Review
-- Patrick Holford
Product Description
Stop coughing and wheezing,
Eliminate colds and chest infections,
Improve sleep and energy levels,
Improve ability to do physical exercise,
Eliminate chest tightness,
Asthma Free naturally provides detailed self help instruction to apply the Buteyko Breathing Method for both children and adults. Also included are chapters on diet, correct physical exercise, correct sleeping, medication and triggers.
Each exercise is explained in a user friendly jargon free language and accompanied by visual diagrams. A special chapter for children explains correct breathing for children and the steps exercise.
Free video segments of a number of exercises are available from the ButeykoDVD website.
From the Publisher
Buteyko commenced his medical training in Russia in 1946 at the First Medical Institute of Moscow. Part of one of his practical assignments involved monitoring the breathing of terminally ill patients prior to death. After hundreds of hours spent observing and recording breathing patterns, he was able to predict with accuracy, often to the minute, the time of death of each patient. Each patient's breathing increased as their condition deteriorated and as they approached death.
While at University Buteyko was diagnosed as suffering from severe hypertension, which gave him a life expectancy of just 12 months. Under the guidance of his tutors Buteyko researched his illness in depth although it seemed that there was very little that he could do to reverse it.
On October 7th, 1952 after majoring in clinical therapy, he began to wonder whether the cause of his condition, which was going from bad to worse, might be his deep breathing. He checked this by reducing his breathing. Within minutes his headache, the pain in his right kidney and his heartache ceased. To confirm his discovery, he took five deep breaths and the pain returned. He again reversed his deep breathing and the pain disappeared.
He did not appreciate it at the time, but this was one of the greatest, although as yet largely unacknowledged, medical discoveries of the twentieth century. Buteyko established that breathing, so vital in sustaining life, can not be alone the cure but also, amazingly, the cause of so many diseases of civilisation.
Buteyko's next step was to seek out the theory which would support his discovery. The data then available (in 1952) from authors such as Holden, Priestly, Henderson, De Costa, Werigo, and Bohr, seemed to confirm his hypothesis. It was known at that time that exhaling carbon dioxide by deep breathing resulted in spasms which decreased the supply of oxygen to vital organs, including the brain thus making one breathe deeper again. This completed a vicious circle.
Buteyko measured the breathing patterns of patients suffering from asthma, but he also included in his research sufferers from other ailments and found in many cases that they too hyperventilated between attacks. After many years research, he went on to work on the theoretical aspects of his discovery at the Central and Lenin Medical Libraries. He devised a programme to measure breathing and also a method of reconditioning patients' breathing to normal levels. This involved:
1.Switching from mouth breathing to nasal breathing.
2.Relaxation of the diaphragm until an air shortage is felt.
From the Author
Included is a special section for children who naturally will have difficulty understanding breathing patterns. Every child who comes to me is told how lucky he or she is to be learning a therapy as effective as this, a therapy that deals with what otherwise would be a life-long illness ... without medicine, tablets, hospital visits or injections.
I was diagnosed with asthma as a child, a condition that worsened as I grew older until I discovered Buteyko Breathing through a newspaper article. I learned as much as I could, self-taught the techniques, and found myself gradually reducing the amount of medication I had to take to control my asthma. When I experienced the impressive benefits of the Buteyko Method, I wondered why more people didn't know about it or how to apply it to their own lives. I decided to explore the possibility of training so that I could teach this beautiful and simple method to asthma sufferers like myself.
I was accredited by Professor Buteyko in March of 2002, and since this time, the knowledge I gained in Moscow has been complemented by my own research, by consulting with asthma specialists from different parts of the world, and by ongoing client contact.
The simple question is: does it work? In a word: yes. Most patients achieve excellent results effortlessly, but with others it takes a little more time and determination. The success of this therapy for every patient depends on the patient's ability to put the theory into practice. There is no big mystery - this therapy is based on normal body processes. Scientific trials have shown clearly that the Buteyko Method can be one hundred per cent effective in the treatment of asthma. The only real key to the effectiveness of the therapy is that individuals are prepared to set aside the necessary time to learn and practice the exercises.
I commend those of you who, on reading this book, will decide to make that effort. I can honestly say that your investment of time and energy will be gratifying, and that it will transform your life ... for the rest of your life.
I can hear you thinking that there's no such thing as a free lunch, and that there's always a catch. There is no catch this time. Once you learn how to control your own asthma, you are in charge of your own life and treatment. This therapy is about teaching you the skills to deal with your own asthma problem; my job is essentially to make myself redundant.
At our clinics throughout Ireland, UK, USA, Canada, Italy and Hungary, patients receive practical help and advice and our training exercises are designed to suit the individual needs of each person. Clinics also address lifestyle factors such as correct breathing during physical activity, diet, sleeping, stress and much more. Clinics are a very useful way of exchanging information and answering any questions participants may have.
Feedback from those who attend our clinics has been extremely helpful in furthering my own knowledge of asthma, in developing the content of future clinics, and also in the writing of this book.
There's another simple question you may have at this point: why is the Buteyko method not better known? That's a good question, and one to which I don't have a clear answer. Looking at the current situation openly, however, one of the most striking features is that medical research is mainly funded by pharmaceutical companies, in one form or another. Asking the pharmaceutical industry to fund research into a method such as Buteyko - with its non-medication approach - is perhaps like asking turkeys to vote in favour of Christmas.
