In addition to being very hard to spell, asthma can be very hard to live with, particularly if one's life involves lots of athletic activity. Now, however, comes New York Times' health writer Jane Brody with an unusually powerful endorsement of a new (old) breathing technique that, she says, works better than steroidal treatments for many asthma sufferers. It's called the Buteyko method, and it's a shallow-breathing technique developed in 1952 by a Russian doctor, Konstantin Buteyko. Brody explains that during an asthma attack, people tend to panic and breathe quickly
and as deeply as they can, blowing off more and more carbon dioxide.
Breathing rate is controlled not by the amount of oxygen in the blood
but by the amount of carbon dioxide, the gas that regulates the
acid-base level of the blood. She says
Buteyko figured out that breathing too fast and too deeply could be the underlying cause of
asthma, making it worse by lowering the level of carbon dioxide in the
blood so much that the airways constrict to conserve it. Consequently, the Buteyko method recommends that when short of breath or overly
stressed, instead of taking a deep breath, people should breathe shallowly and slowly through the nose, breaking the
vicious cycle of rapid, gasping breaths, airway constriction. Read more about it in the Times.
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Thanks for writing this article. The Buteyko Breathing method is an important complementary therapy in the management of asthma, but for some reason most doctors in the U.S. refuse to even mention it to their patients, despite the research and anecdotal evidence backing up this method. I can only imagine this is the work of the drug companies which is where doctors get much of their information and their financial support. In my experience the medical community shuns anything that is non-drug or non-surgical (i.e. not “owned” by them), regardless of its merits. People should know about Buteyko so they can make up their own minds as to whether learning the method is right for them. It is highly effective and risk free but it does require some effort and so might not be for everyone, but until people know about it they cannot even make a choice. Blogs like yours are important for this reason.
Hi, Just wanted to say that I learned the Pursed Lips Breathing Method at the VA hospital in Atlanta Ga. By Elizabeth Miller [Lofton] now. She is the BEST. She gave me my life back 8 years ago by teaching me how to live with COPD and also helped my wife to understand my needs and how to help me when I have bad days. I will always love her. She really knows her job and how to teach people to live with their problems. The method she teaches about the same as this. Thank you and have a GREAT DAY
After years and years of this problem, within the first week of doing the breathing exercises, I have seen a big improvement in my breathing. I am now enrolled in a two-month program in the Buteyko center in Woodstock and I am looking forward to never having to depend on steroids in the future, which, in turn, perpetuate the breathing problem which has been a life-long problem. So doing these exercises an hour and a half a day will be nothing compared to the lost hours when I cannot function due to not being able to breathe.