4 Buteyko patients on oral Prednisone and 2 in the control group and an equal number participants (3) were admitted to the hospital with acute asthma exacerbation.

Even the reduction of steroid use was not credited to the technique. Rather, the researchers stated that it was possible that the patient where already taking more steroids than needed before testing, quote: "Although during the run-in phase subjects were exhorted to use beta₂ agonist therapy strictly on an as required basis, it is likely that in many subjects, the use of these medications and of inhaled steroids was excessive."

The most crucial data to prove or disprove the technique, End Expiratory CO₂, was unchanged. The whole basis of the technique was to raise this value. On top of this there were no significant changes in PFT values (FEV1 and PEFR), thus no evidence that there was any improvement in the patient's asthma.

Let's look at a couple of facts dealing with Carbon Dioxide, Oxygen, Hyperventilation, and Asthma seen from the traditional medical point of view.

First off, Carbon Dioxide (CO₂), is a poison, a biproduct of metabolism. The respiratory system eliminates CO₂ and provides Oxygen (O₂) for the blood stream. CO₂ levels effect our rate of breathing, but so does Oxygen levels.

When Asthma Triggers or allergic reactions cause an attack to start, the airways respond with inflammation and bronchospasm. Some of the alveoli become closed off and oxygen levels drop. Once enough alveoli stop taking part in gas exchange, oxygen levels reach a point that causes hypoxemia (low blood oxygen levels), see the article on ABGs for explanation of changes in blood gas values during an asthma attack. Hypoxemia will cause the respiratory rate to increase. This increase will effect oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Carbon dioxide levels will fall and the pH to rise. The drop in CO₂ levels is the result, not the cause of an Asthma attack.

I challenge the proponents of Buteyko to prove me wrong, not by rhetoric or flawed studies, but by proven, double blind, objective, and published data. I'd love to be proven wrong on this one guys, anything to add to the arsenal we have for this disease.

John Neal Rhodes, About.com

From Mike:

Unless infancy is plagued by abuse,  poor nutrition  (major cause such as allergies from milk and other dairy etc) and extremely bad air, asthma is largely a mechanical issue. Abuse and fear of abandonment are often the source.  Even with poor nutrition,  then the mechanical breathing must be optimized to eliminate or minimize emergency drug intervention.  I suspect that if you put 100 people in a room with bad air and you will have little to no asthma. Put 100 people together having eaten allergy causing food and the asthma symptoms will increase. Put 100 people together with bad air, bad food and UDB and you will have MANY people with asthma symptoms. I strongly suspect that the drugs and steroids group would like to keep it as a strictly non mechanical issue so that people keep supporting the pharmaceutical industry. 

The people that advocate excessive drugs and steroids argue against Buteyko for what I deem  the wrong reasons as below.

Basic Pulmonary Functioning.

Continuing with the subject of Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT), we will look at some of the most basic terms, concepts, and how they relate to asthmatics.

Medical science divides our breathing pattern into a few basic components, these basic findings are important in assessing overall lung function. Understanding these findings and how they change during an asthma attack, helps in understanding some of the major lung changes that take place during an attack.

Below is an illustration of a basic Lung Sub test. Starting from the left, a patient is breathing normally for three breaths, takes as deep a breath as possible, then exhales as much as possible, and then returns to normal breathing. Click on the right hand side boxes for definitions of these major lung divisions. (From Mike:) This was not a proper Buteyko procedure and I could not copy the graph so please disregard it.

