Immediate and sustained relief for asthma, nasal problems, sleep apnoea, snoring and other breathing disorders...
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Buteyko Institute Method
The breathing retraining and health education program which provides maximum relief of symptoms and minimum use of medications and machines.
This site is designed to provide concise information on Buteyko with particular attention given to its application for asthma, sleep apnoea, snoring, nasal problems and general health improvements.
This information is based on over 10 years experience with teaching Buteyko Breathing. Along with my colleagues in the Buteyko Institute, I express overwhelming gratitude to Professor Buteyko for his work and discoveries.
Buteyko - the key to breathing easily and sleeping all night.
 
History of Buteyko
In the late 1940's, Russian medical student Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko made an observation that has changed the management and lifestyle of thousands of people with asthma, sleep apnoea, snoring and other breathing disorders. Buteyko noticed that the condition of patients in the acute respiratory ward deteriorated when their breathing rate increased. He also noticed that those who reduced or normalised their breathing rate began to recover. This fact had been noted long before, but Buteyko's subsequent research and application of these observations allowed him to develop the breathing techniques that today bear his name.
For more than thirty years Buteyko researched dysfunctional breathing and hyperventilation and the effect it has on the human body. Buteyko linked hyperventilation to several conditions, including asthma, sleep apnoea and snoring, and set about developing techniques to normalise breathing patterns, reversing symptoms and lessening the need for medication.
Buteyko's research describes why people hyperventilate, why it continues to self-perpetuate, and finally, how to reverse the cycle. Initially treated with a great deal of scepticism by Soviet authorities, Buteyko was unable in the early years to get his method accepted by the Soviet government.
Buteyko's persistent research over a number of decades, and the possibility of a great reduction in medication costs for a strained Soviet health budget enabled him to have the method formally accepted as a mainstream management system for breathing disorders in the 1980’s. It is reputed that the technique has been successfully taught to over one million citizens of the states that made up the Soviet Union.
In 1990 Alexander Stalmatski (who had worked with Professor Buteyko in Russia for over 15 years) introduced the Buteyko Method to Australia – the first time the method had reached the western world. Stalmatski taught a large number of Buteyko courses around Australia, and also trained a limited number of practitioners in the method. This ensured the proliferation of Buteyko around Australia throughout the 1990’s.
< Paul O'Connell with Professor Buteyko at the first international Buteyko Conference in New Zealand, December 2000.
Paul O’Connell was trained by Alexander Stalmatski as a Buteyko Practitioner in 1994, five months after learning the method for his own asthma. He and nine of Buteyko Practitioners originally trained by Stalmatski founded the Buteyko Institute of Breathing and Health in 1996 The BIBH now has over 100 members in 14 countries around the world, and is actively involved in the teaching and research of the method, as well as the training and professional development of practitioners.
Asthma Summary
The Buteyko Institute Breathing Method has been known in Australia since the early 1990s for the management of asthma. The basis of the method is to normalise the breathing pattern. This results in a significant decrease in symptoms, with over 90% of course participants coming off all of their reliever medication within a week of starting the course.
The Buteyko view is that asthma is not a disease, but rather that it is a collection of symptoms – bronchospasm, mucous production and inflammation of the lining of the airways. All are brought on by breathing above the normal physiological level of 4-5 litres per minute. This overbreathing or hyperventilation causes an imbalance of the gas levels in the lungs and the blood. In particular we breathe out too much carbon dioxide. For normal healthy body functioning, the body needs about 5.5% carbon dioxide in the lungs. If we overbreathe and lower the level of carbon dioxide in the lungs (the air has only 0.03% carbon dioxide) the result will be the onset of symptoms.
Carbon dioxide is a natural smooth muscle dilator or relaxant. When we have too little carbon dioxide our smooth muscle (which is wrapped around the tiny air tubes of our lungs) will go into spasm - experienced as tightness and difficulty breathing out.
Oxygen is slow to be released from the blood (Bohr Effect and the Oxy-Haemoglobin Dissociation Curve). This will be experienced as breathlessness.
Mast cells, responsible for part of our immune response become super-sensitive to perceived allergens, releasing large amounts of histamine, producing inflammation.
Over-breathing dries out the airways, inflaming them and encouraging mucous formation
The goal of the Buteyko Method is to teach people to normalise their breathing pattern. When breathing rates are normal, the level of carbon dioxide within the body will be normal and the body functions well. The smooth muscle around the airways will stay relaxed, oxygen will move more quickly from the blood to all the cells, mast cells will function appropriately and the mucous membranes of the airways will not be inflamed.
By learning the Buteyko Method people are able to overcome most asthma symptoms by using the breathing exercises. This enables a reduction in asthma reliever medication.
