Tim Altman - Primal HealthNewssnoring
By Tim Altman 22/11/2023 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Latest News, Naturopathy, Performance, Sleep Enhancement , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What Capnometry Biofeedback Technology Looks Like and Measures

In a follow up to my last video discussing the potency of Capnometry biofeedback technology for assessing and retraining client’s breathing, I discuss what this technology measures and what you will see on the screen as you are being measured.

Firstly, Capnometry is measuring the volume of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air that you are exhaling. In hospitals it is used to monitor a patient’s breathing, especially if they are unconscious or have undergone an anaesthetic or are in a coma. The graph starts to curve upwards at the beginning of exhalation (with a slight delay) as CO2 increases, and it curves downwards as exhalation ceases (again, with a slight delay).

The technology provides 2 measurements which give us great information on breathing efficiency for assessment and training:

1. Breathing rate per minute – ideally 8-10 bpm in adults at rest.

2. End-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) – ideally 40mmHg. This is a measurement of the volume of CO2 in the lungs at the end of exhalation. This ETCO2 is essential for respiratory efficiency as it acts as a reservoir of CO2 that permeates back into the blood stream to maintain ideal levels of arterial CO2, which plays a major role in allowing the passage of oxygen from the air we inhale in the lungs, to the cells of the body for energy production. This process is based on the principles of the Bohr Effect and discussed in my last video/post. However, in short, without sufficient arterial CO2 levels. this process is impaired and we produce insufficient amounts of energy, which can lead to fatigue and many other symptoms of illness, including asthma, breathing difficulties, anxiety, sinusitis, snoring & sleep apnoea, headaches & migraines, memory problems, cognitive disturbance etc.

The beauty of this technique is that not only is it fantastic as an assessment of breathing efficiency (non-diagnostic), for breathing retraining it provides in the moment feedback about the efficacy of techniques and rhythms we implement to improve a client’s breathing to ideal, or optimal levels.

As such, we are able to find the best techniques and rhythms specific to each client, and therefore provide them with a specific, individualised breathing retraining program to remove symptoms of illness, improve quality of life and sleep, give them greater energy levels and relaxation, and improve performance.

Breathing as a function, and modality of health is as important and nutrition and exercise. In fact, it is more central than both of these, so it certainly should not be ignored, neglected, or taken for granted (as most of us do).

If you’d like your breathing assessed and to work out an ideal retraining program for your breathing, contact me via me website, www.timaltman.com.au, or email tim@timaltman.com.au.

By Tim Altman 21/11/2023 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome CFS, Chronic Illness, Latest News, Naturopathy, Performance, Sleep Enhancement , , , , , , , , , , ,

Video: Capnometry Biofeedback Technology is Super Potent for Clinical Assessment & Training of Breathing.

After learning extensively about the science of breathing, and techniques for optimising breathing, implementing biofeedback technology called Capnometry, which us used in hospitals to monitor patients breathing, into my clinical work with breathing has seen my understanding of breathing function, and the best techniques for retraining breathing function to optimal levels skyrocket.

In clinic this technology is highly effective for assessing the efficiency of a client’s breathing based on breathing rate per minute (ideally 8-10 bpm), and end tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2), or the amount of CO2 in the lungs at the end of exhalation (ideally at least 40mmHg).

The body regulates breathing based on arterial levels of CO2 predominantly, rather than arterial oxygen (O2). This is because the challenge with breathing is not getting enough oxygen in. We have heaps. In fact, at rest, we utilise less than one quarter of the O2 we inhale (the rest is exhaled), and we have heaps of oxygen stores in our blood stream (known as oxygen saturation levels, which are typically 97-99%).

The challenge is actually getting the oxygen we have in our blood stream, or that we inhale, into our cells for energy production (the main purpose of breathing). If we fail to do this, the consequences are fatal. CO2 plays a major role in this process. Rather than being a waste gas that we completely exhale, we store CO2 (as there’s only 0.03% in atmospheric air, so we can’t rely on this) as it is the limiting factor in determining breathing efficiency,

Based on the principles of the Bohr Effect, CO2 facilitates the passage of oxygen from our lungs to our cells for energy production. If CO2 levels are too low, we simply don’t get enough oxygen to our cells, so energy production is impaired, and survival is threatened. Conversely, if CO2 levels are too high, it upsets respiratory balance, and our body will increase breathing rate and volume to reduce levels. In order to maintain sufficient CO2 levels, our body stores CO2 in our lungs at the end of exhalation, known as end-tidal CO2, which then permeates back into the blood stream to maintain respiratory balance.

We definitely should not fully exhale all of the air in our lungs in order to maintain respiratory balance (at rest) – the exhale is simply a recoil of the diaphragm and lungs.

Unfortunately, without realising it, the vast majority of us breathe nowhere near ideal efficiency- we breathe twice as often as we should and with far too much volume.

This adversely affects our arterial CO2 levels, and therefore the balance in our respiratory system, and ultimately energy production. The consequence of this long term is that our body starts to produce symptoms of illness as a result of the body’s attempt to compensate for this inefficiency and restore balance. These symptoms include difficulties in breathing & asthma, anxiety, sinusitis, snoring & sleep apnoea, fatigue, digestive complaints, headaches & migraines, ADHD and many more.

