![](3D"book-big-ch1-5_files/image004.jpg")
the key
to vital health
by Artour Rakhimov, Ph=
.D.
the key to vital heal=
th
Disclaimers and warnin=
gs
While the author has used
reasonable efforts to include accurate and up-to-date information in this b=
ook,
there are no warranties or representations as to the accuracy of such
information and no guarantee or promise about effects and treatment of any
health conditions is given.
The information provided in this book and=
its
pages is for guidance only and should be used under the supervision of a
qualified medical physician, or a family doctor, or a Buteyko practitioner.=
The
user of this book should not alter any medication without professional medi=
cal
advice. Before undertaking any breathing exercises one should seek medical
advice from one’s physician, family doctor or a qualified Buteyko
practitioner.
The author assumes no liability for the
contents of this book, which may or may not be followed at one’s own
risk. Thus, any liability for any impact, problems, or damages is expressly
disclaimed.
Please be aware that breathing exercises,
including breath holding, have powerful effects on the human organism. These
effects may cause serious health problems in the event of incorrect applica=
tion
of breathing exercises.
Special warnings for p=
eople
with serious health pr=
oblems
Breathing exercises can cause large and r=
apid
changes in blood flow to the brain, heart, liver, kidneys, stomach, large a=
nd
small intestines and other organs, as well as changes in blood concentratio=
ns
of certain hormones. Such changes may result in different adverse effects.
There are many other consequences of manipulation in breathing that can lea=
d to
stress and various problems. These effects can be particularly dangerous for
people with serious existing health problems or special conditions (diabete=
s,
severe renal disease, chronic acute gastritis, intestinal ulcers, CrohnR=
17;s
disease, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, acute brain
traumas, any bleeding or acute injury, pregnancy, etc.).
Copyright
the key to vital heal=
th
Content
of the book
Chapter 1. Scientific studies about breathing-health connection
1.1 Minute ventilation in heal=
th and
disease
1.2 Do people notice their
over-breathing (hyperventilation)?.
1.3 The main effect of
hyperventilation
1.4 Do we need this
“poisonous” CO2?.
1.5 CO2 deficiency:=
the
main physiological effect of hyperventilation.
1.6 Medical studies of
hyperventilation
1.7 Studies about the
hyperventilation provocation test
1.8 Hypoventilation as a health
problem
1.9 End-tidal CO2 a=
nd
different health problems
1.10 Hypoxia and blood shuntin=
g
1.11 Critical care patients and
arterial CO2
1.12 Breath-holding time and i=
ts
clinical significance
1.14 Changes in the ANS (autonomous nervous system)=
1.17 Evolution of air on Earth=
Chapter 2. The chemical and physiological mechanisms of immediate
regulation of breathing
2.1 Biochemical control of respiration
2.4 Control of breathing during
breath holding
2.5 Control of breathing in pe=
ople
with chronic hyperventilation
2.6 Breath holding control in
diseased states
2.7 Connection between BHT (br=
eath
holding time after normal expiration) and arterial CO2=
Chapter 3. Lifestyle factors that matter
3.1 Stress, anxiety and strong
emotions
3.6 Talking with deep inhalati=
ons, a
loud voice, or a high pitch
3.9 Embryonic and foetal devel=
opment
in a woman hyperventilating during her pregnancy.
3.10 Special factors for infan=
ts
3.12 Exposure to toxic chemica=
ls
Chapter 4. Western methods of breathing retraining
4.1 University of California M=
edical
School, San Francisco, USA
4.2 Papworth Hospital, Cambrid=
ge, UK
4.3 Portland Veterans Administ=
ration
Medical Centre, USA
4.4 St. Bartholomew's Hospital,
London, UK
4.5 Institute of Stress Resear=
ch,
Netherlands
4.6 Department of Psychiatry,
University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, UK..
4.7 Department of Psychiatry,
University of Utrecht, Netherlands.
4.8 Cornell University Medical
College, New York, USA
4.9 California School of
Professional Psychology, San Diego, USA..
4.10 Lothian Area Respiratory
Function Service, City Hospital, Edinburgh, UK..
