Buteyko Breathing

Breathe-Easy

™

Butekyo Therapy

Contents What is Buteyko?

1

Programme outline

2

What is good breathing?

3

How to recognise over‑breathing

4

Who is Dr Buteyko?

5

The Buteyko breathing approach

6

How to unblock your nose

7

Reduced breathing

8

How to do a set of steps

8

Measuring your breathing volume

9

How to measure your CP

9

Foods that cause over-breathing

10

How to stop coughing and wheezing

11

How to break the coughing cycle

12

How to blow your nose

12

Exercise to stop sneezing

13

Pulse exercise

14

MouthMatters™ Breathe-Easy™ Buteyko Therapy www.mouthmatters.co.nz

Exercise Diary ‑ Tots/tweens/teens

15

Exercise Diary ‑ Adults

17

© Waghorn Publishing, 2014

Homework to maintain correct breathing

19

Notes

20

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under New Zealand and International Laws and Treaties.

Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

What is Buteyko?

Programme outline

Breathe-Easy™ Buteyko Therapy is a drug‑free programme to improve breathing.

Buteyko classes are kept to a maximum of 8‑10 people per class.

It is a safe and effective way to control symptoms related to over‑breathing or hyperventilation such as; asthma, allergies, sinusitis, hay‑fever, bronchitis, sleep apnoea, snoring and many other issues.

The programme is made up of three 90 minute sessions.

Private sessions are available and sometimes recommended.

A lifetime technique can be learned in managing illnesses for less money than you would continue to spend on medications to help handle symptoms. You will always have the Buteyko method as a way to safely and effectively manage your illnesses and improve your overall health.

Benefits from completing the Breathe-Easy™ Buteyko Programme will include; better sleep patterns, higher energy levels, ability to exercise without being short of breath, better sporting performances and a greater tolerance to colds and flu.

I don’t hyperventilate... or do I? If you answer yes to any of the following symptoms you would benefit from attending a Breathe-Easy™ Buteyko Programme.

1

The exercises should be practiced daily over six weeks for permanent results. Symptoms should improve within the first week. The programme also includes two follow‑up sessions six weeks apart. We offer ongoing support and follow‑up assistance for six months, at no extra cost.

What is taught during the Programme?

• Asthma

• Poor concentration

• Breathlessness

• Numbness/Tingling

• Chest tightness

• Dry mouth

• Sneezing

• Chronic fatigue

• Learning how to unblock the nose naturally using special breath holding exercises.

• Stuffy nose

• Poor sleep patterns

• Switching from mouth breathing to nasal breathing.

• Excess mucus

• Indigestion

• Sinus infection

• Grinding

• Breathing exercises to bring breathing volumes to normal levels.

• Coughing

• Bed wetting

• Excessive yawning

• Sweaty palms

• Sighing

• Grinding of teeth

• Dizziness

• Light headedness

The aim is to recondition patients’ breathing to normal levels, this involves:

• How to participate in physical exercise without hyperventilating.

• Special exercises to stop coughing and wheezing.

• Small lifestyle changes are necessary to assist with this, thus facilitating the road to full recovery.

2

What is good breathing?

How to recognise over-breathing

Good breathing, like good nutrition, is essential for optimal health.

At this point, you might think that you or your child are a normal breather.

Despite this, dysfunctional breathing is widespread and the signs and symptoms usually go undiagnosed and untreated.

For most people, over breathing is subtle which is why it often goes undetected. The typical characteristics include:

In order to live, the three ingredients of water, food and air are vital but which one is more important?

3 MINS

3 DAYS

3 WEEKS

We can live without food for weeks and without water for days but we can only live without air for just a few moments. If we measure the importance of each element by how long we can live without it, air becomes so much more important than either food or water.

We all know the importance of good air quality. Smog, pollution or inferior air has a negative impact on our health. But what about the quantity of air?