Therefore this biofeedback technology is fantastic for assessing respiratory efficiency, and also in implementing techniques and rhythms to retrain breathing back to ideal, or functional levels. In so doing, with regular practice, clients experience greater energy levels, relaxation, and reduced symptoms of illness.

In addition, as clients can see significant differences on a screen of their baseline breathing efficiency and when they introduce optimal breathing techniques, so compliance of clients to their at home breath training improves significantly also.

Finally, as a result of measuring and observing the breathing of thousands of clients over the years, my understanding of breathing function and ideal techniques has grown exponentially.

If you’d like to have your breathing efficiency assessed , or learn how to breathe optimally, please contact me for a one on one clinic  appointment, or inline consultation.

By Tim Altman 21/02/2023 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Latest News, Naturopathy, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Sleep Enhancement, Testimonials , , , , , , , , ,

Case Study – Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Success Story Using Breathing Dynamics

SNORING & OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNOEA SUCCESS CREATES IMPROVED ENERGY, MEMORY & CONCENTRATION & A BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH PARTNER

Male 64 y.o. complaining of snoring & sleep apnoea.

He’s had a long history of snoring – most of his life. He and his wife sleep in separate rooms as a result.

He complains of feeling fatigued regularly, unrefreshed on waking, experiences frequent headaches, and often has difficulty with memory and concentration.

He was diagnosed with moderate obstructive sleep apnoea several years ago, with 20 apnoea episodes per hour.

He has a CPAP machine, however he hates it and rarely uses it (whilst CPAP technology is considered the gold standard for sleep apnoea treatment, and they definite provide a solution, long term compliance overall is not great, with data varying from anywhere between 15-50% long term compliance).

Other medical information:

High blood pressure – on medication.

Teeth grinding at night – he uses a mandibular advancement device (MAD) via his dentist at night (when not using his CPAP) to reduce this.

Slightly overweight.

Hi average daily diet indicates that he mildly hypoglycaemic, with afternoon slumps in energy, brain fog and desire for refined carbohydrates and sweets. He also relies on coffee to get going each day, and consumes 2-3 coffees per day.

He consumes 2-3 alcoholic drinks 3-4 days per on average, with nothing on the other days.

Capnometry biofeedback testing for breathing efficiency revealed that his baseline breathing was between 18-22 breaths per minute (ideally 8-10bpm) with ETCO2 (end tidal CO2 – a measure that is closely correlated to arterial CO2 levels, and indicates breathing efficiency) levels between 28-32mmHg (ideally 40mmHg).

When we slowed his breathing down to 6-8 breath per minute, his ETCO2 levels increases slightly, but not significantly.

However, introducing breathing rhythms where we reduced the volume of breathing significantly, ETCO2 levels raised to between 35-40mmHg. He found the rhythm slightly challenging, but he definitely felt more relaxed, and had more energy.

Therefore the excessive volume of his breathing is a significant contributor to his breathing dysfunction, and one that should be focussed on in treatment.

This client’s objective is to feel more in control of, or eliminate his snoring and sleep apnoea so he can have more energy, mental clarity and overall wellness.

Plus, he’d like to sleep in the same bed with his partner more often, and recreate more intimacy in their relationship. The absence of these in his relationship eats away at him.

Treatment objectives:

Treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea is a multifactorial process that best requires a team of practitioners in specific fields working together. These include dentists & orthodontists, ENT specialists, breathing specialists, nutrition specialists and often musculoskeletal practitioners.

Sleep apnoea is often described in medical terms as sleep disordered breathing, but it is actually the opposite. It is a breathing dysfunction that creates pathological symptoms that severely disrupt sleep. As such, it is breathing disordered sleep.

The chronic symptoms and health problems that follow from snoring and sleep apnoea begin with  dysfunctional breathing, and can be fixable by learning how to breathe correctly again.

However, most people, without realising it breathe far too often (twice as often as we should), and with far too much volume because they breathe with their mouth open or with parted lips, rather than with their nose as they should – in other words, we OVER-BREATHE!

And it gets worse at night in bed – particularly as many people sleep with their mouth open.

It is this over-breathing with mouth open that leads to snoring, and the imbalance in the respiratory system that results in apnoea episodes throughout the night, reduced energy production, dry mouth and throat in the morning, and many other symptoms associated with snoring and sleep apnoea.

There are other factors that contribute to and compound snoring and sleep apnoea, and these often need to be addressed also.

However, without addressing over-breathing you’ll always be prone to snoring and sleep apnoea. And many of the issues we mentioned will always bother you.

Addressing the person’s dysfunctional breathing is fundamental to the treatment of snoring and sleep apnoea.

In the case of obstructive sleep apnoea, it is essential to also address the factors that create an obstruction in the person’s airway, as these also contribute significantly to the break down in breathing function in sleep apnoea.

There are several factors that can create obstructions in the airways:

  1. Obesity – fat gathering in and around the throat.
  2. Dental Reasons – malpositioned jaw, caused by tension in the muscles.
  3. Alcohol or drugs relaxing throat muscles.
  4. Throat weakness – causing it to close during sleep.
  5. Nasal passage and sinus obstruction.
  6. Sleeping on the back – leading to the tongue dropping to the back of the mouth.

