* Check your body oxygenation with a simple stress-free DIY test

Oct 14
08:57

2009

Artour Rakhimov

Artour Rakhimov

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Oxygen content in the body can be found using a simple test. After sitting at rest for about 5 minutes, exhale normally and hold breath by pinching your nose. Count how many seconds you can hold your breath. When you get the first sensation or desire to breathe, release the nose and resume breathing.

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Oxygen content in the body can be found using a simple test.  After sitting at rest for about 5 minutes,* Check your body oxygenation with a simple stress-free DIY test Articles exhale normally and hold breath by pinching your nose.  Count how many seconds you can hold your breath.  When you get the first sensation or desire to breathe, release the nose and resume breathing.  If you are not stressed after the test, and your breathing pattern is as usual as before, then the test is correct.  You will get a number in seconds.

Dozens of western studies found that breath-holding time is reduced for many chronic conditions, including asthma, heart disease, panic attacks, COPD, and many others.  Practical observations of doctors revealed that people who are critically ill or hospitalized have less than 10 seconds of oxygen in their body.  People on medication who are in stable conditions usually score between 10 and 20 seconds for this breath-holding time test.  The average modern healthy person scores about 20-30 seconds.  About a century ago, healthy people had up to 40-60 seconds of breath holding time. 

There is only one therapy which uses this test as the main tool of evaluating personal health.  The name of this therapy is the Buteyko breathing method.  Practically, it was found that the key parameter that defines body oxygenation is the breathing pattern.  The people who have deep breathing patterns, also breathe more frequently and have reduced body oxygenation.  At the same time, people who have normal breathing take smaller inhalations, only about 10-12 times per minute and have better body oxygenation. 

Why does this take place?  In other words, why does breathing more reduce body oxygenation?  People with normal breathing have about 98% oxygen saturation of the haemoglobin cells.  Hence, by breathing more, one cannot improve blood oxygenation, the only effect would be reduction in the CO2 content in cells.  Carbon dioxide(CO2) has been found to be a powerful dilator of blood vessels, and is crucial for release of oxygen by red blood cells in the capillaries and tissues.  Hence physiologically, it is normal that sick people have reduced body oxygenation due to over-breathing. 

The Buteyko breathing method has two parts.  Students practice breathing exercises and adjust their lifestyle factors, in order to have easy breathing 24/7.  Some important benefiting lifestyle factors are constant nasal breathing, physical activity with nasal breathing, prevention of sleeping on ones back, correct posture, eating only when hungry, good thermal regulation, prevention of nutritional deficiencies, wholesome diet, and relaxation exercises. 

When people practice the Buteyko breathing method, they improve their body oxygenation by about 2-5 seconds in 1 week.  Therefore, if students start with 10-15 seconds, they are able to achieve up to 25-30 seconds of breath holding time in just one month.  At this stage, the symptoms of asthma, heart disease, blocked nose, fatigue, problems with sleep, and many others disappear.