3

It is not common knowledge, but breathing a large volume of air can also be detrimental to our health. Silence is a sign of good breathing, i.e: when the mouth is closed and our air exchange (breathing in and out) is silent during a period of rest.

Good breathing is regular and calm without sighs or sniffs. Good breathing is when we cannot see or hear it. It is unnoticeable. When the body is efficient breathing is quiet.

On the other hand, inefficient breathing is noisy, heavy, loud, and erratic. It takes effort but breathing should not be an effort. When breathing is done through the mouth, more air is taken in but less oxygen is delivered throughout the body.

Pale faces, black circles under the eyes, stuffy noses, asthma, snoring, behavioural problems, poor concentration, and craniofacial abnormalities are all significantly affected by poor breathing habits.

• Breathing through the mouth

• Holding of breath (Apnoea)

• Audible breathing during rest

• Yawning with big breaths

• Taking large breaths prior to talking

• Movement of shoulders while breathing

• Regular sighs

• Upper chest movement

• Regular sniffing

• Breathing with effort

• Irregular breathing

• Heavy breathing at night

1

How many characteristics apply to you or your child?

2

Do you or your child sigh?

3

Are you or your child a mouth breather?

4

Do you or your child wake up with a dry mouth in the morning?

4

Who is Dr Buteyko?

The Buteyko breathing approach

The Buteyko method was developed in the 1950s by Russian doctor, Dr Konstantin Buteyko.

One Simple Rule: The only way that you know you are reducing your breathing is when you feel a need for air.

His method has been practiced by hundreds of thousands of children and adults for a variety of conditions, including mouth breathing, hay fever, blocked nose, snoring, sleep apnoea, asthma, blood pressure, anxiety, stress, panic attacks and depression.

As a young doctor, Buteyko spent months sitting at sick patients bedsides observing their states of health. He noticed that each person’s breathing got heavier as his or her health deteriorated. As their illnesses advanced, he

saw that his patients breathing movements from their chests and tummies increased, that their breathing became more audible. Their breaths became faster, they sighed more were breathing through their mouths. In time he was able to predict the onset of death just by observing their breathing.

This raised a fundamental question for Buteyko: was it his patient’s sickness that contributed to their heavy breathing or was it their heavy breathing that contributed to their sickness?

Dr Konstantin Buteyko Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko was born on the 27th January 1923, Inheriting his fathers enthusiasm for machines, Konstantin was enrolled into the Kiev Polytechnic Institute until his studies were interrupted by World War II when Buteyko joined his country’s armed forces. After his experiences during the War, Buteyko felt compelled to study what he called “the most complicated piece of machinery of all” - the human organism.

5

Ultimately all exercises are designed to correct your breathing and reverse chronic hyperventilation. Our goal is for your breathing to become quiet, gentle, calm and regular.

All the breathing exercises which we will be going over, will involve one thing, to breathe less for periods of time in order to reverse the bad habit of over breathing.

Whenever these exercises are done it is necessary to feel a hunger for air. The extent of the need for air depends on what exercises are being done. This need for air is essential to correct the habit of over breathing. Feeling a need for air is due to an increase of CO2 in the blood.

The bodies respiratory centre is reacting to the increased CO2 by stimulating breathing to keep it at a lower level.

For example: Just imagine you are eating 10 meals each day. If you attend a diet class and are told to cut your meal consumption to the normal amount of 2‑3 meals each day, you would feel hungry for food because the amount you would be eating would be less than what your body is used to.

However; after a few days, this feeling would disappear and your overall health would improve. So during the breath correction programme it is essential to purposely reduce breathing and feel the shortage of air to make progress.

The feeling of the need for air is not due to the body being deprived of oxygen, but comes about because you are breathing less than you normally would.

6

How to unblock your nose

Reduced breathing The secret of how to breathe like a mouse:

STEP 1 Sit down and take a small breath in through your nose. This breath in should make no noise. Breathe out through your nose

1

Place your finger under your nose.

2

Feel the warm air on your finger.