• TV, Tidal Volume, while at rest our normal breath is called the Tidal Volume. Stress, exercise, and illness (including asthma) will cause this volume to increase or decrease.
• IRV, Inspiratory Reserve Volume, IRV represents the amount of air you can breathe in after a resting inspiration. This is the amount of air volume your body can call upon when a deeper breath is needed during exercise or when your body is under stress. Your body increases respiratory volume when it needs more oxygen and needs to blow off excess carbon dioxide.
• ERV, Expiratory Reserve Volume, like the IRV, represents the reserve volume of air you can exhale after you have exhaled normally during a resting respiration (TV). Again, your body can call upon this reserve to increase the amount of air exchange.
• IC, Inspiratory Capacity, IC equals the total amount of air you can inhale from a resting exhalation. Another way of looking at IC: TV+IRV=IC
• FRC, Functional Reserve Capacity, FRC is the amount of air remaining in the lungs after a normal exhalation. FRC cannot be measured directly as with TV, IRV, ERV, IC, and VC. FRC is the sum of the ERV and RV (Reserve Volume) (FRC=ERV+RV). This is an important number as it relates to the increase and decrease of RV.
• VC, Vital Capacity, represents the total amount of air exhaled from a maximal inhalation to a maximal exhalation. The VC is similar to the FVC in Flow Volume Loops except for the "F". The "F" stands for Forced, so in the VC we do not want the patient to exhale forcefully as in the Flow Volume Loop. VC tend to be a little larger than FVC, especially in asthmatics, since the act of forcing the air out, as in FVC, causes the very small airways to collapse, trapping or slowing the flow of air. The more relaxed technique allows these small airways to remain open and more air exhaled.
• RV, Reserve Volume, the RV is the amount of air left in the lung after you blow out as much air as possible. This volume of air must be measured indirectly by use of gas diffusion or a Body Plethysmograph (also known as the "Body Box"). This is a very important value for asthmatics and one of the most critical. During an asthma attack the RV increases as a result of air trapping and extended incomplete exhalations due to airway collapse and constriction.

  Air trapping is caused by airways that totally close down trapping the air behind it. Since trapped air does not take part in gas exchange (the exchange of oxygen rich air for carbon dioxide laden air at the alveolar level), you don't get as much oxygen or get rid of as much carbon dioxide with each breath.

  As the blood levels of oxygen fall and carbon dioxide rise, your body tries to increase the depth (TV) and rate of breathing. But there is a catch, increasing RV also impacts on your reserve volumes (IRV and ERV), making them smaller. The physical sensation of this invasion of the other reserve volumes, the decreasing oxygen, and increasing carbon dioxide is shortness of breath. Prompt and appropriate treatment at this point usually halts the attack and symptoms are reversed.

  If left untreated and the asthmatic attack worsens, the increasing RV and incomplete exhalations eat away at your reserve volumes and can get to the point were you don't have enough reserves to keep up with your respiratory demand. Add to this muscle fatigue from increased work of breathing and increasing oxygen demands of respiratory muscles and you have a classic downward spiral. Blood levels of carbon dioxide continues to rise and oxygen fall, this is where asthma becomes respiratory failure. Respiratory failure can result in intubation and being placed on a ventilator, it can also result in death when treatment is delayed.

• TLC, Total Lung Capacity, TLC is the total maximum amount of air your lungs can hold. It is the total of all lung volumes or lung capacities (IRV+TV+ERV+RV) or (IC+FRC).

The Brisbane trial is the best western study of the Buteyko Method. The trial results indicated asthmatics using the Buteyko Method reduced use of beta-agonists (relievers) by 96% and steroids by 49%.

The trials were sponsored by the Australian Association of Asthma Foundations and lead by Professor Charles Mitchell, and Doctor Simon Bowler

The Brisbane Trials

In the study, 19 randomly selected asthmatics learned the Buteyko Method and 20 other asthmatics learned standard physiotherapy exercises. The group taught the Buteyko Method significantly reduced their beta-agonist intake, improved control over their asthma, and improved quality of life.

Bronchodilator Reduction
At the 12 week mark the group practicing Buteyko exercises had reduced their bronchodilator (reliever) medication by 96%, whereas the control group had no significant improvement.
 
 
Inhaled Steroid Reduction
The Buteyko Breathing Method allowed asthmatics to reduce their anti-inflammatory medication by 49% over three months, whereas the control group had no reduction.

