7 Benefits Of The Buteyko Method For Asthma Sufferers

Asthma has reached epidemic proportions in the US. In fact, the CDC states that more than 17 million Americans suffer from asthma. The good news? The Buteyko Method, an asthma alternative treatment based on teachable simple breathing techniques, offers a safe, natural and proven cure.

Scientists agree that one of the main causes of bronchospasm in the lungs is a low level of CO2. Put simply, the Buteyko breathing techniques help a person quickly normalize CO2 level in the lungs, causing the walls of the bronchioles to relax and opening up the airways. Instead of hyperventilating, which is what asthmatics do to get more air, the Buteyko Method teaches you how to breathe less. Although it sounds counterintuitive, when people take in less air, asthma symptoms can be reduced or completely eliminated.

The Buteyko Method shows you how to adopt lifestyle modifications that support healthy breathing, how to stop a coughing attack in its tracks and prevent coughing fits while you sleep, how to restore normal breathing during a sudden asthma attack without your inhaler and how to get back to a healthy exercise routine without the fear of an asthma attack.

An Asthma Alternative With A Track Record

When people hear the phrase "alternative treatment," they often think of an unproven or untested approach to a common medical condition. The patented Buteyko Method for treating asthma is neither. The Buteyko Method has been studied in major clinical trials, written about in peer-reviewed medical journals and is taught in Russian medical schools. It was developed by medical doctors and has been curing asthmatics in Russia for more than five decades.

Nevertheless, many asthma patients and their doctors in America don't know about the Buteyko Method, a nonmedical cure for asthma that is highly effective and has no side effects. The Buteyko Method is now gaining traction here in the US. Even New York Times health writer Jane Brody, who says that she rarely covers "alternative treatments," has written in praise of it.

Among the potential advantages are:

• It's harmless. The breathing technique is harmless if practiced as directed by a well-trained Buteyko specialist.
• It helps you save money. Once you've learned the Buteyko Method from a specialist, an audio CD course, a webinar or a weekend workshop, you'll spend less on doctors' bills and little or nothing on medications.
• It helps you taper off drugs. Once patients have mastered the breathing exercises, most of them can taper off or completely eliminate their asthma medications, including steroids, which have harmful side effects if taken over the long term.
• It changes the way you feel. Asthmatics who learn the Buteyko Method naturally start eating less, feel healthier and need less time for sleep. They wake up feeling energetic, have more fun exercising and experience fewer incidents of coughing, sneezing and breathing problems.
• It gives you control. The Buteyko Method enables you to completely control a coughing fit, relax into an asthma attack so you can regain your breath and avoid panicking if you are somewhere without your inhaler.
• It contributes to overall health. Because the Buteyko breathing techniques bring CO2 levels in your lungs back to normal, they have a positive effect on the immune and metabolic system. People discover that they feel better, have fewer colds and flus and get relief from symptoms they didn't even know were related, such as fatigue, low-level depression, joint pain and eczema.

Once you learn the Buteyko Method breathing techniques from a trained Buteyko practitioner you can get immediate relief from coughing, stuffy nose, shortness of breath and the panic from not being able to breathe. Best of all, the Buteyko Method is simple enough that even children can learn it. All it takes is practice.

About the authors: Sasha Yakovleva-Fredricksen is a Certified Advanced Buteyko Method Specialist and director and co-founder with her husband Thomas, of the Buteyko Center USA in Woodstock, NY. Thomas Yakovlev-Fredricksen is a Certified Advanced Buteyko Method Specialist and director of education at the Buteyko Center USA. A former serious asthmatic, he credits the Buteyko Method with saving him from a life filled with fear, disability, and heavy medications. Find out more about the Buteyko Method, courses and learning materials for healthcare practitioners and people suffering from asthma and breathing difficulties and upcoming workshops at www.ButeykoCenterUSA.com.