Patients with asthma, emphysema, COPD, bronchitis, or other acute or chronic lung conditions may engage in hyperventilation, the practice of inhaling and exhaling more frequently than the healthy population. The late doctor Konstantin Buteyko developed a breathing method to help lung disease patients gain control of their breathing, through a set of breathing exercises that teaches patients breath-holding and relaxation techniques. Even some heart disease patients use Buteyko breathing to manage the breathlessness that accompanies the condition. Although doctors consider the Buteyko breathing technique a complimentary and alternative therapy, learning the exercises can help some patients become less dependent on breathing medications.
Breath Holding to Stop Hyperventilation
Breathing is instinctive, but the urge to breathe is increased in many lung disease patients, causing hyperventilation. A key exercise in the Buteyko method focuses on a technique called the Control Pause, which encourages patients to hold their breath after exhaling for as long as is comfortably possible. After a period of weeks, patients find that they can hold their breath longer, with a corresponding decrease in symptoms.
Nasal Breathing
Buteyko practitioners teach asthma and other lung disease patients to favor nasal breathing over mouth breathing. Patients may use a neti pot to keep the nose clear during the day, and some patients may use a CPAP breathing machine at night to encourage nasal breathing.
Relaxation Averts Asthma Attacks
When an asthma patient feels an asthma attack coming on, or when a lung disease patient feels he can’t take a full breath, the response may be a panicked gasping for breath, which worsens hyperventilation problems. Although the Buteyko technique doesn’t take the place of prescribed breathing medications, the relaxation techniques the practitioners teach can help some patients decrease the severity of the attack by taking calm, controlled breaths.
Effectiveness of Buteyko Breathing Exercises
Although hearing the positive anecdotes of other patients may encourage one to try a new breathing treatment, clinical trials are the gold standard for evaluating new medical treatments. A study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal found that the Buteyko breathing technique is not only safe but is effective for asthma patients, in that the Buteyko group reduced inhaled steroids by 50% compared to no change in the control group. In a study in Respiratory Medicine, the authors acknowledged that the Buteyko breathing method is a widely accepted technique, which is beneficial for asthma patients using inhaled corticosteroids.
How to Learn the Buteyko Breathing Technique
Several types of practitioners offer to teach lung disease patients the Buteyko technique. Practitioners may include health care professionals such as naturopaths, physiotherapists, registered nurses, or respiratory therapists. Patients can ask their medical doctors for a reference to a practitioner in their community.
Some patients purchase a Buteyko DVD or manual to learn about this holistic approach at home. For many patients, a Buteyko method home education kit is most effective when supplemented by at least one meeting with a Buteyko practitioner, who can confirm that the patient is performing the techniques correctly.
Sources:
McHugh, P., Aitcheson, F., Duncan, B., & Houghton, F. (2003). Buteyko Breathing Treatment for Asthma: An Effective Intervention. The New Zealand Medical Journal, 116.
Cowie, R.L., Conley, D.P., Underwood, M.F., & Reader, P.G. (2008). A randomized controlled trial of the Buteyko technique as an adjunct to conventional management of asthma. Respiratory Medicine, 102(5): 726-32.
Jamie McIntosh - Jamie has written hundreds of garden articles for the web, and is your guide to Flowers on About.com.
