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How And Why Hatha Yoga Can Improve Health Breathing

Old hatha yoga books suggest that breathing is the essence of hatha yoga training. It is much more fundamental than learning or mastering most difficult yoga poses or asanas.

Which breathing or respiration matters most? The breathing process is going on 24/7 and the body requires O2 all the time. Hence, it is necessary to have a closer look at our unconscious or basal breathing.

Classical manuscripts on Hatha Yoga (Gheranda Samhita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and Shiva Samhita) were written about 5-7 centuries ago. What do they say about breathing? According to these ancient hatha yoga manuscripts, the goal of hatha yog is to “suspend”, “hold”, “restrain”, and “calm” our breathing.

Unfortunately, modern yoga gurus, leaders and instructors teach and express opposite views in regard to involuntary or basal breathing patterns. Contemporary yoga leaders and practitioners believe in toxic waste nature of CO2 gas. They also promote the deep breathing myth claiming that our basal or unconscious breathing should be deep or large (for better health).

There are now dozens of proven benefits of carbon dioxide for the human body. It is vital for our health. If it gets 4 times below the medical norm, we can die in minutes due to spasms of blood vessels and severe tissue hypoxia in the brain and heart.

Elevated carbon dioxide content or mild arterial hypercapnia is the central factor that explains exceptionally slow respiration rates in some hatha yoga gurus (only about 3 breaths per minute at rest or during sleep) and exceptionally high body oxygen levels.

Normal and sick people often take more than 20 breaths per minute at rest depending on their health state. Faster breathing decreases body CO2 causing constriction of blood vessels (CO2 is the most potent tested vasodilator) and the suppressed Bohr effect (less oxygen is released in body tissues and vital organs at low CO2 levels). Furthermore, tiny normal diaphragmatic breathing is sufficient for 98% saturation of the arterial blood with oxygen. Overbreathing cannot provide more oxygen for us. It only reduces alveolar and arterial CO2 (if there are no problems with lungs).

Hence, slow unconscious breathing pattern provides people with higher cellular oxygenation.

Other confirmed properties of CO2 include: sedative or calmative effects on nerve cells, bronchodilation (dilation of airways), suppression of inflammation, abilities to heal lungs and other tissues, strong muscle relaxant, powerful antioxidant abilities (suppression of free radicals), regulator of hundreds of chemical reactions.

In agreement with old traditional yoga books and teaching, it was found that with slower breathing, breathing retraining students start to sleep much less (down to 2-3 hours without any voluntary limitations, if they get up to 2-3 min for the body oxygen test) if they manage to slow down their breathing down to 3-4 breaths per minute at rest. They start to crave physical exercise naturally, have exceptionally strong immune systems, can digest wider varieties of foods, and so forth.

These discoveries were made by the leading Soviet physiologist Dr. Konstantin Buteyko, MD, PhD who created the legendary Buteyko breathing technique. Dr. Buteyko studied the effects of breathing retraining in thousands of patients. He also analyzed effects of yoga asanas and found that many of yoga poses can only be performed while holding one’s breath. Hence, a challenging yoga practice naturally involves many breath holds and short transitions between them.

The main yoga breath work (hatha yoga pranayama) requires gradual increase in durations of all phases of the breathing cycle also leading to accumulation of carbon dioxide.

Best yoga gurus, when they do pranayama, have only 1 deep breath for every 2-3 minutes. They breathing may seem deep, but they reduce their minute ventilation and raise their arterial CO2, thus retraining their breathing center located in the brain to increased CO2 levels.

Hence, their basal breathing pattern later, after this breath work, becomes slower and lighter. This is possible since any medical textbook claims that breathing is regulated not by oxygen want, but by arterial CO2 levels.

Hence, slow breathing is the key to health and, if you manage to achieve it, you will be in excellent health.

How to Protect the Respiratory Tract

Bacteria invade human respiratory tract, the first is through the nasal mucosa, so drink plenty of water, so that to keep nasal mucosa moist, help to effectively resist the invasion of viruses and bacteria. Meanwhile, in the daily diet should eat more chicken, fish, meat, eggs, soy products and fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts and other high-protein, high vitamins, trace elements and high gentle, easily digestible food. And also no smoking, no drinking, do not eat spicy food, can also reduce the stimulation of the respiratory tract, to protect and enhance the natural immune function.

