How does the Buteyko method work?
In December 1994, a three-month research trial at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane, jointly funded by the Asthma Foundations, began into the Buteyko Method. A group taught the Buteyko Method was compared to a control group on conventional medical treatment and standard physiotherapy breathing exercises.
After six weeks, the Buteyko group showed:
* 90% reduction in bronchodilator use compared to 5% reduction in the control group;
* statistically significant reduction in symptoms and improvement in quality of life.
After twelve weeks, the Buteyko group also showed a 49% reduction in steroid use.
These results have been recently confirmed in another study at Victoria University where twelve weeks after learning the Buteyko Method, asthmatics were able to reduce reliever medication by an average of 92%.
There is now no doubt that the Buteyko Method can relieve the symptoms of the overwhelming majority of sufferers. The current explanation of how this astounding success works is based on a theoretical model that posits that the symptoms are nothing more than the natural response of the body to conserve the internal concentration of carbon dioxide by closing down escape passages. Thus, to this end in respiratory afflictions, the nasal passages and lungs are blocked off by mucous, inflammation of the bronchial passages themselves occurs and the bronchi undergo spasm.
A particular level of carbon dioxide is desirable for maintaining the acid/base level in the blood, for keeping the oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange equilibrium in balance and even for triggering involuntary breathing when we are asleep or unconscious. However, most people over-breathe and this leads to a higher oxygen intake and concomitant lower carbon dioxide level in the body than is desirable. If there is too little carbon dioxide or too much oxygen from over-breathing, the haemoglobin carrying the oxygen will not release its oxygen to the tissues as easily as it otherwise would. This can lead not only to breathing difficulties and constriction of certain blood vessels, particularly those going to the brain but also to general respiratory problems and ultimately to other conditions such as alkalosis of the blood. Paradoxically then, while overbreathing means we take in more oxygen, we are actually getting less oxygen released to certain critical areas of our body.
When we over-breathe, the major body systems including the respiratory, circulatory, nervous and energy systems, are affected. Breathing can be disturbed by stress, exercise, infection, some medications, some foods, poor instruction and bad habits. By correcting over-breathing, one gets to the basic causative or contributing factor to many physiological problems.
Hyperventilation (over-breathing) causes a drying out and irritation of the airways as well as an excessive loss of carbon dioxide. Other effects of low carbon dioxide include:
More detail can be found at The Theoretical Understanding Behind the Buteyko Technique and an excellent full biochemical explanation (with updated formatting corrections) can be found at The Biochemical Basis of K.P. Buteyko's Theory of the Disease of Deep Respiration .