BACK TO SCHOOL ASTHMA
from The Blue Mountains Gazette
“Asthma is a disease triggered by over breathing” says Jennifer Harris of Buteyko Breathe Easy. “Hyperventilation, or over breathing, is breathing more than five litres of air at rest per minute. Most asthmatics breathe three or more times this amount of air. The beginning of the school year brings a myriad of new stresses and it is stress in all it’s guises that triggers the “fight or flight” mechanism which in turn releases adrenalin, speeds up the breathing and in doing so causes a drop in carbon dioxide which results in a chain of biochemical imbalances and effects. This added to poor breathing techniques, in particular, mouth breathing, leads to an asthma attack in those susceptible to the condition.
Just the excitement of seeing all their friends again is a happy stress. Asthmatics can laugh their way into an asthma attack.
Exercise is a necessity for healthy breathing but if the breathing technique is poor then running around open mouthed in the playground can easily induce asthma. Susceptibility to infection is increased from 25% risk of infection in nose breathers to 100% in mouth breathers so with the close contact of a whole school population asthmatics become particularly vulnerable. Illness is a stress.
The return of regulated routine which brings varying measures of anxiety back into family life will certainly add to the stress which increases breathing in both children and adults. These are just some of the more obvious stresses.
I urge all parents of asthmatic children to obtain a good asthma management plan from their doctor, give the school a copy of the plan and seek professional help in correcting the poor breathing and lifestyle habits which lead to asthma and other related disorders. Learning to breathe and live healthily enables a great reduction in the necessity for dependence on drugs.”
If you have any questions about achieving better health through better breathing or wish to incorporate healthy breathing with Pilates phone Jennifer Harris BIBH FATD on 0414 833 857 or visit Jennifer’s website at www.pnc.com.au/~breatheasy or email breatheasy@pnc.com.au