Archive for Wednesday 27th November 2002 - Asthma
Last week, my late summer hayfever turned nasty on me. Asthma was settling in badly so I went to my doctor – who prescribed steroids. I had watched my father and my mother-in-law die uncomfortably on this strong drug, so I knew I had to find an alternative.

A famous pioneer in managing asthma without drugs is the Russian professor Konstantin Buteyko, now in his eighties. He believes that we all overeat, overbreathe and oversleep.

I had dabbled with his method five years ago, but my asthma was mild then. This time I enrolled on a weekend course with one of his teachers. Ten of us gathered, in various states of wheeziness, in a south London yoga centre. There, we were told that the key to smooth and easy breathing was to raise the ratio of carbon dioxide (CO2) to oxygen in our bodies. CO2 is vital to the absorption of oxygen and good health. If we are not getting the right amount, our bodies protest.

A student of the breath for 50 years, Buteyko devised a technique for not only detecting the amount of CO2 we are absorbing but increasing it at the same time. In the process, he explodes the myth that “deep breathing is good for you”.

Using exercises for controlled, shallow breathing, we set about upping the amount of CO2 that our bodies were absorbing. Furrowed brows changed to smiles of disbelief, as chestiness changed to cheerfulness.

At the end, my teacher said my progress, although good on paper, was masked by the effect of the steroids. The true test comes as the drug leaves my body. I shall keep you posted on my progress.

Mark Winter