AsthmaCare UK - Frequently Asked Questions

- to be healthy we need to breathe correctly!

What can I expect from your Buteyko breathing re-training course?

• Buteyko breathing re-training is suitable for children from 3 years of age and adults of any age. It has been clinically proven to provide significant benefits for people with all types and degrees of severity of asthma, other respiratory disorders such as emphysema and sinusitis, for Hyperventilation Syndrome or panic attacks and for conditions such as sleep apnoea and snoring. It is very beneficial for people wishing to improve their sports performance or breathing generally.  Buteyko must only be taught by a qualified, professionally indemnified,  practitioner.
• Most people think they breathe shallowly and people suffering the above conditions will tell you they often cannot get enough air in or out. Their breathing centre has re-set itself so that they are, in fact, breathing up to three or more times the normal volume. This leads to protective mechanisms in the body producing changes manifesting as uncomfortable, sometimes life-threatening symptoms.
• Professor Buteyko discovered how to restore health by using a series of special breathing exercises and techniques which he developed and tested over many years, to retrain the complex involuntary mechanisms governing our breathing. This moves the breathing from the state of Chronic Hidden Hyperventilation or (overbreathing) to nearer normal with a concomitant easing of symptoms and improved quality of life. 
• You are taught the Method on an individual assessment basis, either in a small group or on one-to-one basis. Your practitioner identifies each patient's respiratory pattern, symptoms and conditions to enable her to devise an individualised programme of Buteyko exercises. As the response to breathing retraining is rapid, the Method is taught in four/five seminars of about 2  hours over about 10 days. This allows for ongoing assessment and adjustment of the exercise programme to individual needs. Improvements start to occur within 24 hours.

What does the course consist of? What will I learn?

• At the beginning of your course you are given a workbook covering all aspects of the Method. Following a short history of Professor Buteyko and his method, a check, Control Pause, a measurement of breathing, is carried out. We then discuss the normal physiology of the body, particularly breathing and the effect hyperventilation has on the mind/body. We show you how to keep the nose from being blocked and as you start to understand and use the exercises there is advice on simple lifestyle changes which you start to incorporate into daily life.
• You learn the significance of, and how to practise, the Control Pause, how to begin breathing correctly by using a set of exercises designed to restore carbon dioxide levels. Carbon dioxide dilates the bronchial tubes so you soon discover that a smaller intake of air relaxes the airways, bringing relief, reducing your need for reliever medication. You are given a full understanding of how and why your condition affects you and how your prescribed medication works, so you know what you are taking, how to take for maximum effect and when to take it.
• Important topics which we cover on every course are -

What do my doctor or asthma nurse think of Buteyko and how will it affect any treatment I am currently undertaking under their guidance?

• Many doctors already have patients who have benefited from Buteyko. Here at ButeykoBreathe UK we encourage you to tell your doctor that you are taking this course and keep them informed of your progress. It takes a little time, patience and perseverance to benefit from the changes and reduce symptoms which have developed over a long period of time. With regular practice your symptoms will diminish and your condition will improve. Then, with your doctor's guidance, you may be able to reduce your use of steroid medication.
• If you are using medication for a respiratory condition, you will then be able to discuss with your doctor how, and when, to reduce your preventer medication. All drugs are known in the long-term to have side-effects. As they see reduction in symptoms and improvement in overall health, most doctors are happy to help their patients decrease/eliminate medication.

What kind of support will you give me after the course?

• At ButeykoBreathe UK we put as much importance on follow-up as on the course itself. Some people may not require much follow-up - others do - if only to ask simple questions. Everyone who completes our course receives a questionnaire for feed-back at session 4 of the course then 6 weeks later. A full support service is provided, in person, by 'phone or e-mail.

Who is my practitioner and how are you qualified to teach me this course? What is your background?                    see  practitioner

I have ASTHMA. I've been using medication for years to control my asthma symptoms. Why should I take a Buteyko course ?

• Medication simply suppresses the symptoms of asthma. It doesn't address the underlying cause which Professor Buteyko fund to be hyperventilation or overbreathing. In fact, reliever medication has been shown to make symptoms worse and lead to increased allergic response. In 1993 a Canadian study demonstrated that after just two weeks use of regular Salbutamol (Ventolin) there was an increased reaction of the airways to the same amount of allergen. In the summary it was stated that the effect of inhaled beta antagonists provided further evidence to support the detrimental effects of using them regularly.
• The newer long-acting beta-antagonists such as Salmeterol known as Serevent (or Seretide when combined with steroid), Formoterol Fumarate know as Oxis (or Symicort when combined with a steroid) seem to control asthma symptoms. However these are no safer and may be more dangerous in the long-term. In July 1995 Dr. Lipworth of the University of Dundee produced a paper published in the Lancet entitled "Bronchodilator subsensitivity to Salbutamol after twice daily Salmeterol in asthma patients". Patients were randomized to receive Salmeterol 50 mg twice daily or a placebo, for 4 weeks in a double-blind cross-over fashion. It was found that the patients pre-treated with Salmeterol had a reduced response to Salbutamol, in terms of both Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1) and Peak Flow expiratory flow rates, than those treated with placebo. The reduction in response equated to a 2.5 to 4-fold greater dosage of Salbutamol being required to produce the same benefit as found in the placebo group.
• This may explain the very common situation found among asthma patients that, year on year, they are being prescribed increasing does of asthma medication. The dose never seems to be reduced. The only known way of reducing symptoms of asthma and thereby reducing the need for medication is to improve the breathing with the use of Buteyko breathing re-training exercises.

What is my next step?

• to find out more before booking a place on a courseclick on the course dates page , then just telephone us for a chat about your particular health concerns.
• The introductory sessions are held on the first day of the course, so should you decide after the introduction that you'd like to continue with the course you are welcome to continue with the next  seminars and as much follow-up as you need.