A Simple Technique To Prolong Your Life & Prevent Disease
Breathing is an
unconscious yet ever so vital part of daily life. Very few of us take
the time to consider our own breathing patterns. Even physicians in
allopathic medicine, me included, pay little attention to respiratory
rate unless it is affecting our pH levels or mental status.
Our respiratory rate is determined by
how many breaths we take in one minute. Increasing our respiratory rates
is a natural response to stress and anxiety. This increases our oxygen
while decreasing carbon dioxide in preparation for an emergency escape
from something like a wild animal, per se.
Evolutionarily speaking,
hyperventilation is an important life saving feature for us because we
need more oxygen when running! Unfortunately, in today’s undue stress,
many people now breathe 15-20 times/minute rather than the normal 8-12
breaths/minute that is recorded in medical literature. This is unnatural
and if continued chronically, can change our pH as well as internal
cellular activities. Scientifically, this means that we end up losing
too much C02, thus reducing body oxygenation due to vasoconstriction
caused by C02 deficiency (bohrs effect). This causes hypoxia and reduced
oxygenation in our cells. Remember that oxygen delivers all the
necessary nutrients to every organ in the body.
Slow, mindful breath, such as the famous
prayanama breath of yoga (constricting the back of the throat to make a
audible, textured breath) engages the parasympathetic system, which is
the relaxation and housekeeping system of the body. This conscious
breathing stimulates the vagus nerve which innervates the thyroid,
heart, bladder and bowels. Slow, deep breathing helps to regulate our
immunity, digestion, nervous systems and metabolism all through this
system…which is linked to BREATH.
Higher respiratory rates=shorter lives
Animals with a higher respiratory rates
often (as a general rule) have shorter life spans. Consider that
rabbits, which breathe 40-60 times/minute, have a lifespan of 8 years or
dogs, which breathe 15-30 times/minute, live 15-20 years. The shrew
breathes 140-170 times/minute and lives ONE year. In contrast, the giant
tortoise or great whales have a respiratory rate of 3-8 times/minute
and live for 150 and 111 years old, respectively! This is important when
one considers that ill patients also have a higher respiratory rates.
For example, patients who are septic or have cancer often breathe 20 or
more times per minute.
It seems that there is a correlation
between slower respiratory rates and longevity. The Indian Vedas and
Buddhist Monks are just two examples of ancient cultures who believed
that we are given a set number of breaths at birth that can predict the
length of our life. They believed that through meditation and yoga, one
can extend the length of their life by slowing down and reserving their
set number of breaths. In fact, many patients with cancer can prolong
their lives by slowing down their rate of breathing. Most panic attacks
could easily be avoided with controlled breath work. If a man breathes
15 times/minute, he will breathe 900 times in an hour and 21,600 times a
day. If he could consciously decrease our respiratory rate to 10
breaths/minute, he would breathe 600 times a hour and 14,400 times a
day. This significantly decreases our “set breath” given in life.
Studies have shown that fast breathers suffer from higher levels of
anxiety, depression, sleeping disorders and high blood pressure.
In fact, the FDA acknowledges that oxygen is a medicine!
Here are a few questions to ask yourself about your own breathing pattern:
1. Am I breathing properly?
Not only has the traumas and stress of
this world affected our normal respiratory rates, but we have literally
forgotten HOW to breathe. Its amazing to hear how many of my patients
contract and suck their abdomen in with inhales rather than expand
outward. If you watch a baby breathe, you will notice that his abdomen
expands outward with each inhaled breath and contracts with each exhale.
As we grow in adults, we only use the bottom 2/3 of our lungs while the
upper 1/3 is not filled. This predisposes people to infections and
disease. Full deep breaths are exercise for the lungs and provide
necessary oxygenation, as well as nutrients, to all the organs of the
body. If the alveoli, or lung cells are not fully expanding then they
are susceptible to bacterial invasion due to stasis. Ensure that you are
taking full breaths by expanding your abdomen with each breath and fill
the top portion of your lungs. When exhaling, release the C02 in the
top third of your lungs first, then continue to exhale the air in your
contracted abdomen last.
2. Am I breathing rhythmically?
Breathing should be slow, controlled…or
rhythmic. It should also be through the nose as breathing through the
mouth can lead to sore throats and can often indicate sleep apnea,
especially when one is supine. This guarantees that you are expelling
toxins and metabolic waste properly. If your exhalations are too short,
you are preventing your body’s natural ability to expel endogenous and
exogenous toxins. Rhythmic breathing is also key to meditation and alpha
brain wave states that are vital when connecting to the higher self for
answers.
3. How is my posture?
This is a big one! Most of us have poor
posture. Think about how many shoulder injuries and rotator cuff or
total shoulder replacements occur each year. As the world gets more and
more stressful and difficult, the human body compensates and protects
itself. If you’re like me, this means most of us have internally rotated
shoulders that hunch inward to protect our heart space. A chest that
caves in or hunched shoulders not only leads to physical misalignments
and back pain, but makes it difficult to take a full breath. Turn your
attention to posture and breath as this can give you automatic
relaxation. You should be able to look down and see open, broad
shoulders (drawing shoulder blades together) and a rising and falling
belly.
Correct and mindful breathing can lead
to a fuller and longer life. Incorrect breathing can easily be converted
to proper rhythmic abdominal breathing as this is our natural state!
This increases oxygenation of the blood, internal organs and brain. It
improves circulation, massages the biliary tree and detoxification
organs and brings instant calm to the nervous system.