In mAny cases, lifestyle factors such as obesity, alcohol consumption, sleeping on the back, and stress contribute to a significant amount of breathing obstruction during sleep, and improving these will make the most difference in reducing or removing the obstruction.

Treatment Plan:

  1. Breathing Dynamics program to retrain breathing to ideal levels – more slowly with less volume, using the nose instead of the mouth. Regular practice of breathing rhythms 2-3 times daily for 10 minutes each time will train the body to breathe more slowly, with less volume habitually on a day to day basis. Similar to geeing fit, the body adjusts to breathing retraining over time. Therefore, this slower, gentler breathing will result in the person being far less likely to snore and over-breathe at night in their sleep, and the resultant imbalance in the respiratory system that results in apnoea episodes in less likely to occur.
  2. Not sleeping on the back at all – there are some night shirts that have a tennis ball sewn in to the back to prevent sleeping on the back.
  3. Keeping the mouth closed at night using porous paper tape (i.e. Micropore tape) – mouth breathing is dysfunctional breathing as breathing through the mouth allows up to 6 x the volume of air travelling in and out of the respiratory system, making it far more likely that both snoring, and the resultant imbalance in the respiratory system that lead to apnoea episodes occur.
  4. As the client hates using his CPAP machine, and rarely (if ever) uses it, we will lead with the above to keep the mouth closed at night. However in the case of some patients who use their CPAP nightly, but would like to reduce their reliance in it over time, we would wean them off this, and onto mouth taping over time, and relying on the CPAP as a back-up if the client has consumed alcohol or is overly stressed etc. I also recommend this client use his CPAP the nights he has consumed excessive alcohol, or was super tired or stressed and taping did not necessarily stick – especially earlier in his practice.
  5. Reducing alcohol consumption to 2 nights per week only.
  6. Modifying his diet to regulate blood sugar levels and reduce weight by decreasing consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates significantly, increasing fruit and vegetable intake, ensuring that at least the first meal of the day has quality protein, having quality snacks comprising nuts & seeds and fresh fruit, and reducing caffeine intake to 1 per day.
  7. Maintaining use of his mandibular advancement device (MAD) as jaw position can dramatically affect airway openness, and advancing the mandible forward will definitely help to open the airways. Often jaw position is the major, or primary cause of airway obstruction. This is often obvious when the patient is not obese and they do not consume excessive amounts of alcohol, yet they still experience snoring and sleep apnoea.

So this approach to treatment is necessary in most cases.

Outcome:

2 Weeks:

He embraced his program really well, with his breath practice being very consistent and, with the help pf his wife, his nutrition improved dramatically.

Although, he did experience a brief kick back for a couple of days when he reduced his coffee intake, he noticed an improvement in energy and clarity from the nutrition changes fairly quickly. And reducing alcohol intake midweek was not too difficult.

Plus he’s dropped 2kg in weight.

He enjoys the breathing rhythms as he feels calmer and more energised after he does them. He has noticed the rhythms are much easier than when he started, and feels like his breathing is slower and calmer day to day. He’s also noticed that he’s now super conscious of nose breathing all of the time, and picks up both when he, and others are mouth breathing a lot.

His baseline capnometry results at 2 weeks showed that his breathing had slowed to 10-14 bpm on average, and his ETCO2 had improved to 32-35, so some improvements.

He also found it easier to diaphragm breathe, so his capnometry results were much closer to 40 when we simulated the advanced breathing rhythms and fine-tuned his breathing further by continuing to practice breathing with less volume from deeper down (in his pelvic region).

He found it difficult not to sleep on his back initially, but with practice and perseverance, it has become easier, and he rarely finds himself sleeping on his back now.

The mouth taping was initially difficult and he woke during the night and discovered it had come off. However, he retaped and persevered each night.

On a couple of the early nights where the taping did not stick, he used the CPAP to get a decent sleep.

As he started to feel a bit better with his general breathing, and overall wellbeing, he found that he got more used to the mouth taping, and the tape is now staying on more consistently.

He also uses his mandibular advancement device (MAD) more consistently now, and uses it every night he tapes his mouth.

One night on a weekend, he drank too much with friends, and the mouth taping didn’t work too well. So, he surrendered and used his CPAP on this night.  He feels like he has a better relationship with his CPAP now – rather than fighting it, it’s there as a back-up on difficult nights where he’s more likely to sleep on his back and/or snore loudly. He estimates he used his CPAP on 30% of nights.

He also sleeps in the same bed as his wife more often now. Approx. half the nights. So he’s happy about that.

His wife has said that his snoring has not gone away, but it has reduced significantly. So she’s also becoming happier.

4 Weeks:

Continued improvements in his nutrition and another 1.5kg reduction in weight.

He continues to enjoy the breathing exercises and notices that he mouth breathes much less, and feels he now breathes primarily using his diaphragm far more often. As such, his breathing rate feels lower, and he feels his breathing and gentler and more calm.

He still has his moments of rapid breathing when he is stressed or he picks up that he is over-breathing at times when he is concentrating.

Sleeping on his side rather than his back has become more habitual, and easier.

