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Breathing
for Health - An Introduction To The Buteyko Institiute Method (BIM)
According
to the founding principles of the Buteyko Institute Method, some
200 diseases are linked to dysfunctional breathing: asthma, allergies
and emphysema are just a few examples. More than 40 years of research
have produced the Buteyko Institiute Method, which can recondition
and normalise the breathing and restore the body's most important
function.
Many thousands
of asthmatics and those with breathing difficulties have experienced
remarkable improvement in their condition with this amazing method
which has allowed them to reduce their dependency on medication
and enjoy a quality of life they previously thought impossible.
Breathing
Discovery
At the
end of the last century Austrian physiologists Breyer and Gering
made a sensational discovery - man is the only biological specimen
on earth who had not developed a correct way of breathing. All other
beings know how to breathe but not humans. Just observe those around
you carefully and you will find that people breathe differently.
Some breathe deeply, others superficially, some faster, others slower,
with pauses and some without.
Normal
Breathing
Russian
Medical Scientist Professor Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko has devoted
over 50 years of research into breathing and in the process discovered
that only one in ten people breathe correctly. Natural or normal
breathing results in a highly specific accumulated gas mixture that
our organism requires to function properly.
The
Myth Behind Deep Breathing
Traditional
wisdom tells us that deep breathing is the best, as it is thought
to provide the most oxygen. We inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide
and the conclusion that is drawn is that oxygen is good for us and
carbon dioxide is harmful. When Professor Buteyko was first analysing
his patients he discovered that those who were sick breathed much
more than those who were healthy: that is, their tidal volume, depth
and frequency was greater. Could it be that breathing deeply is
in fact contributing to ill health?
What
About The Air We Breathe?
We are
all aware of the dangers of pollution and the declining quality
of our air. Many blame asthma and other breathing disorders on pollution
and the environment, yet asthma strikes in the country as well as
in the cities and some people who work in very polluted environments
never suffer with asthma or emphysema. Could there be another problem
with the air we breathe?
Our
Changing Environment
The problem
faced by the evolving human organism has been the depletion of carbon
dioxide in our atmosphere from tens of percent during ancient eras
to the current level (1982) of 0.03%. Human evolution has dealt
with this dilemma by creating an autonomous internal air environment
within the alveolar spaces of the lungs. These alveoli ideally contain
around, 6.5% of carbon dioxide, quite a contrast to the surrounding
air. The gaseous mix in the womb is also an interesting indicator
of the ideal human environment - here there exists between 7/8%
carbon dioxide.
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