STEP 2 Hold your nose with your fingers so that the air cannot come in or go out.

3

STEP 3

Reduce your breathing until you don’t feel any air on your finger.

When you can do this, you are doing ‘reduced breathing’

Gently nod your head up and down, do this for as long as you can.

STEP 4 When you need to breathe in, breathe in through your nose ONLY and try not to let the air sneak in through your mouth.

STEP 5

How to do a set of steps 1

Take a small breath in through your nose.

4.

2

Breathe a small breath out through your nose.

5

3

Hold your nose so that air does not enter or escape.

6

Calm your breathing as quickly as possible.

STEP 6 Wait half a minute and practice this again.

Your nose should be unblocked by the third attempt.

If your nose gets blocked again, repeat the exercise.

7

Walk as many steps as you can while holding your breath.

When you really need to breathe in, let go of your nose and breathe in through your nose.

Calm your breathing as quickly as possible within one to two steps.

8

Measuring your breathing volume (control pause)

Foods that cause over-breathing Certain foods can increase your breathing rate or cause over breathing and should be avoided or reduced during early training:

To be able to measure the extent of your breathing volume, a very small breath hold test called the Control Pause (CP) is used. By doing the Control Pause you will provide feedback of your symptoms and more importantly your progress.

The CP measures the length of time you can comfortably hold your breath. This is not an exercise to correct your breathing. Remember that the CP is holding your breath only until the first urges of wanting to take a breath. If you have to take a big breath at the end of the breath hold, you have held it for too long. It is best taken

first thing in the morning after waking up.

Measuring your CP:

Foods with high glycaemic index, particularly refined white flour, sugar, drinks with added sugar

• Take a small breath in • Small breath out

DAIRY

• Hold your nose with your fingers to prevent air entering your lungs

Milk and milk products, soft cheeses, cottage cheese, ice cream, yoghurt. Includes soy milk

• Time how many seconds until you feel the first signs of air hunger (feel you need to take a breath)

High protein foods especially animal protein e.g. fish, shellfish, chicken and beef (includes stocks)

• Release your nose and breathe in through your nose.

SALICYLATES

Symptoms such as: coughing, wheezing, breathlessness, snoring, insomnia, fatigue, colds, blocked nose.

Main symptoms gone, but may have symptoms if exposed to a trigger.

PROTEIN

Foods high in salicylates include strawberries, raspberries, almonds, peanuts, chocolate, cocoa/milo

• Record your CP

Using the table below you can chart your progress:

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HIGH G.I.

CAFFIENE

CP Steps 10

20 - 40

20

40 - 60

30

60 - 80

40

80 - 100

Coffee, strong tea, coke, energy drinks, alcoholic drinks

FOOD ADDITIVES MSG, sulphites, sodium benzoate, nitrites, aspartame

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How to stop coughing and wheezing (small breath holds) 1

Sit down and take a small breath in through your nose

2

The breath in should make no noise.

3

Breathe out through your nose.

4

Then hold your nose with your fingers so that the air cannot come in or go out.

5

Hold your breath for 2‑5 seconds; do not try to hold your breath for longer than 2‑5 seconds because it would only increase breathing, which may aggravate your symptoms.

Your maximum breath hold should be no greater than half your Control Pause at the time. (for example if your CP is 4 seconds, then do small breath holds for 2 seconds only).

6

After each breath hold, breathe normally for 10‑15 seconds. Don’t interfere with your breathing.

7

Continue to do a small breath holds followed by gentle breathing for 10‑15 seconds until symptoms have passed.

How to break the coughing cycle 1

When you feel the need to cough (ticklish feeling) – hold your breath or swallow.

2

If you need to cough – cough through your nose. After your cough, do small breath holds.

3

If having a coughing attack – do many small breath holds.

4

Try to relax and avoid taking big breaths between coughing.

Note: The main point to remember is the deep breathing and forced exhalation that constitutes a cough will only perpetuate your cycle of coughing. Being conscious of this will reduce the attack.