 

 
Breathing Rates
The initial clinical testing demonstrated that all participants at rest hyperventilated. The Buteyko techniques teach asthma sufferers to reduce their breathing to normal levels.

Buteyko subjects reduced their hyperventilation by an average of 31% in their minute volume at twelve weeks. There was no significant change in the control group.

There was a correlation between the relative reduction in need for bronchodilators and the proportionate reduction in minute volumes in Buteyko subjects; that is, the subject's need for bronchodilator medication was related to the volume of air they breathed. The more air an individual breathed, the more bronchodilator that person needed.

		This research supports: a) the known link between hyperventilation and asthma b) the effectiveness of the Buteyko Method in normalising breathing c) the relationship between the normalisation of breathing and the reduced need for medication

The outcome of the Brisbane trial has led the Australian National Asthma Campaign to include Buteyko in their next doctor's asthma Management Handbook, giving official blessing to the Buteyko Method.

At present, similar trials are planned in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK. The Victorian Asthma Foundation has made AUD$20,000 available for further research into Buteyko.

Click here to read a full version of the trial published in the Australian Medical Journal.

From Mike:

All the alt.support.asthma above seems to direct one  toward the western medical model of drugs and steroids.

So. I would sum it up to say that Buteyko can be a good emergency medical approach for some.  I believe it is inherently misleading towards the healthiest way to breathe.  It has a distinct western medical "illness model" bias.  Shallow breathing eventually will cause the rib cage to be unable to expand as it should UDB. Shallow breathing also inhibits the natural massage of the internal organs UDB. Making the body better efficient to use less oxygen is I believe sub-optimal.  Making an organism more efficient such as endogenous respiration (compressing intra lung pressure  to make oxygen  more concentrated in the blood) is good (more efficient) up to a point. Efficiency does not beget ease if it is very much smaller in volume UDB.  Efficiency can only compensate for volume up to a certain point.

Also, there is a nervous system aspect that  has to do with the parasympathetic depth and its relationship to the relaxation/rest/digest/heal  response.  Without volume and rib cage expansion there is loss of deepest rest.  The ultimate for relaxation, healing, oxygenation would be volume AND efficiency.  Then the optimal capacity becomes reachable. Otherwise volume and ease are slowly lost to efficiency.  Efficiency also has a stress component to it. Volume does not. The larger car engine runs slower and smoother. The smaller one faster and less smooth.

Take careful note of the oxygen information on the upper left of this page.  Judge for yourself whether you believe CO2 is more important or is oxygen the primary focus for a long, healthy and vibrant life.  Note the information on hyperbaric oxygen chambers.  If the CO2 theory were accurate then a having massive amounts of O2 would cause massive wheezing and clearly it does not.  Educate yourself and make your choice. 

Newspaper interview.
I also need to mention the fact that I was interviewed for the Daily Mirror in London about an article they were doing on "breathing".  It sells 8 million daily and I was very happy about doing the interview. The interviewer spent around 4 hours over 2 days in transatlantic phone calls asking me many , many questions.  When I finally saw the article I was aghast to see  that it was really about Buteyko. This fact had never been mentioned.  I was set up and quoted completely out of context as I had no idea the article was being written about Buteyko.

I recently received an email from a man that represented Buteyko and had his power of attorney that he sent me a copy of. We had a running 7 email dialogue where I offered to have him come to America as my guest and stay with me and join forces to see how we can discover new ways of addressing asthma. His response was "I am really sorry to say but you as well as many many other practitioners in western countries know next to nothing about Breathing.  Actually you are copying each other.  However - nothing personal, Mike"

That said. 
I have developed a simple way to change the mechanics of the breath that begins to reduce need for excessive inhaler usage. I call it the Squeeze and Breathe.  I have purposefully linked this page the OXYGEN menu above and to the left. It is part of our No More Asthma self help program.  Or begin with it or http://www.breathing.com/tips/asthma.htm and go from there. 

