What's good for you - on Buteyko

from w
For a week I've been crook with congestion in the bronchial tubes and a bad throat - driving me crazy, wanting to stand upside down and cough. The doctor prescribed Ventolin (which I didn't take as I am suspicious of medicine) and antibiotics. (I've been prescribed Ventolin twice in eight years but never even tried it.) After seven days I was no better and desperate. The chemist gave me some expensive cough medicine so I guzzled that. Anyway Peceli said I should trust the doctor and try one puff of Ventolin, so I did, though I think I did it upside down. I felt quite strange then, and suddenly drowsy and then slept and slept! Today I feel fine. Was it the Ventolin, the cough medicine, the good sleep, or just time that cured me?

Anyway last night the TV program 'What's good for you' included a segment on the Buteyko method of breathing as an aid to asthmatics. These are notes taken from their website:

Asthma — does the Buteyko method work?
More than two million Australians now suffer from asthma. It's usually controlled with drugs but we're going to look at an alternative treatment — it's called Buteyko, which is all about learning to breathe… Practicing the Buteyko method does look silly, but the key thing is learning to breathe through your nose. Why is nasal breathing so important? You take in less air and breathe out less carbon dioxide.
"The more carbon dioxide that we retain in our lungs, the better it is for our health. Because that facilitates more release of oxygen from haemoglobin in our blood. So we get oxygen to all the cells of our body," O'Connell says. But it doesn't come naturally so Butyko students have to learn to reduce their breathing even while they're active.

The good news is that Buteyko helps asthmatics significantly cut down on medication and it helps relieve those debilitating symptoms.

While doctors might not think it's a miracle cure, if you're one of the growing number of Australians seeking relief from asthma symptoms, then Buteyko method might be worth a try.

Asthma is the most common chronic condition in Western society. Would you know what to do if someone had a severe attack in front of you?
What should you do if someone has a severe asthma attack?
• Make sure they take reliever medicine.
• Keep them calm and encourage them to breathe slowly.
• Don't let them lie down as this constricts breathing.
• If the reliever medicine doesn't help within 10 minutes or they're struggling to breathe, then call for medical help.