| Breathing and the brain | | | | means that with each second decrease in the |
| Our breathing pattern has profound effects on the | | | | oxygenation index, blood flow to the brain is less by |
| brain. Unnoticeable changes in breathing (when we | | | | about 1%. Less blood means a decreased supply of |
| believe that our breathing is OK) can reduce | | | | glucose (the main fuel for the brain in normal |
| oxygenation and blood supply by 20-30%. How should | | | | conditions), oxygen, and other nutrients. In addition, it |
| we breathe, day and night, so that to have maximum | | | | causes gradual accumulation of waste products in |
| oxygenation of the brain? Which breathing pattern is | | | | tissues. |
| the best for our nervous system? | | | | * The suppressed Bohr effect ( As we know, oxygen |
| While over 95% people believe that the deep or big | | | | is transported in blood by hemoglobin cells. How do |
| breathing pattern is good for health, medical and | | | | these red blood cells know where to release more |
| physiological evidence (hundreds of publications) | | | | oxygen and where less? Or why do they unload more |
| provides the opposite answer. Indeed, there is no a | | | | oxygen in those places where it is more required? The |
| single study that confirmed or found that deep | | | | hemoglobin cells sense higher concentrations of CO2 |
| breathing pattern improves or is good for our health. | | | | and release oxygen in such places. The effect |
| Why? | | | | strongly depends on the absolute CO2 values in the |
| If you take 100 fast and deep breaths in succession, | | | | blood and the lungs. |
| you can pass out or faint due to ... hypoxia of the brain. | | | | If CO2 concentration is low, O2 cells are stuck with |
| There are dozens of medical studies that confirmed | | | | red blood cells. (Scientists call this effect "increased |
| this effect. Hyperventilation is a health hazard. Healthy | | | | oxygen affinity to hemoglobin"). Hence, CO2 deficiency |
| people have light, slow, and shallow breathing pattern | | | | leads to hypoxia or low oxygenation of the body cells |
| and excellent oxygenation. If you observe breathing of | | | | (the suppressed Bohr effect). The more we breathe |
| your healthy relatives and friends, you will see nothing | | | | at rest, the less the oxygenation of our cells in vital |
| and hear nothing. It is the job of the sick patients (with | | | | organs, like brain, heart, liver, kidneys, etc. |
| asthma, heart disease, bronchitis, cancer, diabetes, | | | | Not only is the inflow of oxygen less (vasoconstriction), |
| depression, fatigue, insomnia, addictions and many | | | | but also its release is hampered by low CO2 |
| other problems) to breathe heavy and to have … low | | | | concentrations (the Bohr effect). That further reduces |
| tissue oxygenation, as a result. They are | | | | brain oxygenation. |
| hyperventilating. | | | | Do clinical studies show that patients with mental or |
| | | | | psychological problems have heavy breathing? |
| You can easily measure your brain oxygenation | | | | In 1976 the British Journal of Psychiatry published a |
| | | | | study of CO2 measurements in 60 patients with |
| Use the stress-free breath holding time test. Breathe | | | | neurotic depression and non-retarded endogenous |
| normally while sitting; after your usual exhale pinch the | | | | depression (Mora et al, 1976). All patients had |
| nose (to prevent slight unconscious breathing); and | | | | abnormally low carbon dioxide values. |
| measure the breath holding time only until the first | | | | Later, in 1990, American psychiatrists from Hunter |
| distress or discomfort. [Warning. Some, not all, people | | | | College (City University of New York) reported results |
| with heart disease, migraine headaches, and panic | | | | from several groups of subjects with anxiety, panic |
| attacks may experience negative symptoms minutes | | | | phobia, depression, migraine, and idiopathic seizures. |
| later after this light version of the test. If this happens, | | | | The abstract states "virtually all the noncontrol subjects |
| they should avoid this test.] | | | | were found to show moderate to severe |
