What Is Buteyko Exercise and How It Can Alleviate Your Asthma

Nobody wants to live their life dependable of an inhaler all their lives. Yet, the perspective of having to live with their medication at hand each and every time is the only one viable for many asthma sufferers. They are carrying on their lives without having any hope that their condition will ever improve. Yet, there are possibilities of leading a normal life even for those who suffer of asthma. Just try the Buteyko exercise and you will see how your breathing problems will diminish significantly and your asthma attacks will be reduced. 


 But what is Buteyko exercise after all? Well, this exercise has been developed in the 1950s by a Russian medical scientist called Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko (from whom the name of this technique comes). It is a breathing exercise that allows asthmatics to control their breathing and reduce the need for medication. By constantly evaluating the quality of their breathing, the asthmatics begin to normalize their breath rate, which is the first step towards a normal life, without any medicine or inhaler around. 

Related articles to read:

• What Is the Connection Between Proper Nutrition and Asthma
• Which Are The Most Common Types of Asthma
• Which Are the Signs Telling You That Your Child Has Asthma

The Buteyko breathing exercise is made up of three main stages: the control pause, which means that you have to exhale all the air from the lungs and then keep your breath up to one minute. The more you can keep your breath, the better your health is. Yet, it is important not to push yourself or try to hang on more than one minute. Another important step in performing this exercise is shallow breathing. This type of breathing involves deep breathing through the nose with your diaphragm. A normal shallow breathing should last 2 or 3 second for the inhale and equally as much time for the exhale. Last, but not least, it is important to have a diary in which to put down the results of your exercises. 


This exercise practically means the alternation of control pause and shallow breathing for a certain amount of time. After each set of control pause and shallow breathing, you must check your pulse and put down the results of your exercise (the amount of time you were in control pause, as well as the way you feel after doing this exercise). In order to be effective, this exercise must be done at least three times a day. You will see that you will be able to breathe more easily and the asthma attacks will become rarer and less severe. 

What Is Shallow Breathing and What It Can Do for Your Asthma

Breathing is one of the main problems which with asthmatics have to deal each and every day. They have to cope with that annoying feeling of chocking and of significant lack of air each and every day. Yet, there is one method which can increase the amount of time between asthma attacks and can give asthmatic persons the possibility to breath normally or at least almost normally all day long. This technique is called Buteyko exercise and it involves an alternation of control pause and shallow breathing. 

Even though you are not willing to perform the entire exercise, you should at least try the shallow breathing. This technique, which involves the inhalation of small amounts of air each time you breathe, can really improve your breathing and can prolong the time between the asthma attacks. 


Related articles to read:

• What Is the Connection Between Proper Nutrition and Asthma
• Which Are The Most Common Types of Asthma
• Which Are the Signs Telling You That Your Child Has Asthma

In order to perform correctly shallow breathing, you will have to keep your posture straight and your chest in a natural position. Then, start inhaling low quantities of air through your diaphragm. Avoid filling your thoraces with air, as your interest is to take in lower amounts of air. Inhale no more than 2 or 3 seconds and use the same time in order to exhale. This will prevent you from filling your lungs with too much air. 

It is essential that you perform shallow breathing only by using your nose. So, whenever you are practicing this type of breathing make sure you keep your mouth closed. If by no means can you do that, use a tape to keep your mouth closed. This way you will be forced to breath only through your nose, which is extremely good for an asthmatic. 


Last, but not least, try to get used shallow breathing and replace your old style of breathing with this one. This way you will raise the level of carbon dioxide and will start breathing normally. You may not feel very comfortable with this at the beginning, but once you start practicing on a regular basis everything will seem much easier and in the end you will get used with practicing only shallow breathing. 
 

What Is the Connection Between Proper Nutrition and Asthma

Even though asthma is not associated with one certain diet and theoretically there are no restrictions to the foods and drinks you can ingest, nutrition plays a high important part in asthma evolution, just as it influences any other chronic diseases.


A proper nutrition will not only have a positive effect upon your aspect, but it will also diminish the asthma attacks if you are an asthmatic. This is mainly due to the fact that proper diets, which include fresh fruits and vegetables and foods which contain high amounts of Omega 3, keep the body in good function and make the lungs work perfectly in any conditions. Thus, the breathing problems will be significantly reduced and the asthmatic will be able to breathe normally or at least have longer periods in which it does not have to use the inhaler. 

