What is the Buteyko Method?
The Buteyko method consists of 7 breathing exercises. They are integrated into the day-to-day life of the person who practices it, improving their breathing. The main objective is to re-edit the hyperventilation that currently accompanies large numbers of people. So what the Buteyko method is looking for is to breathe less.
Who can benefit from the Buteyko Method?
The Buteyko method helps people with asthma, sleep apnea, allergies, rhinitis or nasal congestion. Currently we also use it to improve the performance of athletes, adapting the classic exercises to artificially create what athletes are looking for when they go to train in height. And finally, it can also help people with anxiety by working the most physical part of their disorder.
Depending on which syndrome or disease the patient presents, the most appropriate exercises will be chosen and the patient will be educated so that they know what their intensity should be like depending on their condition.
How do we monitor patient progress?
The Control Pause (PC) allows us to monitor the patient's evolution day by day. We can also use it to check if the exercises were successful. The PC relies on freediving after a normal exhalation and we count the seconds that pass until a moderate shortness of breath is noticeable.
The shorter the PC, the more symptoms there will be. The longer it is, the more controlled we will have hyperventilation and its effects.
How long does treatment with the Buteyko method last?
The idea of the Buteyko method is to change the way you breathe, avoid hyperventilation, improve breathing and if there were symptoms, make them disappear (or at least decrease). Now, to introduce the exercises, I am currently working between about 4-6 sessions per patient, temporarily distributed according to needs.
Can medication be left when applying the Buteyko method?
We do not recommend that the medication be left, when starting the Buteyko method. Exercises are an aid in improving symptom control, along with medication prescribed by your doctor. However, very often patients who take medications for the control of their hyperventilation-linked disease see how their need for medication may decrease over time.
If you have further questions, do not hesitate to contact me:
fisioterapia@inspirat.cat