- Over 200 Russian doctors learned
- how to
hold their breath for more
- than 5 minutes for … health
reasons
Why do breath holding abilities matter? Low tissue
oxygenation is the normal feature for people with asthma, heart disease,
chronic fatigue, bronchitis, cancer, acne, sexual importance, diabetes, and
many other disorders. There are dozens of Western studies that proved that
patients with numerous conditions have impaired breath holding abilities.
Russian Doctor Konstantin Buteyko, MD developed the Buteyko breathing
re-training method for treatment of asthma and heart disease. For his
system, the stress-free version of the breath holding time test is the main
measuring tool that reflects personal health. Moreover, one of Doctor
Buteyko’s pupils wrote a PhD thesis and showed, using hundreds of typical
hospitalized patients, that breath holding time is invariably short in sick
people and long in the healthy. The cross-correlation analysis confirmed
that the BHT test is much better than any other health-related test.
However, for most accurate results, as Russian and Western researchers
found, we should compare stress-free versions of the breath-holding time
test. Thus, the test suggested by Doctor Buteyko, was not targeted to get as
long breath holding time as possible. He and his colleagues were not divers.
Their test reflects body oxygenation. He and his colleagues even suggested
the special name “the CP” (Control Pause).
There are 3 major differences between their test (the CP) and maximum breath
holding time. The CP is measured:
1) without any breathing manipulations before the test (you cannot take
several big breaths that can extend your breath hold by 20-40%);
2) after usual exhalation (for maximum breath hold we take the maximum
possible inhalation that makes breath holding time about 2.5 times longer);
3) only until the first discomfort or distress (for maximum breath holding
many people can pause their breath 2-3 times longer than the time of the
first discomfort).
Try the CP test yourself: breathe normally while sitting; after your usual
exhale pinch the nose (to prevent slight unconscious breathing); and measure
the time only until the first distress. [Warning. Some, not all, people with
heart disease, migraine headaches, and panic attacks may experience negative
symptoms minutes later after this light version of the test. If this
happens, they should avoid this test.]
The most common mistake is to overdo the test. In this case, you will notice
that the stress is gradually increasing. It is time to stop. If you do the
test correctly, you will not gasp for air after the test. In fact, your
breathing pattern must be exactly the same after the correct test as it was
just before it. The number for your CP test will be about 5 or more times
shorter than the maximum breath holding time you can achieve.
These Russian doctors tested thousands of patients and discovered the
following results.
Severely sick, hospitalized, and terminally ill patients have from 1 to 10 s
CP. With approaching death, their breathing gets bigger, deeper, and
heavier, while breath holding time approaches zero: 5, 4, 3, 2, and only 1
second just before the death.
Sick patients with mild forms of the disease (asthma, heart disease,
diabetes, cancer, etc.) have about 10-20 s CP. These patients are usually on
medication to control their symptoms.
Asymptomatic asthmatics, heart patients and many others have slightly more
than 20 s CP.
Healthy adults, according to published western results, should have about 40
s CP, but Doctor Buteyko found that 60 s CP is incompatible with about 150
chronic diseases or diseases of civilization. Hence, he established 60 s CP
as a standard of ideal health. Doctor Buteyko followed the idea “Doctor,
cure yourself” in relation to doctors that he trained. Thus, 60 s CP became
the main requirement for a doctor to teach the Buteyko breathing method to
Russian patients.
Their most surprising result is that healthy people breathe little (only 4-6
liters of air per minute), while sick patients breathe about 2-4 times more
air than the medical norm. Indeed, there are hundreds of Western studies
that found totally the same effect: patients with various health problems
have deep and frequent breathing pattern at rest and …low body oxygenation.
Hence, restoration of health, according to Doctor Buteyko and his system,
should be based on slowing down one’s breath, the same as in hatha yoga.
Light, slow, and easy breathing results in better oxygenation.
These ideas may sound counter-intuitive. However, you can apply your
observation skills. Watch breathing of your very healthy friends and
relatives and you will find out that their breathing is invisible and
inaudible. Observe how sick people breathe and you will notice that their
breathing is noisy and large. Hence, breathing less should be the goal for
the sick.
Doctor Buteyko and some of his colleagues achieved up to 3 min CP using
variety of tools and activities (e.g., special physical and breathing
exercises, taking cold shower, raw diets, and sleeping on the hard surface).
Their maximum breath holding time then would be about 15 minutes! This is,
they found, possible for anyone who can change one’s own breathing pattern
to very shallow and light one, with only 3-4 breaths per minute at rest.
Such people require only about 2 hours for sleep and have amazing clarity of
mind.
Poor knowledge of English is still the main obstacle to faster information
exchange and better understanding of this natural self-oxygenation therapy.
However, some websites of Russian MDs have web pages in English:
http://www.buteyko-clinic.ru/english/ (Buteyko Clinic in Moscow)
http://www.buteyko.ru/eng/voronezh/index.shtml (Buteyko Clinic in Voronezh).
More information about translated original Russian and Western research on
breathing, health, and the Buteyko method can be found on my website
www.normalbreathing.com
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