In contrast, people eating foods which have a high concentration of Omega 6, like margarine or processed foods, have higher risks of developing serious and more often asthma attacks as trans fats have a negative effect upon the entire body, thus on the way your lungs function, too.
Another aspect related to nutrition and diet is the number of calories you ingest versus the number of calories you burn. In most of the cases, people eat more calories than they burn, which results in deposits of fat and later on to extra pounds and obesity. 

Studies have shown that the risk of developing asthma is much bigger for obese people than for people who have a normal weight. Thus, if you tend to have extra-large meals, which are rich in calories, you should put an end to them and start eating low calorie foods that will not create deposits of fat on your body. 

It is well known that obesity increases the blood pressure and causes cardiac problems, which in turn may affect the development of asthma. In fact, it is proven that people who are overweight need to take more medicine in order to cope with asthma and their capability of strenuous work is significantly reduced compared to an asthmatic who has a normal weight. 


Taking all the above mentioned facts into consideration, if you want to keep your asthma under control it is absolutely necessary to change your diet and choose healthy foods instead of fatty foods. Not only will you look great, but your asthma attacks will be significantly reduced. 

Which Are The Most Common Types of Asthma

Most people suffering of asthma have similar symptoms like coughing, wheezing, a feeling of pain or pressure in the chest and shortness of breath. 

These symptoms become more acute when the imminence of an asthma attack is higher and other symptoms, such as difficulty in talking, pale lips, feelings of fear and panic are added to these.

Yet, even though generally these symptoms are characteristic for almost all asthmatics, there are more types of asthma which can be encountered. 


Depending on the moment of the day when asthma is triggered or the factors which provoke it, there can be individuated about five types of asthma. 

One of the most common types of asthma is the allergic asthma. 

In this case the allergies and asthma go hand in hand, causing asthma attacks whenever the individual comes in contact with the allergens to which they are sensitive to. 

In this case, to the common symptoms of asthma are also added those of allergy rhinitis, such as runny and swollen nose, continuous sneezing, weepy eyes and excessive mucus. 

Another very frequent type of asthma is the exercise-induced asthma. This type of ailment is mainly triggered by physical exercises. 

If you have noticed that the asthma attacks are only happening when you run or do physical exercises, then you are probably suffering of exercise-induced asthma. 

In order to be able to breath normally when exercising you may need to get an inhaler and use it before actually starting your daily exercise routine. 

The cough-variant asthma is triggered by extremely powerful coughing, which will simply not stop. 

There are many factors which can stay behind the extreme cough, such as rhinitis, sinusitis or heartburn.

Thus, if you cough a lot and feel like you are choking during the periods with excessive cough, make sure you visit a doctor. 

The occupational asthma and the nighttime asthma are the last two types of asthma. 

They occur only in particular times of the day (the working hours in case of the occupational asthma and the nighttime during the nighttime asthma). 

If your asthma attacks are getting more acute in these periods then you are suffering of one of these two types of ailments. 


No matter which type of asthma you (think) you have, it is highly important to go to the doctor for an accurate diagnostic, which will enable you to start the right treatment for your type of asthma. 

Which Are the Signs Telling You That Your Child Has Asthma

Sometimes, understanding what troubles your children can be quite a difficult task. This is mainly because children find it hard to explain the sensations they get when doing one or another thing and most of the times do not find the words to explain what exactly do they feel. Thus, discovering which the cause of your children's "pains" is may not be a very pleasant or rewarding exercise. Yet, when your child is not feeling good, you will have to observe them and ask them basic questions about the sensations they get when doing particular things, like running, playing or sleeping. 


Asthma is one of the most common diseases which affects children. This is why it is highly important to know which its symptoms are. This will give you a clear idea about what you have to do next, plus it will function as a basis on which you can set your further observations. 

The first thing you will have to know about asthma is that it affects your children's capacity of breathing. Thus, if your little one coughs frequently, has a rapid breathing or a whistling sound can be heard when breathing normally, then you should take your child to a doctor, who can confirm if what your child has is asthma. Most of the children usually have these symptoms when playing, sleeping or when laughing or crying, so you should pay attention to the way they act in each and every situation. 

Also, asthma is associated with pains in the chest and tightened neck and chest muscles, so you should inquire your child if they feel some kind of pain or tightness when breathing or playing. These symptoms may vary from child to child, so that it is not necessary for all children to experience these pains in order to be asthmatics. 


Shortness of breathing, tiredness, lack of energy, as well as periods of weakness can also be part of the asthma symptomatology. Yet, before actually jumping to the conclusion that your child has asthma, make sure that you also take them to a doctor, which can confirm or infirm the diagnosis. 

But it is absolutely necessary that you visit a doctor when your child has one (sometimes even cough alone can be a sign of asthma) or more of these symptoms.