- Updated on October 12, 2020
By Dr. Artour Rakhimov, Alternative Health Educator and Author
Teaching breathing retraining: innovations and discoveries
Dr. Artour Rakhimov has made numerous independent and original contributions, innovations, and discoveries related to teaching the Buteyko method to students and training new breathing practitioners. This page provides a short summary of his personal innovations, contributions, and discoveries. In other words, this page provides those innovations that he introduced, for the first time, in breathing retraining of students and when teaching new practitioners.
For trademarks, patents, copyright questions, and your rights to apply these innovations for your own health and when teaching other people, please visit the page “Copyright Rules“.
DIY Devices Developed by Dr. Artour
- Amazing DIY Breathing Device
- DIY Grounding Device
- DIY Training Mask
- DIY Intermittent Hypoxic Training Device (2019)
Theory (physiology)
* Discovered that acute hyperventilation is a fundamental human reflex/instinct that developed during the time when prototypes of human lungs were evolving and forming (about 2.5 billion years ago) so that any stressful situation, digestion, search for food, mating, playing, or other activity required more oxygen, which could be obtained only by breathing more since primitive air had less than 1% O2 and over 7% CO2
* Discovered the importance of nasal breathing due to its auto-immunization effects (trapping of pathogens with the mucus layer in sinuses, their drainage into the stomach, killing or weakening of these pathogens in the stomach, penetration of these weakened or dead pathogens and their remnants into the bloodstream due to the intestinal permeability effect, and auto-immunization or teaching the immune system to produce specific antibodies) vs. mouth breathing, which favors the penetration of pathogens in the lungs and blood and the spread of infections
* Discovered that the development and existence of many chronic diseases is a dynamic process when the main damage is usually done during morning hyperventilation only, and this damage is counteracted by restorative or normalizing processes during the remaining part of the day. This idea explains why scientists, researchers, and doctors have
severe difficulties and problems in tracking and catching the disease since over 95% of studies on chronic conditions are conducted during the daytime when the disease may not advance.
* Systematized physiological changes that take place at 10, 20 and 40 s CPs.
* Suggested the link between cancer stages and the CP.
* Suggested an approximate link that correlates the duration of sleep with the morning CP.
* Explained the paradox of why voluntary hyperventilation often does not improve the BHT (breath holding time) for the sick
(or people with less than 20 s CP), especially for the severely sick (less than 10 s CP).
* Suggested that for many people the Krebs or citric acid cycle is reversed when the CP drops below 20 s and blood lactic acid concentration increases above normal values. This causes cellular acidity, the formation of free radicals, and the production of cellular damage in the human organism.
* Suggested that less than 40 s CP means a state of chaos for the human organism. (It is known from the “chaos” theory that the regular/periodic behavior of the system becomes chaotic after the second bifurcation point. Since 10, 20, 40, and 80 s CPs are among the main thresholds where certain significant physiological changes take place, and these numbers are part of the geometrical progression with a ratio of 2, the second bifurcation point, 40 s CP, is the point after which the chaos starts. Hence, the human body is in a state of chaos when the CP is below 40 s. However, it is beyond the scope of this page to dwell on further details.)
* Suggested that physiologically the diaphragm is a Nature’s 24/7 “lymphatic pump” for the vital organs located under it.
Practice and teaching the Buteyko method and breathing retraining
Breathing retraining program:
* Suggested that students should monitor and use their morning CP as the main indicator of their health. That is in contrast with the original Buteyko’s suggestion to use either the morning CP or the CP measured at the same time of the day.
* Suggested that, for each student, at each moment in time, there are 1-3 lifestyle factors or parameters which are the main obstacles for further breathing retraining: if these factors are addressed, the student will experience quick improvement in respiratory parameters; if these factors are ignored and other factors are addressed, no improvements are to be expected. This leads to the idea of the importance of priority of actions in breathing retraining.
* Systematized the requirements for breaking 40 s CP threshold.
* Described 3 independent signs that commonly appear after breaking through the 40 s morning CP threshold: over 40 s morning CP; proper GI signs (no soiling, no odor, no coating on the tongue, etc.); and 4-4.5 hours of sleep naturally.
* Suggested giving free choices and experimentation to breathing students vs. forceful or pushy “encouragement” in relation to lifestyle changes.
* Summarized situations when the breath-holding test or the CP does not reflect the health state of the person (carotid body resection, curarization, near-fatal states, sleep apnea, and loss of CO2 sensitivity).
* Described disadvantages of short or crash courses (no feedback, less trust, and limited or reduced final results).
Breathing exercises
* Developed the STEPS breathing exercise for adults included in his book “Advanced Buteyko Breathing Exercises”
* Developed, tested, and introduced the Amazing DIY breathing device into breathing retraining, compared the effects of breathing exercises with the use of this device vs. the Buteyko breathing exercises.
* Outlined 6 preliminary requirements for doing breathing exercises.
* Suggested the criterion of 20 s CP for the existence of an automatic pause during reduced breathing. If a student has less than 20 s CP, there are no pauses during their reduced breathing, while their respiratory frequency during the reduced breathing usually gets higher than at rest. If the CP is more than 20 s, then a student has a period of no breathing (pause) during reduced breathing: inhalation – exhalation – pause, while their breathing frequency during reduced breathing becomes lower than during spontaneous or usual breathing just before the session.