Med J Aust. 2001 Jan 15;174(2):64-5.

The effects of carbon dioxide on exercise-induced asthma: an unlikely explanation for the effects of Buteyko breathing training

Al-Delaimy WK, Hay SM, Gain KR, Jones DT, Crane J.

Wellington School of Medicine, New Zealand.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of breathing 3% CO2 on exercise-induced asthma (EIA), as a raised airway CO2 level is suggested to mediate the effects of Buteyko breathing training (BBT).

DESIGN: Double-blind crossover study, using a standard laboratory-based exercise challenge, with EIA defined as a fall of 15% or greater in the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) within 30 minutes of completing a standard exercise protocol.

SUBJECTS: 10 adults with confirmed EIA.

INTERVENTION: Air enriched with 3% CO2 during and for 10 minutes after exercise.

OUTCOME MEASURES: Maximum percentage fall in FEV1 after exercise. Area under curve (AUC) of the decrease in FEV1 with time.

RESULTS: Mean maximum fall in FEV1 was similar: 19.9% with air, and 26.9% with 3% CO2 (P = 0.12). The mean AUC for the total 30-minute post-exercise period was 355 for air and 520 for 3% CO2 (P = 0.07). After discontinuing the 3% CO2 at 10 minutes after exercise, there was a further and sustained fall in FEV1. Mean AUC for the period 10-30 minutes post-exercise was significantly greater for CO2 than air (275 and 137, respectively [P = 0.02]). Mean minute ventilation was increased when subjects exercised breathing 3% CO2: 77.5 L/min for 3% CO2, compared with 68.7 L/min for air (P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION: Breathing 3% CO2 during exercise does not prevent EIA. The shape of the FEV1 response curve after 3% CO2 suggests that a greater degree of EIA (because of increased minute ventilation during exercise) was opposed by a direct relaxant effect of CO2 on the airway. Increased airway CO2 alone is an unlikely mechanism for the reported benefits of BBT; nevertheless, further study of the effects of voluntary hypoventilation in asthma is warranted.
Publication Types:

• Clinical Trial
• Randomized Controlled Trial    

PMID: 11245506 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] On November 3 2004 I learned that the Hale Clinic In the UK had ceased using the Buteyko method. I find this confusing as the technique does have some benefit for some people. The Hale clinic was to the best of my knowledge the non Russian western world's  leading proponent of the technique. I suspect that the Buteyko method, while effective with some may worsen sleep apnea with many others.

Email to Mike: Mike's answers in bold.

" A recent email. Mike's answers in bold. "

I may take a further look at your program down the line, but the finances are not going to allow it at this point.  I know that the Buteyko method is sort of "competition" to you. Not really. I want people to do what works for them.   But I would hope that you could work the positive aspects in.  There is way too much evidence our there to dismiss it's utility.  There is very compelling data.  One just has to weed through some of the marketing rhetoric and get to the basis of what it can do to improve our lives.  AMEN. But ours works better. A larger engine when properly balanced, runs smoother and slower and it power output is more efficient.  mike 

Another recent email, mike's comments in bold.

"As you surmise, Buteyko has completely missed the point of his own observations. The problem apparently lies in the questions he asked ... he was looking for the specific cause of a symptom, and he ended up transforming, in his own mind anyway, general functions of the body with specific events and outcomes.

1. Respiration performs two primary functions:  THREE. the Third is conscious to habituated (hopefully in a healthy functional way) ANS balance. It is trained but becomes automatic therefore primary as well.

a. Oxygenation, bringing oxygen (O2) into the body.
b. Elimination, removing light metabolic acid byproducts (primarily as CO2) from the body.
 