Mouth taping has improved and the tape is staying on for the whole night more often.

He is comfortable with using his CPAP as a back-up and used it 20-25% of nights in this 2 week block.

Capnometry testing showed more improvements in baseline breathing rate (10-12bpm) abd ETCO2 35mmHg approx..

Overall he feels like his snoring and apnoea are far more under control, and he knows what he has to do to continue to control it. He really notices the difference if he drinks too much, is  stressed or he sleeps on his back.

His wife has reported that she is very pleasantly surprised – he doesn’t snore anywhere near as much, and doesn’t seem to have the pattern of apnoea episodes much at all.

He is wrapped. His initial symptoms of fatigue, waking unrefreshed, poor memory and concentration and regular headaches have improved dramatically.

He has not felt this well for decades, and he feels much more in control of his breathing and his sleep.  Plus he loves the reduction in weight, and is starting to exercise more, and feels like he is getting fit.

He loves that he is able to sleep with his partner most nights now, and is very happy that there is more intimacy in their relationship.

Plus he also understands the benefit of his CPAP now, and doesn’t feel like he’s in an ongoing battle with it now – as he did when it was his only option for dealing with his snoring and sleep apnoea.

8 Weeks:

Continued improvements as above in nutrition, breathing on a day to day basis, sleeping position, CPAP when necessary, use of his MAD device, and adherence to mouth taping at night.

He did, however, have a week where they went away on holidays with friends, and his routine went out the door. He consumed far more alcohol and his nutrition was poor.

As such, he noticed big differences in his day to day breathing (if felt more rapid and erratic, coming from the chest and shoulders and mouth more often than his diaphragm and nose).

The mouth taping at night often suffered here as he found himself tending to fall asleep on his back more often, and the tape did not always stay on all night.

He even put on a couple of kgs, so he wasn’t too happy with that.

His wife was also not happy as he snored far more, and his apnoea episodes increased, and there was no option for her to sleep in a spare room, so her sleep suffered also.

He did use his CPAP on a couple of nights, which helped him, but it impacts her sleep.

He felt like he had gone back to square one.

However, on returning to his routine back at home, he was able to bounce back much quicker than expected – within a week. As such, he learned that the changes he had made were rectifiable within a relatively short time by going back to his program and routine.

It also shocked him to see how much lifestyle factors can send his health and symptoms backwards.

The positive from this is that it reinforced the importance of consistent practice of the elements of his treatment program.

It doesn’t require rigid adherence. Just consistent practice. He will have ups and downs, and moments of humanness, however the consistent practice will help him to continue to control his symptoms and his wellbeing, as well being able to feel in control of his sleep quality.

If he continues to improve in his overall health, weight and day to day breathing, plus continuing to use is MAD while sleeping, it is possible over time that he may not need to continue taping his mouth at night. However, he will need to wait until he’s been doing his program for at least 6 months, so that his body can fully adapt and assimilate the changes he’s making.

Then it will be trial and error as to whether he continues taping. Many people continue the process as it guarantees that the mouth will stay closed while sleeping (as long as the tape stays on), and it is not an inconvenience.

Overall, despite the hiccup, this client feels better than he has since he was much younger and very confident that he can continue to be in control of his sleep quality as well as his health and wellbeing all around.

It takes commitment and consistency, however he is very mindful of how unhealthy and out of control he felt prior to beginning this program, so the motivation is strong.

In addition, this improved wellbeing has opened him up to increased exercise and more variety in exercise and lifestyle, so he is super motivated here also.

He is wrapped not only for his improved health & vitality, but also for the improvement in his relationship with his partner.

Moving ahead, I advised him to continue his program as it has been.

Just as it is necessary to maintain good nutrition and quality exercise on a day to day, long term basis, the same applies for breathing and sleep quality practices.

In order to feel the benefits on an ongoing basis, he needs to practice breathing rhythms regularly, continue taping his mouth at night, and using his MAD, as well as using his CPAP machine for back-up at times that his practices slip, or he drinks and eats poorly, or stressed and exhausted.

In addition, it would be ideal for him have regular check-ups with his sleep specialist doctor, his dentist, and his breath specialist.

 

By Tim Altman 04/02/2021 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Naturopathy, Performance, Sleep Enhancement , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Podcast Interview: The Power of Correct Breathing with Tim Altman via Lionheart Workshops

Linked here is a podcast interview I did recently with Jenni Madison of Lionheart Workshops which offers Online courses for your health, natural and spiritual wellbeing.

The ‘Breathing Dynamics’ online course for correct breathing to improve your health & wellbeing, vitality and performance is now available on this website,  https://timaltman.com.au/ , and  the Lionheart Workshops website.

In addition, I am part of the Mindful Life Training team, who will be offering in person and virtual wellbeing/leadership courses to organisations and workplaces that are customised for your team. These will include courses on ‘Breathing for Anxiety/Stress’ and ‘Breathing for Peak Performance’. Enquiries or bookings can be made now on the website.

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Breathing is something that we do automatically it is the foundation for life. Learning to understand the dynamics of breathing within the body and to breath correctly can stimulate a depth from within you and transform your entire well-being. Yogi’s know this!

