Eliminate Back Pain and Asthma - As Simple As Breathing Every breath you take... What if I told you there were simple, non-drug, non-invasive ways to eliminate back pain and asthma? Well, there are -- and they're both as simple as breathing. A study by a professor at the University of California San Francisco found that breath therapy can be just as effective initially as physical therapy in treating chronic lower-back pain. The study involved 28 patients who had low-back pain for at least three months. During a six- to eight-week period they underwent either 12 sessions of breath therapy or physical therapy at the university. Using techniques developed over 70 years ago in Germany, the therapy uses gentle pressure and massage to draw a patient's attention to breathing movements and sensations of their body. The therapy integrates a mind-body awareness approach to deal with pain. Another breathing method has been used successfully to help eliminate asthma. You read that right. Not just control the symptoms of asthma, which is all the conventional therapies do, but actually eliminate the underlying reason behind the disease. The Buteyko method is a targeted breathing technique that has helped countless patients from school children to adults. It is based on the theory that asthma patients are hyperventilating. This over-breathing triggers the body's defense mechanism and begins a cascade of events that leads to a narrowing of the airways and other health problems. The method instructs patients on how to correct this problem by using a series of shallower, nasal breaths with longer pauses between inhalation. Patients who learn the technique and work with their physician to modify their treatment plans, report a decrease in asthma attacks and a reduced reliance on medication. Both these therapies make me breathe easier: They're easy and simple, yet they blow away conventional thinking. **************************************************** What is...the Buteyko breathing method? The Buteyko method is based on the theory that those with asthma are actually breathing too quickly, and with each hurried breath are receiving less oxygen and less carbon dioxide than their bodies' need to maintain optimum health. Asthma sufferers are said to take three to four breaths for every single breath a non-patient would need. This hyperventilation causes the amount of available oxygen to drop. It also decreases carbon dioxide, which causes the body's pH level to dip and creates an alkaline environment which encourages viruses to grow and triggers allergies. The drop in carbon dioxide may also trigger bronchial spasms. The method, which is taught in a series of lectures, is safe for people of all ages and its' goal is to eliminate patients' reliance on asthma medication. The basic principal of the method is learning to breathe through the nose instead of through the mouth. This simple lesson must be adopted as part of the patient's routine and done consistently, or any progress made will be lost. Conversely, the more the exercises are performed, the better the outcome. Yours in good health, Amanda Ross Editorial Director Nutrition & Healing

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