How to blow your nose Follow the same rules with regard to coughing:

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1

Try not to blow your nose and do so only when necessary.

2

Blow nose gently. Blowing of the nose forcibly will result in a greater loss of CO2 and can result in sinus and ear problems.

3

After blowing nose do a three second Control Pause

4

Reduce breathing. For a child, do sets of steps.

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13

29 x 4 = 116 20 x 4 = 80

28 x 4 = 112 19 x 4 = 76

27 x 4 = 108 18 x 4 = 72

26 x 4 = 104 17 x 4 = 68

25 x 4 = 100 16 x 4 = 64

24 x 4 = 96 15 x 4 = 60

23 x 4 = 92

14 x 4 = 56

Reduce breathing.

For a child do sets of steps.

5

22 x 4 = 88

After sneezing, do a three second Control Pause.

4

13 x 4 = 52

Sneeze gently if you can. Sneezing forcibly will result in a greater loss of CO2 and can result in sinus and ear problems.

3

Place your finger under your nose when you feel the urge or on top of your nose and gently move your nose to the right ‑ (old wives tale that works). Often this will be enough to prevent the oncoming sneeze.

12 x 4 = 48

2

Try not to sneeze and do so only when necessary (but never try to block the sneeze if it is arising as it could cause damage to the ear and sinuses).

Pulse 15 seconds x 4 = Beats per minute

1

Like coughing and blowing the nose the same rules apply to sneezing:

21 x 4 = 84

Exercise to stop sneezing

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15 16

Pulse

MP

RB

Steps

RB

Steps

RB

Steps

RB

Pulse

MP

RB

Steps

RB

Steps

RB

Steps

RB = Reduced breathing between 3-5 mins | MP = Maximum Pause

Date

Pulse / Reduced Breathing / Steps / Maximum Pause RB

Exercise Diary - Tots, tweens & teens

RB = Reduced breathing between 3-5 mins | MP = Maximum Pause

Date

Pulse / Reduced Breathing / Steps / Maximum Pause

Exercise Diary - Tots, tweens & teens

Pulse

Pulse

Medication taken & symptoms (note times)

Medication taken & symptoms (note times)

17 18

Time

Pulse CP

RB 5

CP

RB 5

CP

RB 5

CP

RB5

CP

Medication taken & Pulse symptoms (note times)

Time

Pulse CP

RB 5

CP

RB 5

CP

RB 5

CP

RB5

CP

Medication taken & Pulse symptoms (note times)

CP = Control Pause | RB5 = Reduced breathing between 4-5 mins (rest for one min before taking CP)

Date

Pulse / Control Pause / Reduced Breathing / Steps / Maximum Pause

Exercise Diary - Adults

CP = Control Pause | RB5 = Reduced breathing between 4-5 mins (rest for one min before taking CP)

Date

Pulse / Control Pause / Reduced Breathing / Steps / Maximum Pause

Exercise Diary - Adults

Homework for correct breathing

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1

Use the nose unblocking exercise if your nose gets blocked.

2

Keep your mouth closed at all times.

3

Use many small breath holds when wheezy or coughing.

4

When you have no symptoms, practice 9 repetitions of Steps each day. (Ideally 3 before breakfast, 3 during the day and 3 before bed).

5

Keep a record of your Steps score and try to increase it by 10 each week.

6

Be aware of the concept of reduced breathing and ensure that your breathing is quiet 24/7.

7

Practice reduced breathing exercises.

8

When you can do 80‑100 Steps, do enough repetitions to maintain this figure. For example, after a few weeks you might be able to maintain 100 Steps by just doing 3 repetitions of steps each day.

The Steps score should increase by 10 every week, with a goal of reaching a score of 80‑100 Steps.

Notes

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09 524 0424 hello@mouthmatters.co.nz www.mouthmatters.co.nz

PO Box 99524 19 Alpers Ave Newmarket