Why is there a rise in Asthma?
The following seven factors are more common in countries of increasing modernisation and affluence, which may help to explain why asthma and rhinitis (allergies) are so prevalent in the Western world:
Diet: Over-eating increases breathing volume due to the additional work that is required by the body to process and digest the extra food. Eating processed foods puts further pressure on the digestive system since these foods are generally acidic forming, thereby altering the pH of the blood. As the body strives to correct this imbalance, breathing increases in order to remove excess carbon dioxide (CO2).
Talking: When we speak, we need to take in large breaths of air between each sentence. When we speak at length, over-breathing occurs, exacerbating asthma symptoms and putting a strain on the body. People who work in retail, call centres and teaching know all too well how tired and constricted they can feel following a day’s work.
Stress: When we are under stress, the ‘fight or flight’ response is activated. We react the same way to modern day stresses as we did when coming face to face with a predator thousands of years ago. The difference is, when confronted by a physical danger, we had the option of fighting it or running away as fast as possible. In modern stressful situations, our breathing increases to prepare us for physical activity, but rarely do we perform the required physical exercise to burn off the adrenaline.
Sedentary lifestyle: When we move our muscles we generate carbon dioxide, which helps to maintain body oxygenation. A lack of exercise results in lower production of CO2 and a larger breathing volume. Fifty years ago it is estimated that we performed four hours of physical exercise each day. Today, many people are lucky if they have half an hour of exercise daily.
Big breathing: The widely-spread belief that it is beneficial to take big breaths is a major cause of over-breathing in the Western world. Stress counsellors, gym instructors, sports coaches who are misinformed about correct breathing volume often encourage the practice of taking deep breaths to bring more oxygen into the body. However, very often a deep breath is confused with a ‘big’ breath. A deep breath is what a baby takes naturally – a gentle, quiet inhalation using the diaphragm, as demonstrated by relaxed movements of the belly. In contrast, a big breath is often taken in loudly through the mouth and generally involves upper chest movement, encouraging over-breathing.
Reactions to Asthma: The onset of asthma symptoms causes the airways to constrict, leading to a feeling of suffocation. In an attempt to ease this discomfort the body begins to over-breathe, resulting in an increase in breathing rate and volume. However, greater breathing volume causes greater constriction, maintaining a vicious cycle that can only be relieved with medication. Some Buteyko Breath Patterns can help relieve these symptoms.
Higher temperatures: Modern homes and workplaces are generally well-insulated but not always well ventilated. Stuffy central-heated rooms make it difficult for our bodies to regulate body temperature through the skin, therefore encouraging us to revert to the primitive method of heavier breathing.
Why is over-breathing bad and Why is carbon dioxide so important?
Carbon dioxide is generated when your body oxidises the fats and carbohydrates you eat. CO2 is then carried by your veins to your lungs where the excess is exhaled.
For normal function, the human body requires a certain amount of carbon dioxide within the blood to ensure healthy oxygenation of the organs and muscles.
However, when you over-breathe, the chemoreceptors in the brain become sensitised to the presence of carbon dioxide, meaning they get used to limited amounts of CO2 and exhale too much, leading to a cycle of habitual hyperventilation.
Carbon dioxide is not just a waste gas, it is essential for a number of vital bodily functions and the prevention of various health issues, including:
Delivery of oxygen: Oxygen is relatively insoluble, so approximately 98% of the gas is carried by haemoglobin molecules in the blood.
The release of oxygen from haemoglobin is dependent on the quantity of carbon dioxide in your alveoli and arterial blood. If carbon dioxide is not at the required level of 5%, the oxygen ‘sticks’ to haemoglobin and therefore cannot be released to tissues and organs.
The connection between carbon dioxide and haemoglobin is known as the Bohr Effect and was discovered in 1904. The Bohr Effect is well-documented and can be found in any standard medical textbook, and yet the importance of carbon dioxide in the oxygenation of the body is too often ignored in traditional treatments of over-breathing.
The body is generally very efficient at oxygenating the blood – normal oxygen saturation of the blood for a healthy individual is 95-98%. In fact, the body does not use the majority of oxygen we breathe. If you breathe a healthy volume of air (4-6 litres per minute), 75% of oxygen intake is exhaled.
Even during intense exercise, when the body requires more oxygen than normal, it is estimated that we exhale as much as 25%. Therefore, if we already breathe an excess of oxygen, it goes without saying that breathing a volume greater than normal will not increase the amount of oxygen in your blood.