4.11 Service de Psychosomatiqu=
e,
Hopital du Sacre-Caeur de Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
4.12 Laboratory of Pneumology,=
U. Z.
Gasthuisberg, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
4.13 New Zealand Guidelines Gr=
oup
4.14 Stanford University, Palo=
Alto,
USA
4.15 Common features of Western
methods of breathing retraining
Chapter 5. History and advance of the Buteyko breathing method=
5.1 Some historical facts abou=
t the
origins of the method
5.2 Breathing and modern disea=
ses
5.3 Development of specific he=
alth
problems
5.4 Practical discoveries and =
their
application
5.5 Advance of the method in t=
he
USSR and Russia
5.6 Advance of the method in w=
estern
countries
6.1 The HVPT (hyperventilation
provocation test)
6.3 Lifestyle factors that inf=
luence
the personal CP
6.4 How CP measurements relate=
to
aCO2 values
6.5 Conditions for correct CP
measurements
6.8 CP and various systems and
parameters of the organism
6.9 The link between the CP and
symptoms
6.10 Maximum, average and mini=
mum
daily CPs
6.11 Other pauses and their
definitions
6.12 Potential dangers of long
breath holds and strong air hunger
6.13 Short pauses as safer
alternatives
Chapter 7. Level 1: First steps for better health
7.3 Prevention of sleeping on =
the
back
7.4 The Emergency Procedure du=
ring
acute or life threatening situations.
7.5 Other possible application=
s of
the Emergency Procedure
7.6 Constant basic control of
breathing
Chapter 8. Level 2: Breathing exercises, sleep, focal infections, and
cleansing reactions
8.1 General goals of the breat=
hing
exercises
8.2 Preliminary requirements f=
or
learning breathing exercises
8.4 More about relaxation and
posture
8.5 Gradualism – an appr=
oach
to learning air hunger
8.6 Which breathing exercises =
to
choose from?
8.7 What are the criteria of success?
8.9 Day-after-day progress in breathing retraining
8.11 General observations about sleep
8.12 Why breathing gets deeper during sleep
8.14 Methods to prevent night
hyperventilation
8.17 Order or priorities of actions.
8.20 Breathing and focal infec=
tions:
practical cases
8.21 Cleansing reactions: their
causes, basic mechanisms, and symptoms.
8.22 Practical steps during the
cleansing reaction
Chapter 9. Level 2: Personal changes, physical exercise and other use=
ful
tools
9.1 Personal changes due to the
first breathing sessions
9.3 Some practical suggestions
regarding your personal hygiene and oral health.
9.6 Development of correct spe=
aking
skills
9.7 Prevention of hyperventila=
tion
conditioned to favourite activities.
9.8 A typical long session of =
the
Buteyko breathing with light intensity.
9.9 What to expect and goal se=
tting
9.10 Imagery and visualization=
9.11 Measurements of pulse and=
its
significance
9.12 Possible intensities and
durations of the breathing sessions.
Chapter 10. Level 3: CP 60 or excellent health
10.1 Constant breathing contro=
l=
10.2 Why it is difficult to br=
eak
through 40 s threshold
10.3 Physical activity and bre=
athing
exercises
10.4 Strengthening the weakest=
parts
of the organism
10.9 Other dietary suggestions=
10.10 Negative emotions and th=
eir
relation to muscular tension and physical activity.
10.11 The check list of questi=
ons
for getting CP 60
Chapter 11. Breathing and some GI problems.
11.1 Normal digestion and
abnormalities
11.2 Chronic hyperventilation =
and
its effects on the GI system
11.3 Interaction of these
destructive CHV factors with the organism..
11.4 Factors that define the t=
ime of
digestion
11.5 Breathing control during =
and
after meals
11.6 Chewing and particle size=
of
the swallowed food
11.7 Effects of various foods =
on
breathing
11.8 Focal infections and thei=
r GI
effects
11.9 Positive effects of high =
CPs on
the GI tract
11.10 Triggers of GI problems =
and
the soft diet
11.11 Mechanical shaking of th=
e body
11.13 Other observations and
suggestions
Chapter 12. Special topics related to the Buteyko method
12.1 Review of some effects th=
at
take place at 10 and 20 s CP.
12.2 Emphysema and breathing
retraining
12.3 Sleep apnoea and breathing
retraining
12.3 Hypercapnic vasoconstrict=
ion
12.4 Practical suggestions for=
the
youngest Buteyko students (0-1 years old)
12.5 Teaching young children (=
from 2
up to 14-16 years old)
Chapter 13. Various other breathing-related topics
13.1 Hatha yoga teaching and breathing
13.3 Breath holding abilities =
in
animals
13.4 Breathing in relation to metabolic and health states
13.5 Breathing analogy in health and disease
13.6 Homeostasis and various simple parameters that reflect it=
=
13.7 Socio-psychological aspects of breathing
Chapter 14. Future of the Buteyko movement and challenges of Buteyko
breathing teachers
14.3 Teaching the method: what=
is
the core?
14.4 The method and its impact=
on
environmental and lifestyle factors.
