Buteyko Toronto - Steve Donald

See full testimonials from past clients under "Sevices and Testimonials" page

"The Buteyko method treated the cause of my asthma and not the symptoms... it was the missing link"

"... finally exercise puffer-free."

"J. had severe asthma symptoms and we decided to try the Buteyko method as a last resort. Thanks to this simple and ingenious method my son was able to return to normal life after one week... and learned how to take control of his health for the rest of his life."

"I had tried numerous alternative therapies to alleviate my son's asthma... from the first Buteyko session I realised the answer I was looking for wasn't the next miracle remedy... our son was often coughing uncontrollably at night... as we continued our sessions his coughing stopped ! ... our son's health has improved greathly. He used to sit out gym class and avoid running at recess. Now he can run laps around the gym and be the first to finish ! We all... enjoy peaceful nights...a gift."

"I was having frequent panic attacks and insomnia... Since taking Steve's (Buteyko method) course I have been able to successfully stave off my panic attacks... At night, I sleep like a baby."

"... helped to certainly reduce if not eradicate this condition (asthma)... and no need for inhalers."

Questions and Answers

What is the basis of the Buteyko method, what is it that Dr. Buteyko 'discovered' ?
Dr. Buteyko measured the quantity of air people breathe. He noticed that people with asthma, allergies, sleep apnoea and several other related conditions breathe more frequently and more deeply. They breathe in excess of their metabolic requirements for oxygen. He called this breathing pattern "hidden hyperventilation"; "hidden" because it is often not noticeable and "hyperventilation" because the breathing is excessive. Excessive breathing is 'hidden' while awake but becomes observable during sleep; it is the cause of snoring. Really, it IS snoring; snoring is the form that "hidden hyperventilation" takes during sleep. All people with "hidden hyperventilation" either snore or have periods of 'noisy' breathing during sleep. Every one who snores at night also "hyperventilates " by day, they just aren't aware of it. People with "hidden hyperventilation" also do some, a lot, or all, of their breathing through their mouth. When we exhale our body gets rid of excess carbon dioxide. If we are breathing too much then we are exhaling too much. Over time all this extra exhaling causes the body to lose too much carbon dioxide.More recently Buteyko educators have been using the term "Chronic Hyperventilation Syndrome" or CHVS to refer to this breathing dysfunction.
But isn't carbon dioxide a 'waste' gas?
Not at all. Your body makes a lot of carbon dioxide and uses carbon dioxide for many, many functions. But your body doesn't want too much or too little carbon dioxide. It wants the right amount. Breathing is the way the body gets rid of the excess it doesn't need. The mechanisms in your body that control breathing will cause you to increase the amount of air you breathe to get rid of some carbon dioxide or slow the breathing down to retain carbon dioxide. In fact it is the need to maintain a more or less constant pressure of carbon dioxide that governs the depth and frequency of sub-consciuos breathing, not the need for oxygen.
So if I breathe too much I lose too much carbon dioxide?
Exactly, and that is where the problems begin. One of the problems with too little carbon dioxide is that the body then has difficulty absorbing oxygen (the Bohr Effect). The other effects of too little carbon dioxide are discussed in the course. See "MORE ON HYPERVENTILATION" below for further elaboration on the effects of carbon dioxide loss due to hidden hyperventilation (over-breathing).
How does Dr. Buteyko's method work?
Dr. Buteyko developed some simple breathing exercises that, over time, restore a normal breathing pattern. The pressure of carbon dioxide in the body is restored to a healthy level and symptoms of asthma and other conditions recede...That's a VERY simplified model of the method...but that's it in a nutshell.
I'm not convinced !!
Either was I when I walked into my first Buteyko method class. It didn't make sense to me that asthma could be caused by the way I breathe. I get asthma from cats and dust and other triggers, not from the way I breathe, I thought. What these various triggers do is aggravate the body causing the "hidden hyperventilation" to subtly increase. We are susceptible to our triggers because we are hyperventilators. Exercise, blowing into the peak-flow metre at the doctor's office, even laughing and crying can initiate asthma symptoms. They all represent different ways in which the hyperventilating person can experience sudden or gradual carbon dioxide loss. More breathing means more carbon dioxide loss and asthma symptoms begin. I hated having asthma, hated being dependant on drugs and was willing to give the Buteyko method a try. I haven't needed asthma medications since 2005.
How long does it take ?
It depends on a several factors; how serious the asthma (or other condition) is; what medications are being used and in what quantity; how much time and effort one puts into the method. For me it was a matter of several weeks...really not long considering I had asthma for decades.

MORE ON HYPERVENTILATION:

This is excerpted from "HYPERVENTILATION SYNDROME, Breathing Pattern Disorders" by medical researcher Dinah Bradley. I have emphasized some words by putting them in capitals, and words inside square brackets are mine:

"When over-breathing becomes chronic the balance between the oxygen-rich air we breathe in and carbon-dioxide-rich air we breathe out is upset: carbon dioxide levels start to drop... Far from being just a waste gas at the end of the respiratory cycle, carbon dioxide is a powerful governor of many of the body's systems..."

"With chronic over-breathing the normal acid/alkaline (pH) of the tissues is altered. The body becomes more alkaline..."

"The autonomic nervous system, which looks after the body's involuntary functions (for example, heart rate, blood pressure and digestion), is affected too... Low carbon dioxide levels stimulate the sympathetic nervous system... putting the body on red alert... body cells begin to produce lactic acid in an effort to balance pH... Muscle cells become more twitchy, and the SMOOTH MUSCLES OF OUR blood vessels, AIRWAYS and gut TIGHTEN and CONSTRICT in response to lowered carbon dioxide. There is an increased release of histamines, which AGGRAVATES ALLERGIC RESPONSES. " [ Thus causing asthma and/or allergies]

"When carbon dioxide levels are too low oxygen clings to its carriers - the red blood cells - and tissues, especially the brain, become starved of oxygen. [Scientists call this the 'Bohr effect', named for it's discoverer]. The drop in oxygen supply to the brain stimulates the breathing control centre to increase breathing rates and the chronic nature of the hyperventilation is reinforced." [That is, hyperventilation leads to more and stronger hyperventilation. For example, when we feel the beginning of asthma, we naturally try to breathe more deeply; hyperventilation becomes a downward spiral].

STILL NOT CONVINCED THAT ASTHMA IS CAUSED BY OVER-BREATHING ? TO DEMONSTRATE THIS, DR. BUTEYKO USED TO HAVE PATIENTS OPEN THEIR MOUTHS AND BREATHE DEEPLY. THIS WILL GIVE YOU ASTHMA VERY QUICKLY. I DON'T RECOMMEND THAT YOU TRY IT, BUT IF YOU DO, HAVE YOUR PUFFER WITH YOU !