Erratic and irregular mouth breathing

      It was observed by American artist George Catlin in the course of his nineteenth century travels in North America that the native Indian mothers paid a lot of attention to their infants’ breathing. If at any time the baby opened its mouth to breathe, the mother would gently press the baby’s lips together to ensure continued nasal breathing. George also noted that the rate of sickness and illness among the native Indian people was very low in comparison with European settlers.

      ‘When I have seen a poor Indian woman in the wilderness, lowering her infant from the breast, and pressing its lips together as it falls asleep…I have said to myself, “Glorious education! Such a mother deserves to be the nurse of Emperors”. And when I have seen the careful, tender mothers in civilised life, covering the faces of their infants sleeping in overheated rooms, with their little mouths open and gasping for breath; and afterwards looked into the multitude, I have been struck with the evident evil and lasting results of this incipient stage of education,’ he wrote in his ‘Notes of Travels Amongst the North American Indians’ published in 1870.

      It is vital to remember to breathe through the nose at all times and parents should also explain the importance of nasal breathing to their children. Parents will generally be the best judges of how to explain things but to help the child understand the importance of breathing through their nose, it might be helpful to explain to them the following way, using a little girl called Emily as our example:

      The air that we breathe is not always clean. It can contain a large amount of dirt particles with germs, smoke and bacteria too small to be seen. The nose has tiny filters that clean this air before it goes into the body. If the air sneaks in through the mouth, we’re sucking in dirty air. This is not good at the best of times but is particularly so if a child like you or an adult like me has an asthma problem.

      Whenever the child sees or smells dirty air, get her to hold her breath and walk away from it. Explain that the less dirty air she breathes in, the less difficulty she will have with her asthma.

      Air that sneaks in through the mouth is cold and dry and the body doesn’t really like that. Air that comes in through the nose is warm and moist and is much better for the body. Ask Emily whether she would prefer to be warm (but not too warm) or very cold. She will hopefully answer that she prefers to be warm. Then explain that the body prefers warm air too but it can only get this nice warm air by breathing through the nose. If she tells you that she prefers to be cold then I’m afraid you’re on your own explaining this one!

      A note of caution

      Now is the time to sound a note of caution. Before the Buteyko Clinic Method is commenced this section should be read carefully. While Buteyko Breathing is a perfectly safe therapy, it can involve an element of risk for people with particular illnesses or susceptibilities.

       Please note the following in particular:

      ♦ If you experience an exacerbation of your symptoms, then you are not doing the exercises correctly and you should stop until you establish that you can do them correctly.

      Do not commence breath retraining if you have any of the following conditions: sickle cell anaemia; arterial aneurysm; very high uncontrolled blood pressure; any heart problems in the past three months; uncontrolled hyperthyroidism; a known brain tumour or kidney disease.

      ♦ If you suffer from any of the following, then you should only undertake breath retraining under the direct supervision of an experienced qualified Buteyko Clinic practitioner: diabetes; (a reversal of hyperventilation will reduce blood sugar levels which may in turn lead to a coma, exercises must be performed only with an experienced Buteyko practitioner in conjunction with an endocrinologist) severe asthma; emphysema; epilepsy; schizophrenia; unsatisfactory blood pressure levels or chest pains or pain in the heart region.

      ♦ If you have any of the above conditions, or if you experience any distress, or are in any way unsure, please refrain from doing exercises involving holding the breath beyond the first feeling of a need for air. Exercises involving holding the breath include nose unblocking, maximum pause, breath-hold during physical exercise and Steps. If you are in any doubt as to whether breath retraining may be suitable for you, please contact Asthma Care (see Appendix 6 for contact information).

      What to expect

      Roughly two thirds of those who apply breath retraining will experience a cleansing reaction within the first two weeks and each time the control pause increases by ten seconds. Reduced breathing leads to an increased blood flow and better oxygenation of all internal organs especially eliminatory organs. Cleansing reactions are indicative of the powerful physiological change which the body undergoes.

      For people with asthma, the most common reaction is excess mucus from the nose and airways. For a few days and weeks, the nose may be runny, especially during physical activity with nasal breathing. It is also possible to experience an increased amount of mucus moving up from the lower airways. Mucus that was previously trapped is released by a dilation of the airways and is brushed upwards to the throat. If it is green or yellow, spit it out. Most importantly, do not force the mucus to the throat. If necessary a gentle throat clearing will suffice. Let the mucus come up naturally because forcing mucus up without addressing hyperventilation will only lead to the creation of more mucus.

      In addition, you may experience other symptoms such as a slight headache, diarrhoea, nausea, excessive tiredness with increased yawning, mild depression, general flu like symptoms, insomnia, a bad taste from the mouth, foamy saliva, coloured urine, a greatly reduced appetite or a general feeling of being unwell. People who have been on a large course of steroids may be able to smell the tablets/medicine through their skin.

      Do not be alarmed if you do experience some symptoms. This is simply your body readjusting to a healthier way of life. Symptoms are, in general, not disruptive and will pass in two or three days. Like any detoxifying process of the body, there is a short adjustment phase. Many people look forward to the reaction because it is direct feedback as their body cleanses itself after all those years of bad breathing.

       Do the following to help reduce the intensity and duration of cleansing reactions:

      ♦ Drink warm water regularly throughout the day.

      ♦ Continue with reduced breathing by relaxation.

      ♦ Take pain relievers, such as a headache tablet, if necessary.

      Most importantly, do not stop doing the exercises when you experience a cleansing reaction. The symptoms are a direct result of overbreathing and the control pause (explained later) will increase when the cleansing reaction has passed.

      On a positive note, everyone will experience signs of health improvement including: fewer asthma symptoms; less coughing, wheezing and congestion especially in the mornings; increased calmness and concentration; better sleep and more energy, and reduced appetite and cravings for coffee, chocolate and other foodstuffs.

      Nose unblocking exercise

      It was outlined earlier how a reduction in carbon dioxide levels causes an increase in mucus secretion and constriction of the airways. The nose forms part of the air system and is usually the first part to become constricted. The following is a simple exercise which will unblock the nose in as little as five minutes. It is based on temporarily increasing carbon dioxide levels in the blood, which will in turn open the nasal passages. This exercise is the same for both children and adults. At this point it is worth practising the exercise before you read further.

      ♦ Sit upright on a straight-backed chair.

      ♦ Normalise