Finally, Exact Science of Breathing (O2 matters!)

Normal Breathing: Rates, CP, and Body Oxygenation.

Buteyko Breathing Method. Education and Learning

Why breathing should be strictly nasal. (Is your mouth dry in the morning?) There are several fundamental physiological reasons, which based on dozens of medical research studies, why normal breathing should be strictly nasal (in and out) ... Read more ...	Why breathing should be mainly diaphragmatic at rest (with self-check test). While official medical science and various holistic therapies agree about that, there are serious physiological reasons why abdominal muscles are created for breathing at rest ... Read more ...
Why normal breathing is slow. Normal breathing rate or frequency is only 12 breaths per minute. Older textbooks often provide even smaller rates (e.g., 8-10 breaths per minute). Most modern people breathe much faster (about 15-20 breaths per minute) and this reduces body oxygenation. In sick people, ...	Why normal breathing is shallow (or small in volume). People with normal breathing do not feel their breathing. Why is it so? Normal tidal volume is only 500 ml or about 0.6 g of air, which is inhaled in during one inspiration. Hence, normal breathing is very small in amplitude. Sick people breathe deeper and often feel the air flow passing through the nose, chest movements, ...
Parameters, graph, and description of normal breathing. The norm for minute ventilation at rest is 6 litres per minute for a 70 kg man. Medical textbooks also provide the following parameters of normal ...	6 myths about breathing (above 90% prevalence). Myth #1. My breathing is OK and I know how to breathe. Less than 10% of people have normal breathing patterns and parameters and body oxygen stores these days ...

The key assumption of the Buteyko breathing method: Sick people hyperventilate.

This can be checked. Let us start with heart disease.

* Note. If you want to get more accurate results (how many patients were studied, where, which medical journal published the article, etc.) and even read the abstract just click on the graph.

If heart disease patients breathe much more air than the medical norm, it is logical that their heart muscle gets less blood and oxygen supply (see the Section about CO2 effects). If these heart patients slow down their breathing rate back to the norm, then their heart perfusion, oxygenation, state of blood vessels, and many other key parameters will be normal. This will result in no symptoms of the heart disease and no need for medication.

Let us look at breathing rates or MV (minute ventilation) in patients with asthma.

We can get the same general picture for diabetes.

Medical research studies and clinical trials found the same result (chronic overbreathing or 100% prevalence of hyperventilation) for patients with COPD, cancer, sleep apnoea, liver cirrhosis, hyperthyroidism, cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, dystrophia myotonica, and many other conditions. If you want to investigate these results, look at Table 1. Western scientific evidence: breathing rates or minute ventilation in patients with various chronic conditions (33 medical studies). This data clearly shows that sick people breathe too much (or about 2-3 times above the norm). It is logical that sick people experience symptoms of breathing problems and breathing difficulties.

The main principle of breathing retraining and the Buteyko method

Dr. Buteyko and hundreds of medical and physiological studies have confirmed that hyperventilation (or breathing more than the medical norm, which is 6 liters per minute at rest) results in tissue hypoxia (less oxygen in cells), while oxygen is crucial for all tissues, prevention of chronic diseases and vital health. Hence, the foundation of the Buteyko breathing method is to find techniques, breathing exercises, and tools to slow down breathing or "breathe less".

Do healthy subjects have normal breathing (only about 6 liters of air per minute at rest)? Consider Table 2: Minute ventilation or breathing rate at rest in healthy subjects (14 medical research studies).

Humanity experienced a sudden upsurge of chronic diseases (or "diseases of civilization") during last century. This graph with Table 3 tells us about centennial changes in breathing rates for normal or ordinary subjects (24 medical research studies).

We can see that "normal" modern subjects breathe about 2 times more air than "normal" subjects 70-80 years ago, when the rates of chronic diseases were about 10 or more times less, while healthy subjects still have normal breathing parameters. We can also observe that sick people, while breathing more air at rest, have low body oxygenation. Click this link for more information and medical quotes about O2 importance.

Breathing, body oxygenation (Buteyko CP test), and their measurements

Let us now focus on body oxygenation: how breathing controls cellular oxygenation, how a person can easily measure body oxygenation (a simple stress-free DIY test or Buteyko Control Pause), and typical results for this test for different groups of people.

Why do we develop tissue hypoxia when we breathe more? During normal breathing our arterial blood is about 98% saturated with O2. Hence, breathing more cannot improve blood oxygenation to a significant degree. At the same time, we lose CO2 and its deficiency generates lack of O2 in tissues. How? Read more about hyperventilation and cellular hypoxia ...	“Oxygen content in the organism can be found using a simple method: after exhalation, observe, how long the person can pause their breath without stress.” Dr. K. P. Buteyko. There are two important factors for measuring the Control Pause (the oxygenation index or stress-free breath holding time test): first, it is done after your usual exhalation ...
Since healthy people breathe less (lighter and easier) at rest, do they have good breath-holding time results (high CP)? These western studies are summarized in a Table here: Normal Breath Holding Time - Control Pause in Healthy People )	We can see that sick people breathe more air, but what are their CP test results (or body oxygenation index numbers)? This graph and Table 5 tell can be viewed here: Breath Holding Time (Oxygenation Index - CP) in Sick People.

Buteyko Table of Health Zones and Morning Hyperventilation effect

Dr K. P. Buteyko, the author of the Buteyko breathing method, was hired in early 1960s by Soviets to lead the respiratory laboratory and the classified project for first Soviet outer spaceship missions. He studied breathing, respiration of cells in the body, diseases, optimum air composition, and effects of life style factors. Dr. Buteyko recorded breath parameters of thousands of healthy and sick people and suggested the Buteyko Table of health zones ...

The above-mentioned information (about MV, CP, and oxygenation in the healthy, ordinary and sick) relates to day-time values. However, breathing parameters and symptoms are worst during early morning hours. The effect if even stronger in the sick (heart disease, stoke, diabetes, asthma, COPD, epilepsy...) causing devastating effects on their health during early morning hours. Read more about the Morning Hyperventilation effect ...

"Hence, normal breathing corresponds to a healthy organism." Dr. K. P. Buteyko, "Dr. Buteyko lecture in the Moscow State University on 9 December 1969"

We cannot control, in direct sense, development of chronic diseases, but we can control our breathing, directly and indirectly, 24/7.

Now it is possible to analyze or even provide answers to three questions:
● Are there many chronic diseases or only one (with various symptoms depending in environmental factors, life style parameters, and individual predisposition)?
● What is the name of this disease?
● How should it be treated? Or what is the cure or most sensible therapy-treatment or parameter to monitor?

This website is devoted to analysis of causes, effects, and other factors related to breathing, body and tissue oxygenation, development of chronic diseases and symptoms, and their prevention and treatment using breathing retraining. We will also consider exercise, physical fitness, and sleep and their interactions with breathing.

Other categories of this website are:
- Patterns and O2 (breathing patterns and oxygenation)
- CO2 effects (information pages about breathing control, properties of CO2; evolutionary aspects of breathing)
- Diseases and symptoms (asthma, COPD, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, insomnia, skin problems, and many others and how they are connected with breathing)
- Causes of HV (causes of chronic hyperventilation, related to sleep, exercise, stress, and other life style factors)
- Breathing retraining (general information about breathing techniques, Buteyko breathing method, and resources)
- Learning "Survival" (learn Level 1 modules to save your life) and some modules of Level 2
- Teaching (details about my teaching the Buteyko method)
- Books and DVD (4 books and video-DVD)
- Free downloads
- More topics and information