Develop good health habits is the key to prevention of infectious diseases in spring. You must develop the habits to wash hands before meals and after sneezing and coughing. If you cannot immediately wash your hands, you can disinfectant both hands with a disinfectant wipe.

Experts said the nose diseases, sputum and other respiratory secretions of patients with respiratory contain large quantities of pathogens; can be transmitted through hand contact with secretions of a healthy person. Therefore, we should pay more attention to hand hygiene. Meanwhile, we should do frequently changes clothes, do not eat unclean food, refused to eat raw seafood and meat, do not drink unboiled water.

In the spring, children, the elderly, pregnant women and other weaker constitution people should be minimal to public places. To keep the office and home ventilation, regular cleaning indoors to keep clean and tidy. You can also display a number of green plants, which can play a role in regulating the indoor air environment. But you’d better not put flowers indoors, especially those with allergies to prevent induced skin allergy, asthma and other allergic diseases.

Speaking of air circulation, it’s not to say that everyone no matter what the weather outside, we must open the window ventilation. In rainy days, open windows and doors will increase the moisture inside and easier to breed bacteria.

Many people, especially young people, when they catch cold, they often think that they can carry over. Sometimes is the case, drink plenty of water, adequate rest, about a week, cold symptoms will eased on its own.

Bronchitis and Bronchiolitis in Infants

Acute Bronchitis or also known as Wet Lungs is a health disorder that occurs when the bronchial tract in the lungs submerged with water. Bronchial tract will then swell and produce mucus, causing coughing. Day-care attendance and exposure to cigarette smoke also can increase the likelihood that an infant will develop bronchiolitis. This disease often appears after an upper respiratory tract infection, such as a cold. Most acute bronchitis symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, etc. usually last up to 2 weeks, but the cough can persist for up to 8 weeks in some cases. Conditions that increase the risk of severe bronchiolitis include prematurity, prior chronic heart or lung disease, and a weakened immune system due to illness or medications.

Type of the other lung infections that known by the old prang is Bronchiolitis. Babies can be attacked by disease bronchiolitis (an infection caused by a virus) that can block the windpipe so that needs to be treated. Kids who have had bronchiolitis may be more likely to developasthma later in life, but it’s unclear whether the illness causes or triggers asthma, or whether children who eventually develop asthma were simply more prone to developing bronchiolitis as infants. Bronchiolitis is usually caused by a viral infection, most commonly respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Causes of Bronchitis

Some types of viruses, including: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Adenovirus, Influenza and Parainfluenza Bacteria (in the case of a rare) Pollutants (chemical substances in the air)

Signs and Symptoms of Bronchitis

Stuffiness Coughing up phlegm Pain in the chest Fatigue Mild headache Sores on the body Fever Watery eyes Sore throat Runny nose Mild cough Mild fever

Sometimes more severe respiratory difficulties gradually develop, marked by:

Rapid, shallow breathing A rapid heartbeat Drawing in of the neck and chest with each breath, known as retractions Flaring of the nostrils Irritability, with difficulty sleeping and signs of fatigue or lethargy

In severe cases, symptoms may worsen quickly. If you have a baby less than 3 months old and had a fever, it is wise to check with your doctor. A child with severe bronchiolitis may get fatigued from the work of breathing and have poor air movement in and out of the lungs due to the clogging of the small airways. Later the doctor will decide whether your child exposed to the acute of bronchitis, chronic bronchiolitis, or perhaps upper respiratory infections or others. After that appropriate treatment can be determined. Infants in child-care centers have a higher risk of contracting an infection that may lead to bronchiolitis because they’re in close contact with lots of other young children.

How to Prevent Acute Bronchitis?

Avoid smoking, especially around your baby Keep the hand hygiene immunization

All About A Career As A Respiratory Therapist

Respiratory therapist is also known as respiratory care practitioners. A career in this field in very flourishing and is much in demand. Those who are looking forward, or are keen on having a career as a respiratory therapist, must be aware of the job, and the duties it encompasses.

A respiratory therapist is trained to monitor the patients with lung and cardio pulmonary disorders, evaluate, and treat, manage the patient. A therapist learns to treat all type of respiratory cases of patients belonging to every age group. They provide temporary relief to patients who suffer from asthma. They are trained to treat complicated cases like emphysema, as well as manage emergency situations like heart attack or stroke, shock or drowning.