* Developed practical CP-related recommendations in relation to posture for breathing exercises.
* Suggested to use belts for the reduced breathing sessions in order to prevent chest breathing and to make learning diaphragmatic breathing faster and easier.
* Specified criteria in order to choose optimum breathing exercises for heart/hypertension patients.
Physical exercise
* Suggested the link between the previous day exercise and next day morning CP.
* Developed the minimum-amount-of-exercise table or which minimum amount of physical exercise is required in order to achieve a certain morning CP level.
Sleep and morning CP
* Systematized lifestyle factors that are to be addressed for higher morning CP.
* Suggested fish oil deficiency – next morning CP link.
* Tested and specified requirements for successful sleeping in a sitting position.
* Established a criterion for the morning CP when mouth taping is not necessary (20 s) so that students can view mouth taping as a temporary measure.
* Established a criterion when mechanical prevention of sleeping on one’s back is not anymore necessary (20 s CP) so that students can view this activity as a temporary measure.
* Suggested that chronic large morning CP drop can cause the inflammatory resonance effect that can lead to spreading of inflammation on larger areas, in comparison with steadily low CPs
Diet and supplements
* Suggested that the degree of soiling reflects the digestive health of students, and achievements of no soiling (or no need for toilet paper after a bowel movement) is a simple criterion indicating the ideal or normal gastrointestinal state in humans.
* Tested and developed the order of priorities in the evaluation of diets, and the CP zones when changing in a diet becomes effective and useful for breathing retraining.
* Suggested, tested and developed a 3-day test for checking main nutritional deficiencies (fish oil, Ca, Mg, and Zn).
Thermoregulation
* Tested and developed general practical recommendations and RB conditions in relation to thermoregulation (20 s CP).
* Tested and developed clear requirements for taking cold showers safely.
Posture
* Established a zone where 24/7 correct posture maintenance is
crucial for further breathing retraining.
Specific health conditions
* Suggested criteria for eating simple sugars (when to resume) for students with GI Candida yeast overgrowth.
* Outlined factors that contribute to loss of CO2 sensitivity and suggested a program for its restoration.
* Suggested conditions for the possible appearance of new allergies.
* Suggested conditions for appearance and disappearance of symptoms of sinusitis, rhinitis, or blocked nose.
* Suggested dust mask for students with irregular night breathing (to normalize sleep pattern and prevent Cheyne-Stokes breathing or apneic episodes)
Reference links
– Here is a link to Dr. Artour’s Amazon books.
– Here is a link to Dr. Artour’s YouTube Channel.
Public promotion of breathing less and the Buteyko method
The title of the YouTube video below is How To Breathe For Health (Buteyko Method). This radio show featured Dr. Artour Rakhimov at ExtremeHealthRadio.
Below are authentic comments, questions, and testimonials from the same page on the old PHP site before we converted it to WordPress.
On 2014-11-15T07:15:09, Artour Rakhimov (mod) wrote:
See Buteyko Table of Health Zones for general ideas. The “Normal Breathing” book http://www.normalbreathing.com/book-big.php has more details,
On 2014-08-02T11:04:52, Anonymous wrote:
> “Systematized physiological changes that take place at 10, 20 and 40 s CPs”
Where can I read more about these changes? (I.e. what page on this site, or what books written by you have these details described?)
On 2014-06-12T13:54:01, Artour Rakhimov (mod) wrote:
Dust masks can be effective, devices are even better.
On 2014-06-11T15:26:02, Anonymous wrote:
Artour – I have struggled with the Buteyko breathing exercises (typical CP is average 20) but one day while doing a construction project at my house I used a dust mask for about 30 min totally unaware of what this would do to my breathing. After I took it off and resumed my day I felt great. It was then that I looked for a connection. Why would this be so effective but I continue to struggle so much with the exercises? I am thinking of ordering a Frolov device or just continue to use a dust mask from time to time??
On 2014-02-24T22:48:16, Artour (mod) wrote:
These are not very strict rules. Yes, some adults can have little soiling at 50 s MCP and around 5 h of sleep even at 60-70 s MCP.
On 2014-02-24T22:21:13, Volker wrote:
Yes very nice! You really invented some very good tools and developed the method a lot, dear Artour.I want to add that 4-4.5 hours of sleep do appear mostly with 50+ MCP in my case. I had 5-5.5 hours often with 40-45 MCP. And i can have little soiling and a little bit of tongue coating (after few days) even with 50+ MCP. But maybe i am an exception.
On 2013-10-15T06:48:57, Artour (mod) wrote:
It is on the Learning page http://www.normalbreathing.com/learn.php which has a chart with the goal 20+ s CP 24/7 (Level 2). The appearance of new allergies usually takes place due to the suppressed (distorted and hypersensitive) immune system and tissue hypoxia (less than 20 s CP).
On 2013-10-14T13:55:47, Thomas wrote:
Where on the site or in what book did you go into detail about the “Suggested conditions for the possible appearance of new allergies”?
On 2013-06-30T14:47:37, Artour (mod) wrote:
One can use tents, blankets, etc. They help. I have not heard about any telomere length studies.
On 2013-06-29T23:18:01, Glen wrote:
How effective would it in raising body CO2 level if one sat upright in a small tent or simply pulling the blankets over the head in bed so it creates a small tent-like space? Do you know of any research in which the Buteyko breathing effects on telomere length has been looked at?