2. Exhalation controls respiration. That is, the strength and ability for the lungs to expand of our exhalator muscles largely determines the degree to which we empty our lungs when we exhale and therefore our capacity to inhale. In addition, our vitality with respect to cardiopulmonary function has a significant influence. most definitely but never confuse conditioning with volume, ease and balance with a dominant PNS.
 
a. So what do we mean when we say that someone hyperventilates?  Deeper and too  high chest 
We mean that this person is exhaling spastically, not exactly. It is more SNS biased via high chest  spewing out CO2 and not allowing time for his/her lungs to reinflate. So of course his/her body rapidly becomes depleted of both CO2 and O2 at the same time.  However if the deeper breathing is dominant PNS the body vaso dilates and the law of mass action fills the plasma and transfers to tjhe hemoglobin regardless of what the CO2 5% advocates believe.
 
b. But none of these things is the problem ... all symptoms. The problem is located in the cause of the hyperventilation, which is likely not even discussed. (Certainly not in the excerpt, below.)
 
3. Relaxation inherently leads to slow, deep breathing, not the reverse. Better said  PNS based relaxation instead of SNS reduction inherently leads to slow, deep breathing, not the reverse. When we breathe deeply (only if PNS based) , our entire being becomes better oxygenated AND our elimination improves ... both benefits occur together.
 
a. The deep breathing Buteyko observed in those dying patients likely reflects their letting go of holding onto life, their relaxation into death.  Cross breathing aka co-medition is an ancient Tibetan peaceful transitioning to the next expression technique. Many find it spontaneously.  But such an interpretation would be "off the map" for a medically minded researcher. And since we humans tend to find what we are looking for AMEN, he would never have "found" this understanding of his own observations. Instead, he attempted to translate everything into symptoms, and conditions ... to medicalize it all.Yep. He did what he was trained to do, nothing more, nothing less.
 
4. Tension is the opposite of relaxation. This is equally true in physics, engineering, biology ... across the sciences and in our everyday vernacular. Spasm consists of uncontrolled bursts of extreme tension ... literally, hypertension. That is, spasm is the antithesis of relaxation. And to say that hyperventilation leads to hypertension is really oxymoronic. But it does by definition. I am referring not to the traditoinal illness model hyperventilation when the SNS is stronger (too strong) but to MY definition called hyper-INHALATION when it is PNS dominant.
 
5. Regarding his experiments to raise and lower his own breathing: breathing is an autonomic function. Most people cannot consciously control it for more than a short time, and not all all during sleep. Not exactly true. The fundamental way you breathe during during waking hours is significantly carried over into sleep.
 
6. But he was correct in this regard: Chronic deoxygenation of the system is indeed a primary "deficiency", and therefore a primary cause of impaired vitality. AGREED and nutrition and metabolism is also a key factor.  Not "disease", for that refers only to some collection of symptoms. Yep. Rather, loss of capacity to live, and therefore vulnerability to whatever may come along. The only unpredictable element lies in "whatever may come along", hence the diversity of diagnoses associated with this (and other) causes of "disease". Sounds good so far. mike white
 
Make sense?
E

Hello Michael White, how are you? (mike's comments in bold)
 
I am writing because I am interested in ordering one or more of your products, however I have a lot of confusion about my breathing and what may be right for me so I hope I can ask some questions before ordering.
 
Firstly I want to say that my main problem is hyperventilation and an irregular breathing pattern. I think I breath faster than I should but that is not the main problem - I also breath from my chest and tend to hold it in and also I think to use too much effort breathing and push out too much air when I breath out. Good insight
I have had for many years a lot of physical symptoms which I realized some months ago were related to my breathing. The most bothersome are altered skin sensations but also include feeling out of breath a lot - especially when talking or singing or even just walking at times, having an irritable bladder, low back pain, mental tension, tiredness, worry. stress, sore muscles, tension in chest etc.etc. I have had various scans and medical tests all which seem to be normal. I do have a very mild level of anaemia but doctors didn't seem to find it significant enough to take iron pills. www.breathing.com/e3live.htm
 
When I first realized about my breathing  being the main cause I think I twigged partly because I was trying to practise yoga pranayama, and noticed that instead of making these sensations in my skin feel better as I hoped, it would often trigger or worsen all the symptoms. not surprised. Also I understood that the reason I feel worse when I'm at the computer is because my breathing gets really bad when I am doing that. It seems like only a small increase in my breathing sets everything off. see attached.
 