Due to the mismatch that has been formed withing our evolutionary biology (between the environment our body evolved to thrive in, as hunter gatherers, and the fast-paced, high tech world we have created) with regards to the bodies evolution, natural and unnatural stress responses and the way we actually see or perceive ourselves as human beings today.

This mismatch of evolution has led to an unnatural response to life through feelings of anxiety triggered incorrectly by stress responses. Hence the ‘mismatch’, and resultant common experience of compromised health, anxiety, fatigue, burn out, lack of performance, joy and fulfillment.

If you are feeling stressed, anxious or unwell, a powerful solution could be as simple as the way you take in your air.

Whilst we have evolved in so many ways, and it may not be right for us to return to hunter gatherer days, we must also understand what our body is naturally built for and that the flight or fight response is not a permanent state of being.

Breathing correctly and understanding the dynamics of correct breathing once again can help to mitigate the unnecessary, self created concept of ‘threats’ to our survival, that is the flight or fight response.

The approach to health, well-being and performance is more hands on, and takes some practice, but yields super potent and long term results.

Breathing Dynamics can help with:

√ deepening your meditation practice

√ improved quality of sleep

√ better digestion and immune system function (and therefore increased resistance to illness – including viruses).

√ less anxiety or the release of anxiety

√ improved mental clarity

√ better work and sports performance

We really do often over look such a natural autonomic physiological response to life in many ways. And we have far more potential than we realise that can be accessed via correct or optimal breathing function.

By Tim Altman 07/01/2021 Breathing Dynamics, Evolutionary Medicine, Latest News, Performance, Sleep Enhancement , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Take The Mind Out of Mindfulness – It’s Also a Physical Thing!

In my last post I described Meditation as Medicine courtesy the huge amount of research pointing to the physiological and psychological benefits, and the breathing is the centre or anchor of all meditation, and mindfulness is the objective.

If it is so good for us, why has it not caught on more?

Perhaps, because we are so engaged in our heads, or our minds are so busy all of the time, sitting to meditate and quieten the mind is just not that easy.

Many people struggle to quieten or focus their thoughts, or experience ‘mindfulness’, for more than a few minutes at a time. Some struggle to do this at all.

For so many sitting down to meditate or even practice mindfulness whilst going about their day can feel like mental effort, or be frustrating, or futile – people often say that ‘meditation is not for me’.

I dispute that. It’s just that they haven’t learn how to do it properly or consistently yet. It doesn’t have to be only a mental thing, or a mental effort.

The base of all meditation, mindfulness, yoga, martial arts etc. is the breath.

By relaxing and focusing on the breath, you firstly settle the nervous system.

By focusing on the breath, the mind focuses.

By settling the breath, the mind settles and quietens.

One experiences mindfulness.

We know from research on mindfulness and meditation, that when your nervous system becomes parasympathetic dominant, you experience the ‘relaxation response’ and you are more likely to experience mindfulness at a greater depth.

We also know that the nervous system that regulates whether we are relaxed or stressed, also regulates all of our automatic functions, and, of all of these automatic functions, the breath is the one you can consciously control or modify with ease – with training.

Therefore, by learning to use the breath correctly, using the nose, diaphragm and in certain rhythms, one can settle the nervous system, relax and increase the likelihood that you will experience mindfulness, or meditation, and as a result, you get the most potent medicine available to us – and all of the physiological and psychological benefits that go along with it.

What makes this even better is that meditation, or mindfulness is not a mental effort, or solely a mental process. It’s also a physical process. And this part is easy to learn.

If you find meditation difficult to do, or difficult to maintain for periods of time, then make it a physical thing more than a mental effort. Learn how to breathe ideally to create the physical state that will make you more likely to be mindful more often, and to either begin your meditation practice, or take your current practice to a much deeper level.

At Mindful Life Training, www.mindfullife.com.au, we offer both online and in person courses on both functional breathing for meditation/mindfulness, and mindfulness courses t businesses and organisations.

You will also find my comprehensive online breathing course on the home page of this website – https://timaltman.com.au/

By Tim Altman 07/01/2021 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Latest News, Performance, Sleep Enhancement , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

MEDITATION IS MEDICINE

MEDITATION IS MEDICINE

After 20 years as a clinician working with health, wellbeing and performance both one on one or with groups, if, for some hypothetical reason, I were restricted to only having one modality/intervention to improve any of these outcomes, I have no hesitation in saying that it would be meditation.

I heard it described by a very wise person once that ‘Meditation is Medicine’, and if you look at the overwhelming amount of research evidence that points to the physiological and psychological benefits of meditation, mindfulness, and breath work, there can be no doubt about it.

Linked below is a research review I wrote on meditation that was written nearly 20 years ago, so the weight of evidence has grown significantly since – https://timaltman.com.au/meditation-is-medicine/

This evidence also applies to consistent practice of breathing rhythms and mindfulness, which are forms of meditation. Actually, breathing is the base or anchor for all meditation and mindfulness practice (as well as yoga, martial arts, tai chi etc), and mindfulness is the desired result, or ideal state of meditation practice.

At Mindful Life Training we offer online and in person breathing courses to organisations for stress management/relaxation/anxiety and for performance/flow states, as well as a range of mindfulness courses.

