Asthma has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Asthma is a constriction of the air passages within the lungs. Airways may become inflamed with mucous. It becomes difficult to breath and a wheezing sound may occur. An asthma attack can be triggered by anything from perfume, smoke, pollen, pets, wind, exercise or emotions. Traditional medicine has long been baffled about a common cause. The term, asthma comes from the Greek word for ‘panting’and means attacks of difficult breathing. The most recent available Asthma Facts and Figures from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics states that in 2001, an estimated 20.3 million people currently were diagnosed with asthma.

Dr. Konstantin Buteyko was a Russian who developed the theory that low levels of carbon dioxide are the cause of asthma attacks. His observation was that most people breathe too much. It’s known that hyperventilation, or breathing too rapidly, accompanies asthma. Doctors believed that it was because of the asthma. Buteyko believed chronic,, low-grade hyperventilation actually causes asthma.

A study funded by the Australian Association of Asthma Foundations found that asthmatics practicing the Buteyko method for only six weeks decreased their use of bronchodilator medicine by 90 percent. Because of Dr. Buteyko’s research there are ways to end the hidden hyperventilation cycle, also called hypocapnia. There are easy to learn breathing exercises which are designed to raise your carbon dioxide to healthy levels and stop attacks. Dr. Buteyko believed that over breathing causes asthma so you need to retrain your breathing. Asthma is your body’s defense against chronic hyperventilation, which can lower carbon dioxide levels to dangerous levels, and is usually induced by stress, fear and anxiety. Learning to take shallow breaths, or reducing the number of breaths per minute can be helpful.

Symptoms of hyperventilation: