Clinical Trials of Buteyko Respiration Technique for Asthma

Breathing techniques and respiration devices become more and more popular among asthmatics and people with other respiratory problems. Among the known breathing techniques is the Buteyko breathing method, which had six randomised controlled trials in western countries.

The results were remarkable: twice less steroids, 3-10 times less reliever medication, better quality of life and less asthma symptoms, but unchanged bronchial responsiveness or lung function results after several months of breathing exercises. Meanwhile, all these studies had a major methodological flaw, which I am going to consider here.

Dr. K. Buteyko made the following clinical statements:
– Sick people, asthmatics including, breathe more air at rest than the minuscule medical norm (chronic hyperventilation). Overbreathing reduces tissue oxygenation and strengthens the desire to breathe even more.
– If they normalize their breathing pattern, then they will not require medication and will not experience their symptoms.
– The Buteyko Table of Health Zones relates breathing parameters of sick people, regardless of the name of the disease, with their current health state. This table describes parameters that reflect normal breathing (8 breaths/min for breathing frequency at rest, 6.5 percent for alveolar CO2 content, 60 seconds for stress-free breath holding time after usual exhalation, etc.). These parameters correspond to normal health and absence of asthma and many other chronic diseases since normal breathing improves body oxygenation.
– Someone has mastered the Buteyko breathing method, if his breathing parameters are normal.

Dr KP Buteyko never made claims that a particular Buteyko practitioner could achieve a particular result in relation to some group of asthmatics. Let us apply these Buteykos claims to available scientific data and the results of these randomised controlled trials.

First of all, hundreds of scientific research publications have shown that hyperventilation DIMINISHES oxygen content in body tissues.

Do asthmatics breathe much more air than the medical norm? A typical respiratory minute ventilation for an average asthmatic is about 12-15 L of air in one minute at rest (5 publications are available on my website), while the medical norm is only 6 L/min. Therefore, asthmatics breathe at rest about 2-2.5 times more air than the physiological standard.

Did asthmatics improve their breath parameters during these randomised controlled trials of the Buteyko breathing method? During the most impressive study (Bowler et al, 1998), in 3 months, use of relievers was reduced by 96 percent (25 times less ventolin) and preventers or inhaled steroids by 50%. Respiratory minute volume decreased from their initial 14 L/min to 9.6 L/min, but the physiological norm is only 6 L/min, while Dr. Buteykos hard standard is 4 L/min at rest for a 70-kg man. Hence, during their best shot, the participated asthmatics got only about a half way towards the standard. Consequently, there were a very few asthmatics, if any, who normalized their breath during these trials. They continued to hyperventilate.

The assumption of the medical doctors, who conducted these randomised controlled trials, was that a Buteyko teacher taught the Buteyko breathing method and a controlled group “learned” the method. This is easy to see from the titles, which usually say about a “trial of the Buteyko method”. How could they study the method, if no one learned it?

From a practical view, since I taught the Buteyko method to hundreds of people, the key difficulty during these randomised controlled trials were the following. The participants were mainly limited to practicing breathing exercises (e.g., 40-70 min per day). They could not use the versatile arsenal of life-style addressing tools of the Buteyko method. Breathing normalization process requires 24/7 control of breathing including:
– nasal breathing all the time (hence, it is necessary then to seal ones mouth with a surgical tape, if the mouth is usually dry in the morning; and someone will never solve their problems with asthma, if mouth breathing occurs during each night
– physical exercise (no less than 2 hours daily with only nasal breathing, in and out, otherwise exercise is more or less ineffective for most, especially sick people)
– prevention of sleeping on ones back (we breathe about two times more air, when we sleep on our backs at night)
– and various other lifestyle-related factors so that ones basal breathing pattern is restored back to our physiological standard.

Even more successful results have been discovered after application of the Frolov Breathing Device during recent clinical trails in Russia (under review and to be published in 2011).

Treat Eczema Naturally – How to Bring Relief to Your Skin

Living with eczema is tough stuff (at least when it flares up). It’s one of those skin disorders that can be irritating and incredibly painful, but it doesn’t have to be that way all the time. As you know, there are many different treatments out there, but the problem with most medicines and creams is that they only treat the symptoms of eczema. That’s right – They only treat the symptoms. So while you’re itching and pain may temporarily subside when these creams and medicines are applied, it won’t actually clear up your eczema!

What most people also don’t realize is that some medicines and creams can actually make symptoms in some people even worse! Imagine having your eczema flare up, then when you apply medicine and expect relief, it takes an opposite turn and actually worsens! You’d be surprised to hear how many people this actually happens to.

So, what am I trying to say here? Try treating your eczema naturally! Have you ever considered doing so? The results might be more than what you would’ve expected from regular over the counter medicines or prescriptions creams from the doctor, not to mention that natural methods used to treat eczema are much cheaper and more effective.

Did you know that salt is actually an effective treatment for eczema? Not table salt, but epsom salts work great. While this isn’t the exact “cure” for eczema, it definitely is a great treatment that will help relieve the symptoms of your eczema, which will bring relief to your skin, but in a more cost-effective way!

Now, I was an eczema sufferer for years, wasting money on all sorts of medicines, creams and treatments, until I finally found a cure. The best part? It was all natural. Learn more about how to cure your eczema at Cure Eczema.

Another related article: Eczema Cure