14.5 Ten typical mistakes made by breathing practitioners
14.6 Teaching and promoting the
Buteyko method in new places
Appendix 1. Summary and explanation of normal respiratory and some
related values
Appendix 2. Approximate relationship between breath holding time and
alveolar CO2 concentration
Diseases of kidneys and urinary tract
Diseases of the musculoskeletal system..
Allergies and states of immunodeficiency.
Appendix 5. Macro-minerals and their signs of deficiency
About the author: Dr. Artour Rakhimov.
the key to vital health<=
/span>
Introduction
What do we need in order to be healthy? M=
ost
people, including many medical doctors and health professionals, would prob=
ably
say that a good diet, exercise, healthy environment, and proper rest are all
important. Other people may add relaxation exercises, supplements, herbal
remedies and other factors. Meanwhile, there is one factor, which is usually
missing in typical answers. That is normal
breathing (or breathing in accordance with existing medical and
physiological norms).
Humans can live for days without water and
for weeks without food. However, we can survive without breathing for not m=
ore
than a few minutes. Can it be so, then, that breathing is as important as w=
ater
and food? In my view, breathing is the missing link in the modern philosoph=
y of
health. We know too little about its importance and its effects on various
processes, systems, and organs of the human body.
This book is written for an inquisitive
reader who has keen interest in respiration, its basic theory, hyperventila=
tion
and its effects, the regulation of respiration in health and disease and
breathing retraining therapies. The book will also separately describe the
discoveries and practical work of Doctor Buteyko, a detailed description of=
his
breathing method, and relevant known medical investigations and physiologic=
al
experiments. Such attention to the Buteyko method seems justified to me due=
to
its remarkable success in the treatment of various chronic health problems,
which are often considered incurable.
While this book does contain scientific t=
erms
and methods, it is not required that the reader be medically trained in ord=
er
to understand the information presented here.
Each chapter of this book starts with an
introduction formulating the questions to be discussed. After the main text=
of
theoretical chapters, general conclusions are suggested. Each chapter has a
Q&A (Question & Answer) section and chapter-related references.
Finally, let me express my gratitude to a=
ll
people whose help made the existence of this book possible. In particular,
sincere thanks to Stuart B. Wiley (Canada), Paul Ryner=
, Carol Bag=
lia,
Roger Young, Suzanne Nicole (USA), Patrick McKeown, Anne Burns (Ireland),
Carolina Gane (Holland), Elizabeth MacDomnic and Duncan Robertson (UK) for
proofreading and/or valuable remarks which improved the quality of the
manuscript.
Chapter 1. Scientific studies about breathing-health connection
Introduction
In this chapter we will examine what medi=
cal
science has been studying during last hundred years. Our goal is to establi=
sh a
relationship between breathing and both health and disease.
How should we breathe? How do sick people
breathe? Is there any connection to the severity of the health problems? Wh=
at
has been found out about breathing of severely sick and critically ill pati=
ents?
How do most people breathe when they die and before that? Are there any sim=
ple
practical tests, which indicate if personal breathing is normal or not?
1.1 Minute ventilation in health and dise=
ase
What is the norm of breathing? How many
litres of air per minute should we breathe while sitting at rest? The
physiological norm of minute ventilation can be found in many physiological=
and
medical textbooks. It is about 6 litres per minute (Guyton, 1984; Ganong,
1995). So, let us keep in mind this important number: 6 litres of air per minute.
Table 1.1 summarizes information about mi=
nute
ventilation at rest in different diseased states.
*One row corresponds to one medical study/publication
|
Condition |
Minute |
N. of |
Prevalence |
Reference |
|
Normal breathing |
6 l/min |
- |
0 % |
|
|
Heart disease |
15 (±4) l/min |
22 |
100% |
|
|
Heart disease |
16 (±2) l/min |
11 |
100% |
|
|
Heart disease |
12 (±3) l/min |
132 |
100% |
|
|
Heart disease |
15 (±4) l/min |
55 |
100% |
|
|
Heart disease |
13 (±4) l/min |
15 |
100% |
|
|
Heart disease |
15 (±4) l/min |
88 |
100% |
|
|
Heart disease |
14 (±2) l/min |
30 |
100% |
|
|
Heart disease |
16 (±6) l/min |
20 |
100% |
|
|
Pulm hypertension<= o:p> |
12 (±2) l/min |
11 |
100% |
|
|
Cancer |
12 (±2) l/min |
40 |
100% |
|
|
Diabetes |
12-17 l/min |
26 |
100% |
|
|
Diabetes |
15 (±2) l/min |
45 |
100% |
|
|
Diabetes |
12 (±2) l/min |
8 |
100% |
|
|
Diabetes |
10-20 l/min |
28 |
100% |
|
|
Diabetes |