Dr Joseph Mercola is a New York Times best-selling author. His website Mercola.com is the most-visited online natural health resource in the world. Mercola is now promoting the benefits of Buteyko and uses Buteyko breathing techniques to boost his Peak Performance Fitness routine.
I contacted Dr Mercola back in 2009 about the benefits of Buteyko. He replied saying he had tried it without success but would look into it again. Four years later he has and says he now wishes he had realised Buteyko’s potential years ago. His article is a must-read and he intends to follow up with his fitness progress now that he is incorporating Buteyko principles.
Story at a glance:
The Buteyko Breathing Method is a powerful approach for reversing health problems associated with improper breathing, the most common of which are over-breathing and mouth breathing, including poor sleep and sleep apnoea.
When you stop mouth breathing and learn to bring your breathing volume toward normal, you have better oxygenation of your tissues and organs, including your brain.
You breathe to remove excess CO2, but it’s still important that your breathing volume is normal, to maintain ideal CO2 levels in your lungs. Lack of CO2 constricts your blood vessels and detrimentally affects your heart function.
The heavier you breathe, the less oxygen that’s actually delivered throughout your body due to lack of carbon dioxide, which causes your blood vessels to constrict.
Processed foods, which tend to acidify your blood in an attempt to maintain normal pH, will make you breathe heavier. This is because one of the roles of carbon dioxide, which is in your blood, is to regulate pH.
Also by Dr Mercola:
How mouth breathing during exercise may increase your risk for asthma and cardiac problems »
Extreme Endurance Exercise: If You Do This Type of Exercise, You Could Be Damaging Your Heart »
