BREATHING TECHNIQUE - Butkeyo Method

Carol Baglia, CBP,RRT spoke about BREATHING TECHNIQUES for Parkinson’s Disease at the Cleveland Heights, Ohio PD suport group on July 2nd. Ms Baglia, an advocate of the Butkeyo (Bu-tay-ko) Method a holistic health philosophy is one of the only certified Buteyko Respiratory Therapists in the United States.
She opened her remarks by relating the story of a 96 year old PD patient who was in a nursing home dying of pneumonia. She was taught the Butkyo therapy and is now 98 years old in much better health.
The Buteyko Method was developed to teach asthmatics a way to control their condition without side effects. It teaches slow breathing done only through the nose, relaxation and breath-holding. The method was developed in Russia by Professor Konstantin Pavolovich Butkyo (1923-2003) to counter the stresses of modern living such as air polution, drugs and noise as well as others we might not consider, such as arguments, traffic jams, food additives, meds and illness.
According to Butekyo most people breathe too fast. In other words their inspiration and expiration rate is too rapid in the course of a minute. the hidden “hyperventillation pattern over a long period of time causes the body to acclimate to learning that ”too fast” is normal. One of the consequences is that the body doesn’t produce enough CO2, a respiratory by-product and that causes the involuntary muscles to become over-contracted. It also causes neurotransmitters to bind to sugar instead of CO2. This process causes deposits to form in the brain.
How can low CO2 affect our immune system We are exposed to viruses and bacteria every day.
CO2 is responsible for the chain of chemical reactions which make the immune system stronger and faster and better able to recognize infections.
By learning a new breathing pattern, a person can actively assist in their process of cellular respiration and to get the proper biochemical energy and the proper release of cellular waste products. The goal is correcting the chemical balance in the body for a healthier life.