Also, my online breathing retraining course is available via the homepage of this website – www.timaltman.com.au

 

By Tim Altman 21/05/2019 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Performance, Sleep Enhancement , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

5 Ways Mouth Breathing Can Cause Fatigue

The Mouth is For Eating, Drinking, Talking, Singing, Kissing, but Only For Breathing in Emergencies – Not All of the Time!!

 

Based on how the anatomy and physiology of our respiratory system is set up, and the biochemical principles that describe how oxygen in the air we inhale in our lungs, most efficiently arrives at the individual cells in our body (via the bloodstream) for energy production (described in intimate detail by ‘The Bohr Effect’, for which Danish biochemist Christian Bohr won a Nobel Prize in 1903), it is beyond question that the nose is specifically designed for breathing. Not the mouth.

Yet, most of us do not realise or understand how important this is. We take our breathing for granted thinking it is fine, yet the vast majority of us over-breathe using our mouth as well as our nose, breathing twice as often as we should (based on medical diagnostic norms) and with far too much volume.

The mouth is for eating, drinking, talking, drinking, kissing, but is only useful for breathing in emergencies. But not breathing.

Your breathing is as, or more important than nutrition for your health and performance, so there are consequences to mouth breathing:

  1. Too much volume of air leads to too little energy – mouth breathing allows up to six times the volume of air to enter our lungs and respiratory system, which seriously upsets the delicate biochemical balance that governs how efficiently we get oxygen to our cells for energy production (mentioned above). If you breathe with your mouth open or with parted lips, you will produce energy far less efficiently and therefore get tired more quickly.
  2. It kicks you into fight or flight mode – when you breathe with your mouth it puts you straight into emergency mode. For example, when someone gives you a fright, you take a big gasp which involves a big mouth breath using the chest and shoulders. This puts you straight into ‘fight or flight’ mode, but is only useful in short bursts. As such, mouth breathing a lot will wear you out. A lot.
  3. You by-pass an incredible air-conditioning process – for respiration to work efficiently, the air reaching the lungs needs to be filtered, disinfected, humidified and heated or cooled. Breathing through the nose does exactly this. The nasal hairs filter the air, the mucus in the nose and sinuses disinfect, humidify and heat or cool the inhaled air. If we by-pass this incredible air conditioning system by mouth breathing we make the lungs work harder, expose ourselves to higher risk of respiratory tract infection, minimise oxygen uptake in our lungs, and reduce energy production.
  4. Much less nitric oxide – nose breathing leads to 50% higher production of nitric oxide than mouth breathing. Nitric oxide acts as a neurotransmitter, immunoregulator and vasodilator, particularly in the gut and lungs. Some of its’ actions include: regulating blood pressure, boosting the immune system, fighting bacteria and viruses, fighting cancer, increasing blood flow to cells, in muscular control and balance, and protecting against cardiovascular disease, impotence, diabetic retinopathy, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
  5. Over breathing – nose breathing contributes to over-breathing, or breathing too often as well as with too much volume. The body’s reaction to counter this is either apnoea episodes or constriction and spasm of the smooth muscle surrounding our breathing tubes (this reaction is typical of symptoms seen in asthma and breathing difficulties). Unfortunately this can create a flow on affect and affect other systems in our body serviced by tubes contributing directly to, or predisposing us to a number of ailments: fatigue, asthma and breathing difficulties, snoring and apnoea, headaches and migraines, anxiety, IBS, reflux and other digestive complaints, chronic pain and many more.

Put simply, mouth breathing is far less efficient, and it will make you more tired – and sick. Don’t do it unless it’s an emergency.

Contact me via email tim@timaltman.com.au or phone 0425 739 918 to have your breathing efficiency assessed or to learn how to breath more efficiently to eliminate illness, enhance performance or increase relaxation and wellness.

 

By Tim Altman 23/07/2018 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Naturopathy, Performance, Sleep Enhancement , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Video: Breathing Retraining Provides a Fantastic Natural Solution for Resolving Asthma and Breathing Difficulties

Tim Altman. breathing coach and naturopath (www.timaltman.com.au) discusses some fantastic and simple to learn, natural solutions to asthma, that more often than not, will help you wean off your asthma medication for good.

Most people accept that the medical treatment of asthma using pharmaceutical drugs, such as preventers, relievers and the modern combination medicines of these two, is the only effective way to manage asthma long term.
This is not true.

Research has started to suggest that what is often diagnosed by GP’s as asthma is more likely breathing difficulty (in about 80% of cases). As such, the main pathology in most asthma is to do with dysfunctional breathing.
This is not surprrising given the average person breathes nowhere near what is considered functional, according to medical diagnostic norms. We breathe twice as often as we should, and with far too much volume (meaning that we over breathe), using our mouth and chest/shoulders to breathe, rather than mostly our nose and diaphragm. In fact, when not exercising we should use our nose and diaphragm only.