Well to cut a long story short I have been very frustrated trying to improve my breathing. I first bought a home teach buteyko kit. (I live in .... as my husband is ...., although I'm ....) and nobody here has heard of hyperventilation or knows how to treat it at least where I am. We do.
The buteyko method involves reducing your breathing for set periods of time and also some out breath holding. While I sometimes got a lot of relaxation in my mind when practicing this, I also found that afterwards, the practices seemed to increase my out of breath feeling, and reducing the breathing so fast also seems to trigger some of the same symptoms as overbreathing and I was finding it hard to get the balance right,  so I finally gave up.  www.breathing.com/articles/buteyko.htm
 My main dissatisfaction with that was that although it teaches you to reduce your breathing there isn't much emphasis on anatomically how to breathe right. Exactly. I have been trying to practice diaphragm breathing and sometimes it does seem to come better but I still don't really know what is actually the correct breath because I think when I was starting I was pushing out my belly and that didn't feel right.
 
Reading your program has given me some hope, however before purchasing anything - (in ......money it is a lot for me).  I would really be happy if you could answer the following questions!!
 
In your website you have a quote by Elizabeth Browning - he who breaths most air breaths most life. But my understanding is the more I breath the worse I feel!! It is the pattern not the air.
 
Also in your information you mention deep breathing a lot , but when I did the yoga deep breathing that seems to involve taking in even more air and also triggering symptoms. PROPER deep breathing.
You also mention bellows breath (bhastrika) which to me means fast breathing and I am a bit concerned about doing that type of breathing. I don't really know what deep breathing means - can you explain briefly? www.breathing.com/articles/deeper.htm
 
Also I know that a lot of hyperventilation correction people recommend having an outbreath twice as long as the in breath. I am sure there must be logic for that - but when I was practicing the pranayama before I found that practices such as chanting OM or humming bee breath involve breathing out a long out breath and they were what triggered the symptoms more than anything? I suppose because my already low CO2 is getting more and more depleted. Does your program involve making a very long out-breath?  Not for you.
 
Finally in Buteyko they recommend paying attention to your breathing all the time to stop hyperventilation. Baloney. That will drive some people crazy. I can understand why they say this but at times I felt like I got obsessed and being conscious of my breath all the time made it worse also - do you have any recommendations about that?
 
 I don't know fully what is going on with my breathing but I suspect it is a bit more complex than just hyperventilation and I wonder - given the information I'm giving you if your program is likely to be appropriate.  It should be .
 
I really hope you may be able to help because i have been really in despair about not being able to correct this - I really do have a lot of discomfort because of this and have even felt suicidal at times before I knew what was going on -  it feels like everything in my life would be fine if only I could manage to breathe!! Breath is life in many ways.
 
Also if I do purchase some of your products to help me  and I get stuck, to what degree can I email to ask for help or what would you recommend I do in that case?  Within reason. Or you can pay for a private webcam session if needed. As I am in ..... to have one to one sessions is not a option at least at the moment.
 Get www.breathing.com/deepest-calm.htm AND the BVS option. mike
many thanks for your time and I really hope to hear from you soon,
 
Warm regards, j

Back to Mike.
"In closing, the bottom line is that shortness of breath symptoms have been reduced with improved diet, environment, breath holding, extending the exhale, fasting, emotional balance or catharsis and developing one's breathing. None of these involve drugs or steroids. Learn about UDB.  Better breathing is possible for everyone.  Our approach to asthma.