Asthma Statistics
Asthma management in the western world has changed little in the past 40 years, other than the introduction of more potent and varied medications. Both the incidence and death rate of asthma in developed countries have steadily increased, and medical science seems to be no closer to identifying the cause.
Around 700 Australians die from asthma each year.
Over 2 million Australians have been clinically diagnosed with asthma.
Over 40% of Australian school aged children have asthma.
Over 12% of Australian adults have asthma.
The incidence of asthma in Australian school aged children has increased significantly in the last 20 years.
The number of prescriptions for asthma treatment in Australia is estimated to be over 10 million per year.
Asthma is the most common chronic illness of children and adolescents.
The total cost burden of asthma to the Australian community is estimated to be over $750 million per year.
This total of over $750 million consists of both medical related costs and indirect costs due to lost productivity and absenteeism.
Buteyko - Summary and Key Facts
Summary
The Buteyko Institute Method teaches people to correct dysfunctional breathing and thereby normalise their breathing pattern. This results in immediate improvement in asthma, sleep apnoea, snoring, emphysema, COAD, COPD, sinusitis, hay fever, rhinitis, blocked nose, allergies, bronchitis, bronchiectasis, panic and anxiety conditions, and many other respiratory problems.
Following the correction of dysfunctional breathing, people report the following:
reduction in asthma symptoms & in the need for reliever medication
unblocking of the nose and sinuses
restoration of nasal breathing
reduction or elimination of snoring and apnoea
reduction in mucus production and allergic rhinitis and sinusitis
change in tongue position and occlusion
stability to orthodontic work
decrease in size of tonsils adenoids and polyps
increased energy levels
enhanced capacity for exercise and improved recovery rate
Key Facts
Health Management by the Buteyko Institute Method (BIM) of Breathing Retraining
Description
The Buteyko Institute Method (BIM) is a system of breathing retraining which delivers immediate and sustained improvement for people with asthma, as well as a reduction in apnoeas and snoring. It is based on the work of Professor Buteyko from Russia, and is taught by BIM Practitioners accredited by the Buteyko Institute of Breathing and Health (BIBH). The significant features of the BIM are that it is:
Effective - over 90% of course participants come off all asthma reliever medications within one week (medical trial results published in MJA Dec 1998)
Safe - the BIBH follows international best practice asthma medication guidelines
Scientifically based - based on the standard medical principles of respiration, the normalisation of breathing and the Bohr Effect
Outcomes
Significant reduction in, or elimination of asthma reliever and preventer medications (the reduction of preventer medication is done in consultation with the client’s medical practitioner)
Significant reduction in, or elimination of asthma symptoms and attacks and also the relief of other respiratory disorders
Improved sleep patterns including reduction or elimination of apnoeas and snoring
Increased stamina and energy levels, better work performance, and improved management of the symptoms of stress.
Who does the Buteyko Institute Method Help?
The BIM is suitable for children from 3 years of age and adults of any age. It is effective for people with all types and degrees of severity of asthma and sleep disorders, as well as people with other respiratory disorders such as emphysema, COAD, COPD, sinusitis, hay fever, rhinitis, blocked nose, allergies, bronchitis, bronchiectasis, panic and anxiety conditions.
The Personal Cost of Breathing Disorders
Every year many people with asthma and sleep disorders suffer respiratory infections, sore throats, physical incapacity, fatigue, time off work or school with a poor quality of life, ongoing financial expense and a deteriorating condition. Learning the BIM provides people with the knowledge and skills to get back their health and their life.
How do you learn the Buteyko Institute Method?
The Buteyko Institute Method is taught in courses consisting of five sessions of ninety minutes. Clients are taught how to retrain their breathing to enable them to breathe correctly when sleeping, exercising, speaking, eating, and performing all daily activities. Improvement occurs within the first 24 hours.
About the Buteyko Institute of Breathing and Health
The Buteyko Institute of Breathing and Health Inc. (BIBH) is the professional body representing the BIM and its Practitioners throughout the world. It is a not for profit organisation committed to improving health by correcting asthma and other breathing related disorders through research, development, promotion and application of the BIM. The BIBH currently has over fifty members in twelve countries around the world and has developed standards for both the teaching of the BIM to clients, and for the training of new BIM Practitioners.
Other Conditions and Buteyko
Buteyko provides significant improvement for :
Asthma
Sleep Apnoea
Snoring
Insomnia
Nasal Problems
Hay fever
Sinusitis
Allergies
Rhinitis
Blocked Nose
Emphysema
Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease (COAD)
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Panic and Anxiety conditions
Dental problems
Enhanced sports performance
Migraine Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Poor circulation
Restless legs
Stress management
Overall health
General breathing disorders
Nasal Problems
Service Categories
Buteyko Breathing Technique
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