This over breathing upsets the delicate biochemical balance in our respiratory system that dictates how much oxygen we get from the air we inhale into our lungs to the cells of our body for energy production (the mechanics of which are described by the ‘Bohr Effect’). If we breathe too much, we fail to produce energy efficiently, and the body perceives this as a threat to survival, so it creates constriction and spasm of the tubes that service our lungs and respiratory system to prevent the excessive loss of air; which are the symptoms we see as asthma and breathing difficulty.
As such, whilst we must also address immune hypersensitivity in some cases, the treatment priority needs to be correcting breathing function – eliminating over breathing by retraining the breathing to functional levels, breathing more slowly and with less volume. This will naturally dilate the whole respiratory system and prevent, or make it far less likely that asthma and breathing difficulties will occur at all.

We use biofeedback technology (Capnometry) to assess a person’s breathing, and retrain them using specifically created breathing rhythms that retrain your breathing from the level you are at.
There are other breathing techniques that we can also to facilitate or speed up this process also. For example, we know that a 45 second breath hold will produce roughly the equivalent vasodilation in your lungs as a puff of Ventolin.

I have found that using breathing retaining to treat and prevent asthma to be a simple and easy to learn solution that will give most clients a permanent solution to their asthma and breathing difficulties with a couple of months. It takes practice and some persistence, but it provides a long term solution, that avoids the expense and negative side effects of long term use of medications. The only side effect of breathing retraining, other than being free of symptoms of asthma and breathing difficulties, are that you will feel more relaxed, and have more energy!!

Contact me at tim@timaltman.com.au or 0425 739 918 to make an appointment.
I offer clinical sessions online, or n person in Torquay, Barwon Heads at 13th Beach Health Services – www.13thbeachhealthservices.com.au) and Melbourne.

By Tim Altman 18/07/2018 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Naturopathy, Sleep Enhancement , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Video: We Breathe Twice As Often As We Should and It Affects Our Health in Many Ways

We breath twice as often as we should (according to medical diagnostic norms).
If our blood pressure were twice as high as it should be, or we ate twice as much as we should, we all know that would lead to health and well-being problems.
Yet we take our breathing for granted, not realising that over-breathing upsets the delicate biochemical balance in our respiratory system that dictates how we get oxygen from the air we inhale in our lungs into the cells of our body for energy production (all known as, and explained in detail by ‘The Bohr Effect’).
he implications of this are:
1. We produce less energy – contributing to fatigue related illnesses, and poor mental functioning.
2. We are more predisposed to apnoea episodes – resulting in poor sleep, low energy, poor cognitive function, fatigue, and a potential flow on to increased likelihood of suffering inflammatory conditions.
3. Smooth muscle constriction around our breathing tubes predisposing to asthma and breathing difficulties, and also conditions relating to constriction or reduced function of all of the other tubes servicing our body (circulation, digestion, lymphatic, urinary etc) – these include IBS, reflux & other digestive complaints; high blood pressure & hypertension: sinusitis, hay fever & respiratory system illnesses; headaches and migraines; anxiety & depression.
The good news is that learning how to breath functionally again is not that hard, and does not take that long. And you will feel better for it…
Email Tim at tim@timaltman.com.au or call 0425 739 918. Tim is available in clinic at: Barwon Heads – 13th Beach Health Services Torquay/Jan Juc Melbourne – Sth Melbourne or Ivanhoe Or via Online Consultation
By Tim Altman 11/03/2018 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Sleep Enhancement, Testimonials , , , , , , , ,

Breathing Retraining Can Help Sleep Apnoea Quicker Than You Think

Correct Breathing: A Natural Cost Effective Solution For Sleep Apnoea and Snoring

Below is a text that came from a sleep apnoea client the day after our first session – I’ve modified a name and omitted the client’s full name for privacy purposes.

“Last night had 2hrs more sleep and haven’t needed a sleep so far today. Enjoyed a session with #$% and run up the stairs ! Wow!……..When I woke just breathed properly and off to sleep I went!! Many thanks Tim.” Jan, Torquay

We don’t always see such a quick response, and this client still has a long way to go in terms of making permanent change as, whilst correcting a person’s breathing can definitely yield fantastic results very quickly, it does take consistent practice over several weeks to make those results permanent.

This is not a surprise given the fundamental pathology in sleep apnoea is caused by the consequences of dysfunctional breathing whilst sleeping – especially mouth breathing. See the inserted link for more information on the role of breathing retraining in sleep apnoea and as a solution for snoring and sleep apnoea.  https://timaltman.com.au/breathing-dynamics-solutions-snoring-sleep-apnoea/

This client may also require a few other interventions if an obstruction in the airway is evident.  These include dentistry and orofacial myology (if the jaw position is leading to an obstruction), weight loss (as excessive weight can obstruct the airways) and other body work (physiotherapy, chiropractic, osteopathy). Time will tell. However, the combination of breathing retraining with these interventions very frequently yields fantastic results that can prevent a sufferer of sleep apnoea from a life time of dependency on an obtrusive, and expensive CPAP machine. Or a lifetime of fatigue, and many other side effects of sleep apnoea (see link above).

Nevertheless, this is a great start. And a great living example of the effectiveness of breathing retraining in treating sleep apnoea.

If you or someone you know suffer from sleep apnoea and would like to source a natural, cost effective and easy to learn solution, then contact me at tim@timaltman.com.au or call 0425 739 918.

