For anyone with a respiratory condition such as asthma, allergies, snoring problems, sleep apnea and issues with hyperventilation, learning to breathe more effectively may be the treatment option they have been looking for. Since the 1950s, the Buteyko® breathing method has been used to help to treat these conditions in adults and children, relieving symptoms and allowing individuals to strengthen their respiratory systems.
The History
The Buteyko® method was developed by a Ukrainian doctor, Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko, who studied medicine at the First Moscow Institute of Medicine from 1946 to 1952. It was during his residency that he first studied breathing patterns, specifically how breathing changed based on the patient’s health and medical status.
During this study, Dr. Buteyko became aware of the difference in breathing noted as the patient’s condition became more severe. He made the correlation that breathing rates increased as health deteriorated, and hyperventilation was common in patients with chronic types of health conditions.
In addition to this study, Dr. Buteyko also became familiar with the deep and controlled breathing techniques used in yoga. He began running trials and studies in teaching specific deep breathing and breathing normalization techniques to patients and discovered some amazing results.
The Progression
During the 1980s, the trials run using this breathing method became part of a formal study in Moscow. The group used here involved children with asthma that were currently in hospital treatment.
The children in the study all showed marked improvements in their health and issues with sudden asthma attacks were dramatically decreased. In the study, which was very much real-world based rather than highly clinical, the medical community noted the benefits of teaching breathing methods and continued on to a formal type of trial in 1994.
The Buteyko® method is now used throughout the world and to treat a wide range of conditions, not just asthma. The technique itself is not difficult to learn and can be taught to children as well as adults through DVDs, personalized consultations or coaching, as well as using modern technology such as Skype to provide training sessions.
Since the Buteyko® breathing technique requires no medications and no medical treatments, it is considered an important alternative to the use of inhalers and steroids which can impact other health concerns for individuals. As a lifelong management technique that is effective in not just addressing symptoms but actually strengthening immunity and improving energy and health, it is a very positive component in anyone’s life.
