Carbon Dioxide Part3

A BREATHING DISCOVERY
At the end of the last century Austrian physiologists Breyer and Gering made a sensational discovery - man is the only biological specimen on earth who had not developed a correct way of breathing. All other beings know how to breathe, but not humans. Just observe those around you carefully and you will find that people breathe differently. Some breathe deeply, others superficially, some faster, others slower, with pauses and some without.
NORMAL BREATHING
Russian Medical Scientist Professor Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko has devoted over 40 years of research into breathing and in the process discovered that only one in ten people breathe correctly. Natural or normal breathing results in a very specific accumulated gas mixture that our organism requires. to function properly.
THE MYTH BEHIND DEEP BREATHING
Traditional wisdom tells us that deep breathing is the best as it is thought to provide the most oxygen. We inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide and the conclusion that is drawn is that oxygen is good for us and carbon dioxide is harmful. When Professor Buteyko was first analysing his patients he discovered that those who were sick breathed much more than those who were healthy; that is, their tidal volume, depth and frequency was greater. Could it be that "breathing deeply" is in fact contributing to ill health?
THE OXYGEN PARADOX
In 1871 the Dutch doctor De Costa discovered the "Hyperventilation Syndrome" whereby deep breathing in a relaxed state caused dizziness and sometimes fainting. This is often incorrectly attributed to oxygen saturation. According to the Verigo-Bohr effect, it is the ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen which permits the release or retention of oxygen from the blood.
At the end of the last century Russian physiologist Verigo and Dutch scientist Bohr independently discovered that without carbon dioxide, oxygen is bound to the haemoglobin of the blood and simply does not work. This consequently leads to oxygen deficiency in the tissues of the brain, heart, kidneys and other organs and a raising of blood pressure.
Strange as it may seem, oxygen deficiency is not caused by lack of oxygen but by the lack of carbon dioxide! If we breathe too much we get less oxygen.
HOW MUCH CARBON DIOXIDE DO WE NEED?
For the cells of the brain, heart, kidney and other organs, our blood requires a concentration of: 6.5% carbon dioxide and only 2% oxygen.
THE AIR THAT WE BREATHE CONTAINS 200 TIMES LESS CARBON DIOXIDE THAN WE NEED AND 10 TIMES MORE OXYGEN THAN WE NEED.
The function of our respiratory system is not just to push air in and out but to maintain a very specific ratio of oxygen to carbon dioxide.
OVERBREATHING OR HYPERVENTILATION
When we over breathe or hyperventilate, we lose valuable carbon dioxide. According to Professor Buteyko, "hidden hyperventilation" often goes undiagnosed. When a person is acutely hyperventilating, it's obvious and the implications to the organism are disastrous. Hidden hyperventilation often goes unnoticed. Asthmatics overbreathe three or more times the recommended amount. Long term "hidden hyperventilation" is the hinge upon which Buteyko's discovery and method are based.