 

 

 

 

By Tim Altman 24/02/2017 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Sleep Enhancement , , , , , , , , ,

Breathing Dynamics Solutions for Snoring and Sleep Apnoea

Breathing Dynamics for the Treatment and Prevention of Snoring and Sleep Apnoea

Snoring is the resultant sound caused by vibration of respiratory structures (usually the uvula and soft palate) due to obstructed air movement during breathing whilst sleeping. The blockage in the airways can be due to a number of reasons:

  • Obesity – fat gathering in and around the throat.
  • Dental Reasons – mispositioned jaw, caused by tension in the muscles.
  • Alcohol or drugs relaxing throat muscles.
  • Throat weakness – causing it to close during sleep.
  • Nasal passage and sinus obstruction.
  • Obstructive sleep apnoea – indeed snoring can be one of the first symptoms or signs of sleep apnoea in a person, and is almost always present in sleep apnoea.
  • Sleeping on the back – leading to the tongue dropping to the back of the mouth.
  • The tissues at the top of the airways touching each other.

Whilst incidences of snoring can vary, it is estimated that at least 30% of adults snore.

The impact of snoring occurs both for the snorer and those who sleep with or near them. The impact can include sleep deprivation, daytime drowsiness, lack of energy and focus, irritability, decreased libido and potential psychological problems.

Research on snoring has confirmed an association or correlation of snoring with a number of diseases, including:

  • A correlation between loud snoring and increased risk of heart attack (+34%) and stroke (+67%).
  • Development of carotid artery atherosclerosis (due to turbulence in the artery closes to the airways).
  • Risk of brain damage.
  • Significant improvement of marital relations following correction of snoring.
  • Treatment of Snoring
  • Treatment options for snoring are varied and can depend on the believed causative factor. All treatments focus on clearing the blockage in the breathing passage. Treatments range from:
  • Weight loss
  • Cessation of smoking.
  • Reduction of alcohol consumption.
  • Having patients sleep on their side.
  • Over the counter aids – nasal sprays, nasal strips, nose clips, lubricating sprays, anti-snore pillows and clothing.
  • Dental appliances – splints (mandibular advancement splints – are far more compliant than CPAP machines).
  • The Pillar Procedure – surgical insertion of strips to strengthen the soft palate.
  • CPAP machines – continuous positive airway pressure machines – mainly for sleep apnoea. Is quite invasive as it requires wearing a mask and having a machine beside the bed (that can be noisy). Compliance is as low as 13%.
  • Surgery – i.e. removal of tissue in the back of the throat (although this involves risks of side effects, including scarring), or turbinate coblation (removing obstruction caused by enlarged turbinates in the nose).
  • Pharmaceuticals drugs or herbal preparations.

Breathing Retraining to Prevent and Treat Snoring

Note: it is recommended you read the previous blogs on breathing,  nose breathing and the Bohr Effect, relevant to snoring on this website prior to reading this section, as the following is a simplified summary based on a knowledge of this theory.

The Breathing Dynamics approach to snoring addresses an aspect that is prevalent in most snorers. That is mouth breathing at night.

Up to 6 times the volume of air can travel in and out of the mouth compared to the nostrils. Given the anatomical, physiological and biochemical make-up of our respiratory system is designed for us to breathe through our nose, the increased volume of air flow experienced during mouth breathing can not only increase the air flow in the throat and likelihood that any obstruction or loose tissue will rattle, it can seriously upset our blood chemistry and reduce delivery of oxygen from our arterial blood to our cells for energy production (based on ‘The Bohr Effect’) and lead to smooth muscle constriction or spasm in the respiratory, circulatory, lymphatic, urinary and digestive systems (any systems that involve tubes). This can obviously lead to a number of symptoms throughout the body.

In addition, in normal breathing (according to diagnostic norms), not only should you breathe through the nostrils only, your tongue should rest at the roof of the mouth, preventing it from falling to the floor of the mouth and obstructing the throat (as is often the case during mouth breathing). An obstructed throat at night can or will usually results in snoring. When you breathe through your nose, with your mouth closed, your tongue will naturally sit at the roof of your mouth.

The objective in breathing retraining is to:

  1. Ensure that the mouth is closed at night – there are a number of techniques to achieve this, sometimes initially involving the use of other techniques or interventions such as dental splints or retrainers (especially if there is obstruction due to the positioning of the mandible) in addition to our techniques, but, over time, this can become habitual.

  2. Retrain the person to habitually breathe at all times using the nose, not the mouth. This second aspect takes time and requires the use of breath hold techniques to increase the body’s tolerance to elevated CO2 levels (as are seen when breathing through the nose and with patterns that promote breathing at the right rate and volumes) and CapnoTrainer biofeedback technology to retrain functional breathing patterns that will have your body become more comfortable with nose breathing and slower breathing rates with reduce volumes of air flow.

Once your body becomes more used to breathing with mouth closed (except when eating or talking/singing), and with reduced air flow and breathing rate, this eventually becomes more habitual.

To book in for a consultation to see Tim regarding the use of Breathing Dynamics to prevent or treat asthma, email Tim or call 0425 739 918.

Alternatively, the Breathing Dynamics for snoring and subsequent breathing retraining techniques and rhythm development can be purchased via the shop section of this website.