Respiratory therapy is a sector that is very much growing in demand, and is becoming the need of every hospital. These therapists are professionals who are assistants to the senior doctors so that they take care of the preliminary requirement to simplify and ensure proper patient care. He has to consult the doctor to plan the patient care and treatment.

A respiratory therapist requires interviewing patients, taking the case, performing the needed physical examination and also conducting diagnostic tests. A respiratory therapist’s job includes testing and evaluating the lung capacity. He has to record the inhaled and the exhaled oxygen and compare the values keeping the age, sex and other parameters in mind. This will help determine the patient’s lung deficiency. He is also trained to analyze blood samples, remove mucus from the lungs, perform chest physiotherapy, etc. a therapist has to offer complex therapy and care to patients who are on life-support system or in ICU.

To become a qualified respiratory therapist, the candidate has to undergo 2 years of associate degree course or 4 years of graduation degree after high school degree. It is important that your degree is governed by NBRC (National Board for Respiratory Care) to become a certified and licensed respiratory therapist. Respiratory therapy requires study in subject’s like anatomy, physiology, physics, chemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, pathology and mathematics. The therapist courses deals with therapeutic and diagnostic procedures and tests, equipment, patient assessment, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation the application of clinical practice guidelines, respiratory health promotion and disease prevention, patient care outside of hospitals, and also includes medical recordkeeping as well as reimbursement.

Once you are a qualified respiratory therapist, especially those who are graduates, job opportunities are overwhelming. Most jobs are hospital oriented, though today there are jobs outside hospital too attached to home healthcare service, or private clinics etc. it is expected that in the coming times need of respiratory therapists will be higher, understanding the ever increasing rate of cardio-pulmonary diseases in the world. There will be almost 21% growth in demand in various filed like disease prevention, early detection of pulmonary disorders, case management, and emergency care.

Breathing Exercises For Asthma Patients

In the normal breathing pattern the diaphragm moves downward when the person inhales and moves upward when the person exhales. An asthma patient breathes in an unnatural way by using only the upper portion of the chest. This is very unnatural for the system as the full chest is not used in this way.

Over the period of time the patient develops weakness of chest muscles as the muscles are not being used properly. At the time of an attack the chest muscles work extra hard as they work against constricted air passages. It is advisable for the asthma patients to do breathing exercises as they can really help build up the chest muscles involved in respiration and can contribute towards saving a persons life at the time of an attack.

The aim of breathing exercises is to relax the chest muscles that are overworked. And to teach a person to get out of the habit of using the chest muscles for breathing and start using the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm. For learning the proper use of diaphragm and lower chest the asthma patient has to start concentrating on breathing out rather than breathing in.

The chest has to be completely emptied by raising the diaphragm by voluntary contraction of the abdominal muscles and lower chest. This process if practiced regularly is actually against the situation that happens during an attack. By doing this exercise a person tries to achieve the reversal of the condition of asthmatic attack. By regular practice the body learns to imitate this condition and the muscles try to come in this situation by involuntary action.

Care should be taken that the breathing out process has to be a slow process and not a hasty one otherwise it may lead to wheezing and discomfort. For doing the breathing exercises correctly the person may need to be retrained to push out the abdomen and concentrate the mental energies on doing this. This initiates the lower chest breathing and the muscles get used to it after a while.

In the ancient practice of yoga there is a system of breathing exercises which is known as pranayama. The word pranayama is derived from the word prana, which means vital oxygen. In broader terms the word prana indicates towards the life that is visible in all the vital activities of a living being. Prana is the life force that remains in action till the time a living being is alive.

It is of utmost importance for the human being to keep the vital prana active and rejuvenated at any point in time for complete health, vitality and longevity. Pranayama is a science for keeping this vital life force hail and hearty. Pranayama involves a lot of breathing exercises.

There are many different types of exercises and this is a science that can be learnt either by the help of a guru, which is most preferable, or alternately in the occasion of non availability of a guru, it can also be learnt by the help of books and literature available on the subject. Pranayama is a form of exercises that can give immense vitality to the system and is known to practically recover and rejuvenate a person from any kind of ailment. This goes to prove the power of these forms of exercises.