The Buteyko method or Buteyko breathing technique is a practice used to help regulate breathing, primarily as a treatment for asthma and other respiratory conditions.
The first official study into the effectiveness of the Buteyko method on asthma was undertaken in 1968 at the Leningrad Institute of Pulmonology. The second, held at the First Moscow Institute of Pediatric Diseases in April 1980, eventually led to the head of the ministry of health to issue an order (No 591) for the implementation of the Buteyko method in the treatment of bronchial asthma. Later, this method was introduced to Australia, New Zealand, Britain and the United States, where it has received increasing exposure.
The Buteyko method is one of a number of breathing retraining methods in use for treating lung diseases, including conventional techniques such as physiotherapist-led breathing exercises as well as alternative medicine techniques such as yoga.
In 2019, the popular Indonesian singer Andien posted images of herself, her husband and their two-year-old son with tape over their mouths on social media. The pictures prompted discussion and interest in the Buteyko method.
Method
The Buteyko method emphasizes the role of carbon dioxide and hyperventilation in respiratory diseases as well as overall health. It is known that hyperventilation can lead to low carbon dioxide levels in the blood (or hypocapnea), which can subsequently lead to disturbances of the acid-base balance in the blood and lower tissue oxygen levels. Advocates of this method assert that the effects of chronic hyperventilation have wider effects than is commonly accepted. disturbance of cell energy production via the Krebs cycle, as well as disturbance of numerous vital homeostatic chemical reactions in the body. The Buteyko method purports to retrain the body's breathing pattern to correct for the presumed chronic hyperventilation and hypocapnia, thereby treating or curing the body of these medical problems. Many teachers refer to Buteyko as 'breathing retraining' and compare the method to learning to ride a bicycle. They say that after adequate practice time, the techniques become instinctive and the exercises are gradually phased out as the condition improves.
Buteyko uses a measurement called the control pause (CP), the amount of time between breaths that an individual can comfortably hold breath. Many of the studies that have evaluated breathing retraining have significant methodological flaws, including small sample sizes, possible patient selection bias as well as heterogeneity in design that makes coming to a firm conclusion difficult. These studies are also hampered by the difficulty in proper blinding and placebo control which could introduce more bias into these studies. A 2020 Cochrane review has found that breathing exercises may have some positive impact on quality of life, hyperventilation symptoms and lung function (moderate to very low certainty).
See also
- Hypoventilation training
- Intermittent hypoxic training
- Papworth method
- Wim Hof
References
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Further reading
Vladimir K. Buteyko and Marina M. Buteyko. The Buteyko theory about a key role of breathing for human health: scientific introduction to the Buteyko therapy for experts. Voronezh : Buteyko Co Ltd, 2005. 100p. Rus. / Eng.
ISBN 5-88563-072-0