| The most common mistake is to overdo the test. In | | | | hyperventilation and accompanying EEG dysrhythmia" |
| this case, you will notice that the stress is gradually | | | | (Fried et al, 1990). In addition, it notes that |
| increasing. It is time to stop. If you do the test correctly, | | | | hyperventilation and abnormal electrical signals in the |
| you will not gasp for air after the test. In fact, your | | | | brain took place simultaneously. |
| breathing pattern must be exactly the same after the | | | | Canadian scientists from the Department of |
| correct test as it was just before it. | | | | Psychiatry (University of Manitoba, Winnipeg) |
| | | | | measured carbon dioxide concentrations in over 20 |
| What are the typical results? | | | | patients with panic disorder. Their average CO2 was |
| | | | | also below the medical norm (Asmundson and Stein, |
| Severely sick, hospitalized, and terminally ill patients | | | | 1994). There are many other studies that report |
| have from 1 to 10 s of oxygen. With approaching | | | | abnormally low CO2 values for people with various |
| death, their breathing gets bigger, deeper, and heavier, | | | | psychological and neurological problems. |
| while breath holding time approaches zero: 5, 4, 3, 2, | | | | |
| and only 1 second just before the death. (You may | | | | Is hyperventilation the cause of these health problems? |
| remember seeing last frantic and dramatic gasps for | | | | |
| air of dying people.) | | | | There is no any evidence showing that people with |
| Sick patients with mild forms of the disease (asthma, | | | | normal breathing parameters can suffer from |
| heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc.) have about 10-20 | | | | neurological or psychological problems. All available |
| s. These patients are usually on medication to control | | | | research indicates that all patients with depression, |
| their symptoms. Asymptomatic asthmatics, heart | | | | scizophrenia, phobias, panic attacks, ADD, ADHD, |
| patients and many others have slightly more than 20 s | | | | addictions, sleeping problems, etc. have abnormal |
| of oxygen. | | | | breathing pattern manifested in chronic hyperventilation. |
| Healthy adults, according to published western results, | | | | |
| should have about 40 s, but a group of Russian MDs | | | | Self-oxygenation therapy |
| practicing the Buteyko holistic self-oxygenation therapy | | | | |
| found that 60 s of oxygen is incompatible with about | | | | If you normalize your breathing, your breath holding |
| 150 chronic diseases or diseases of civilization. Hence, | | | | time will be about 40-60 s (a lot of oxygen in the body |
| they established 60 s as the goal of the therapy. | | | | and the brain), and your health problems related to the |
| | | | | brain or the central nervous system will disappear. |
| What are the causes of brain hypoxia when we | | | | Russian Doctor KP Buteyko, MD developed the |
| over-breathe? | | | | medical self-oxygenation therapy known as "the |
| | | | | Buteyko method". He trained about 200 MDs to use |
| When we breathe heavier or deeper, we remove too | | | | the Buteyko oxygenation therapy in practice. The |
| much CO2 from all cells of the human organism. This | | | | prime goal of this therapy is to normalize breathing and |
| causes: | | | | body oxygenation. Normal breathing is invisible and |
| * Reduced blood flow to the brain ( CO2 deficiency | | | | inaudible. It is light and relaxed: we take tiny or small |
| causes constriction of blood vessels (arteries and | | | | inhalation and immediately relax for a longer exhale, |
| arterioles) and our brains get less blood supply. This | | | | then again we take … However, as these MDs found |
| physiological fact can be found in many medical | | | | it is a difficult goal to change one's breathing pattern |
| textbooks. As Professor Newton from the University | | | | permanently. It requires many steps and changes. |
| of Southern California Medical Center recently | | | | Learn more about the Buteyko self-oxygenation |
| reported, "cerebral blood flow decreases 2% for | | | | therapy, breathing patterns, tissue oxygenation, and |
| every mm Hg decrease in CO2" (Newton, 2004). That | | | | breathing retraining. |