Hold That Breath!

C’mon, slow down! Take a breath….. hold it… now exhale…. just relax…. See? Don’t you feel calmer and more relaxed?

We’ve all heard this set of instructions before (first time from Mom, when we were little) and dozens of times since, and probably even said it ourselves. But have you ever thought about the hidden truths behind this common advice?

One sparkling truth is that how we breathe has a profound effect on our health, physical and even mental. That simple breath-in-now-exhale-and-relax mantra proves my point.

In fact, says Pasadena-based physiotherapist Brenda Stimpson of BreathingWise, Inc., a whole range of physical problems can be relieved or mitigated by simply breathing properly.

Many people experiencing a wide range of problems – like dizziness and lightheadedness, chest tightening, pins and needles in your arms or hands, numb or tingling lips, or even snoring – might be surprised to learn the significant role breathing can play in causing these effects, she says.

Stimpson, who was certified as a physiotherapist in New Zealand (we call the profession “physical therapist” up here), says her Breathingwise clinic is at the forefront in the United States of working with breathing techniques designed to control patients’ symptoms for a range of afflictions. She specializes in the Buteyko Breathing method, which is a program of breathing retraining developed in the 1950’s by a Russian physician. The Buteyko method has been shown to reduce the frequency and severity of asthma attacks.

The symptoms Stimpson helps her patients control are usually related to asthma, chronic hyperventilation syndrome, COPD, sinus problems, sleep apnea, snoring, chronic rhinitis, stress, anxiety and panic.

Sufferers of asthma and rhinitis in particular can find relief through proper breathing, Stimpson notes,with success rates averaging 50% less symptoms and 90% less need for asthma reliever medication within 12 weeks (based on the results of clinical trials).

The techniques Stimpson uses are much more widely practiced outside the United States. Research of the Buteyko method has been conducted in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, where many doctors look beyond drugs as the best solution to mankind’s ills.

Although the techniques are simple, nothing is easy to change when you’re trying to change a lifelong “habit”! The process of re-educating patients to breathe in a more healthy way requires teaching, coaching and mentoring through daily exercises for a period of several weeks. Most patients
notice an improvement in their symptoms within a few days.

These exercises usually take up no more than one hour a day total, and Stimpson urges her patients to “build” the exercises into their normal daily routines.

“Because you are doing most of the work, your treatment/coaching costs are kept to a minimum,” she says. “I do offer private consultations, but a lot of my work is done in groups, particularly using the Buteyko Breathing method.”

Our culture has taught us to suck in our guts and puff out our chests, which only cause our muscles to tense and respiration rate to increase. With all the tension of modern day living, most of us are shallow, rapid breathers, and we know it.

Like most things in life, often it is the simple which is overlooked, yet remains most profound in the end.

Breathing Wise
424 N. Lake Ave, Suite 204, Pasadena. (Call 626) 405-1437 or email Brenda Stimpson at info@breathingwise.com.