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Basic
Physiology
The
Oxygen Paradox
In 1871
the Dutch doctor De Costa discovered the "Hyperventilation
Syndrome" whereby deep breathing in a relaxed state caused
dizziness and sometimes fainting. This is often incorrectly attributed
to oxygen saturation. According to the Verigo-Bohr effect, it is
the ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen which permits the release
or retention of oxygen from the blood.
At the
end of the last century Russian physiologist Verigo and Dutch scientist
Bohr independently discovered that without carbon dioxide, oxygen
is bound to the haemoglobin of the blood and simply does not work.
This consequently leads to oxygen deficiency in the tissues of the
brain, heart, kidneys and other organs and a raising of blood pressure.
Strange
as it may seem, oxygen deficiency is not caused by lack of oxygen
but by the lack of carbon dioxide! If we breathe too much we get
less oxygen.
Overbreathing
Or Hyperventilation
When we
over-breathe or hyperventilate, we lose valuable carbon dioxide.
According to Professor Buteyko, "hidden hyperventilation"
often goes undiagnosed. When a person is acutely hyperventilating,
it is obvious and the implications to the organism are disastrous.
Hidden hyperventilation often goes unnoticed. Asthmatics overbreathe
three or more times the recommended amount. Long term 'hidden hyperventilation"
is the hinge upon which Buteyko's discovery and method are based.
So
How Should We Breath?
Physiological
norms apply to pulse, blood pressure, sugar levels, temperature
and breathing as well. Ideally at rest, an adult should breathe
lightly and quietly and only through the nose. A healthy person
can perform light exercise and still breathe lightly whilst a sick
person requires deep breaths almost all of the time.
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