Improving your breathing

[Evie]

Does anyone do exercises to improve thier breathing ability? (or strength of mucles around chest)

If so has it helped your situation much?

I have a theory of whats causing my OI (or is a major component). I think it may be i dont breathe properly. When i started getting sick a rib in my chest popped out of place and it was quite painful. It has never gone back into place but has stoped hurting as much. The drs were all a bit confused by its appearance. Then i got glandular fever and treatments focues on my immune system.

I found when i was quite bad i didnt have the energy to take deep breaths and now i find that if i get a massage and get rid of the pain in my muscles around my lungs i can breathe better and therefore feel better. (sounds obvious i know)

So just thought it may make sense that it could cause most of the feelings od dizzyness or weakness etc (unsure if it would lower blood pressure but i think it would)

[Aprilmarie52]

do you have asthma or allergies? Maybe you could talk to a specialist. I know that they say yoga helps you to center your breathing.

[Evie]

I use to have exercise induced asthma (yet now i dont do exercise so i dont get asthma ). Although it did lessen as i grew older and it moved into me just fainting when i tried to play tennis or swim (previously i was quite good).

I do have allergies yet since moving into an apartment in the city they have improved (bush is my weakness).

Thanks for the yoga advice! ... i keep meaning to do it ... i will do it ... ive been so slack

[Guest Finrussak]

there is something that was on the net a while back...for anyone who had an injury or illness that made breathing deeply more difficult...you blow into it and gradually adjust it so its harder to do...building up the diaphragm and other muscles...plus it trains you to breathe deeply and regularly, fully oxegenating the body. One is called Respirate and another is a PEPdevice (positive expiratory pressure) I think...anyway look up net info...

You can also try to expand your diaphragm by pushing as much air OUT at first in exhalation which then allows a deeper inhalation and do abdominal breathing. There has been medical journals documenting the BP lowering effects etc so more may be happening than simply relaxation.

Two of my cardiologists back pre-POTS thought it may help me as I was so debilitated/weak from Lyme etc...but frankly I never looked into it as I had "other bigger" probs.... but i DID do deep breathing stuff and regaioned my ability to breathe right..I DO know that doing the relaxing breath stuff and lying every night for 10 minutes breathing deeply and slowly HAS improved my whole condition...I think due to retraining the sensitivities of the vagal feedback. I also know that when I am flaring with sx and so sensitive that even a cough or hiccup starts heart skips and tachy that deep breathing temporarily makes it WORSE due to abdominal pressure on vagus nerve...

So for me, in acute stage ( symptomatic) I cant do deep breathing but for in between it has helped.

[DancingLight]

Evie,

I am not sure about your particular problem that you are describing (sorry! )

But your post caught my attention b/c I know that the worse I feel the worse I am about making sure to take full breaths...I notice I hold my breath and clench my jaw as I feel more and more sick...

I was really, really diligent about mindfulness and meditation before this past winter, and then kinda got slack...

I just started listening to and working on Andrew Weil's "Breathing:The Master Key to Self-Healing" cd...and I am really liking it.

He claims that some of the exercises can strengthen the muscles, as well as help you to better control ANS symptoms (he discusses the ANS a LOT in the cd and that is interesting since most docs don't!).

I like this cd a lot b/c the exercises can be done anytime, anyplace and don't take a HUGE time commitment like the Jon Kabat-Zinn mindfulness approach that I had been doing previously.

Emily

[Guest Finrussak]

oh dear Lyme fog...sorry but I finally remembered the other breathing device..."ultrabreathe." its an inhalation resistance type...and with whatever you choose always check with the docs

I too like Dr Weill's suggestions...He is sometimes a bit fringe but he has harvard med school education and ( in spite of this???) deeply respects the natural approach...his breathing tapes ARE good...as are his newer healing with meditation and music healing ones.

[MightyMouse]

I have asthma and reactive airway.

Yoga and Pilates seem to really help me, although I often got frustrated with the yoga breathing patterns. Patience! I have very little for myself...but tons for everyone else... part of learning yoga techniques (and with my buddhist practices) is to quiet myself within and treat myself with the kindness I'd hold for others.

What has helped me to focus more calmly are a few audio cd's of buddhist meditations. I do better with guidance as my mind tends to be too ADD/ADHD sometimes and I need to be pulled back to focus again.

Nina

[Radha]

nina, can you tell me the names of the meditations cd's? i have alot of trouble with racing mind, and wanted to find a cd that would be simple and easy to do, thanks

hope you are feeling better,

radha

[MightyMouse]

mine are cd's of Ticht Nhat Han... each one has a bunch of spoken segments a few minutes long--I work on my breathing while listening to the stories...or instructions. There's a musical quality to the way he speaks. The cd's aren't about just breathing, but the mindset of buddhist practice. I always feel pleastantly calm and happy after even just one segment.

Nina