From the Inside Flap
You may not believe that this scenario is real. It is. I achieved it and any asthmatic can achieve it too. This nonmedical treatment is based on the life's work of Russian respiratory physiologist, Professor Konstantin Buteyko, who developed a programme of exercises to foster correct breathing. The Buteyko Method is based on bodily processes, not on a placebo or any other effect. All persons with asthma can learn it and use it; the method is very simple, will entail minimum disruption to your life, and you will notice an improvement in as little as seven days. Like I said, you still may not believe this scenario is real. Believe it now.Asthma was diagnosed when I was very young. Initially my condition was mild and consisted of just occasional wheezing and breathlessness. The treatment consisted of using an Intal inhaler. I only had an attack occasionally, so my asthma didn't really disrupt my life.
When I reached the age of ten, my asthma deteriorated a little so I was prescribed a Ventolin inhaler which guaranteed me immediate relief from the symptoms. I had to take a Uniphyiulum tablet each night as well. At the time, just one puff of Ventolin dealt with any breathing difficulty I experienced. My asthma was under control.
With the best of intentions, our doctor told my mother that children with asthma very often `grow out of it' during their teenage years. Time and time again, I was assured that this should happen, and it offered a ray of hope for me, but this hope was never realised. As I grew into adulthood, the dose needed to maintain control of my asthma increased. One puff of Ventolin per day was no longer enough. Soon I was taking two, five, eight and even ten puffs a day. My lifestyle during my school and college years didn't help, but I had my Ventolin inhaler to help me overcome any problems so I wasn't too concerned about it.
One weekend, when I was in my early twenties, I was brought to James Connolly Memorial Hospital with an asthma attack, and I was told that I was being treated for acute asthma. Two weeks of large doses of oral steroids later, I returned home.
As the years passed, the amount of medication I needed continued to increase. There was no great discussion about this with my doctor, nor any indication that the amount of drugs I needed would ever decline. It seemed to me that I was going steadily downhill, and I became gradually more concerned about the effect that the increasing levels of medication might be having on my general health and wellbeing.
Many people with asthma can relate to this summary of the steady progression of the condition. What starts off as an occasional wheeze soon develops into continuous symptoms; while one puff of medication deals with symptoms in the early stages, dependency on medication increases remorselessly.
Over time, my asthma developed into a seriously debilitating condition that prevented me from taking part in sport and outdoor activities. I always avoided opportunities to play a match or work out in the gym. The physical limitations were one thing, but the stigma attached to me because of my asthma was another. I had `weak lungs', and I was not as physically strong as lads of my age. Initially, when I was very young, I thought it was cool to carry an inhaler - it was a neat gadget that made me different - but as I got older it labelled me in a way I didn't like. When I realised this, in the succeeding years I always tried to take my inhaler when there was no-one else around, for all the world like a secret drinker.
While I grappled with the daily realities of having asthma, there were two unanswered questions at the back of my mind. When is this ever going to stop? Why am I so inadequate that I have to take daily doses of drugs merely to function normally? I was turning myself into a victim, but these are common questions that will be familiar to many asthma sufferers. The questions may not be voiced openly because complaining will do little to change what may seem like an unalterable reality, but they are still very real concerns.
The first indication I had that there was a viable alternative to taking a Ventolin inhaler in secret arrived in my early twenties, when I happened upon an article in the Irish Independent newspaper about a breathing therapy developed by a Russian professor which seemed to be effective in helping people with asthma. Over the years, I had already tried acupuncture, Chinese herbs, deep-breathing exercises and indeed any other therapy that I felt might help. When Buteyko Breathing was featured in a magazine article shortly afterwards, I decided to find out more.
I started my search for knowledge by contacting Buteyko practitioners from around the world via the Internet. I learned as much as possible about the application of the therapy and I purchased the limited publications and videos available at the time. I taught myself the technique, used it intensively, and I was pleasantly surprised at the rapid effect it had on my asthma. Intuitively, I felt that I understood the significance of Professor Buteyko's work ... even before I began applying it.
In a matter of months, my asthma improved so dramatically that I could reduce my medication intake significantly. As my condition continued to improve and my medication intake continued to decrease, I felt that for the first time in my life my asthma was under control. The bonus for me was that I had achieved this myself. My days of secretly puffing Ventolin were behind me.
From the Back Cover
to take control of your asthma? to improve your health in as little as two weeks?
With the Asthma Care breathing programme you can:
Stop persistent asthma attacks and coughing
Reduce your dependency on medication safely
Unblock your nose naturally with a simple exercise
Prevent asthma attacks during sports
Explain breathing exercises to a child
Learn about diet, sleeping and other lifestyle factors
Asthma-free Naturally is based on the life's work of Russian professor Konstantin Buteyko. Buteyko's method is so effective that in clinical trials sufferers trying it experienced a 90 per cent reduced need for reliever medication, almost half the need for preventer steroids and an overall improvement in quality of life within three months.
"It is absolutely unbelievable. I had been on my drugs for 15 years... Give it a go, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain." Jean McConnell, speaking on Irish national TV
"Within a week, Lorcan was off all his reliever medication (10 puffs a day). He is now captain of his football team." Lorcan's mother speaking on Irish national TV
Patrick McKeown MA, Dip. Buteyko (Moscow) was a chronic asthmatic for most of his life. When he applied the Buteyko Breathing Method, he freed himself from his asthma condition. As a qualified Buteyko practitioner, he is now one of just a few Western experts accredited and authorised by the late Professor Konstantin Buteyko to teach this method. His renowned Asthma
Care clinics are available throughout Europe, USA and Canada.
