Hello Fellow Cave People. I have a lengthy post today that I think will 
prove interesting.

What if I told you that with simple changes in my breathing, I have 
conquered lifelong asthma, sleep less but am not as tired, stopped 
snoring, and lost 20 pounds of fat with no dieting?

As background, I will tell you that I've had asthma my whole life, since 
being a baby. And while I still have nasal allergies, I can run 3 miles 
for the first time in my life and I've not taken any asthma medicine in 
months.

I believe evidence suggests a lot of disease and health problems are 
caused by very low arterial CO2 levels.

There is something called the Bohr Effect that means that the higher
the CO2 levels in your blood, the better your tissues get oxygenated. 
And increasing CO2 levels brings about profound and permanent changes 
that many on this list are seeking.

Higher CO2 levels mean the arteries are dilated so you have better and 
easier blood flow and lower blood pressure. Your nerves are actually 
calmer and more relaxed. Many chemical reactions require CO2 and work 
more efficiently.

And higher CO2 levels lead to better metabolism of carbs and loss of fat.

It's complex and I don't understand it but there it is. The studies that 
have been done on this in the Western world have been done for purposes 
of feeding people who are living on tubes in the hospital, but there is 
evidence to back this up and lots of studies in Russia.

(I lost 20 pounds over a few months and continue to lose and I am not 
altering my diet at all, except that I'm not as hungry.)

For some reason, many of us breathe too much volume of air. As a result, 
we actually oxygenate more poorly.

In studies, averages for control pauses:

* normal people could do 33 - 38 seconds.
* people with anxiety issues could do 16 - 20 seconds.
* people with heart problems 13- 16 seconds
* fitness instructors could do 46 - 67 seconds
* people with emphysema could do 8 seconds
* people with asthma could do 11 - 20 seconds
* people with obstructive sleep apnea could do 20 seconds


The differences come through in how much you inhale each minute on 
average. The healthy person breathes 6 liters per minute average. 
Someone suffering from typical diseases and issues like the above will 
breathe 10 liters to 25 liters per minute.

In general, the more you breathe, the less healthy it is. Most people 
today are not in great health in Western society and we overbreathe, or 
chronically hyperventilate.

Conversely, if you try to hyperventilate consciously for a minute or 
two, you can often bring on many symptoms of poor health. (Don't do this 
if you have any heart problems or serious health issues).

Common hyperventilation health problems include panic attacks, anxiety, 
asthma, getting sick a lot, sleep apnea, over-eating, excessive weight 
gain, and neurological problems.

When I first heard about this, I didn't believe it. It is too simple. 
But now that I have read extensively about it, I understand that this is 
so keyed to health that it probably eclipses other factors such as diet.

And I tried it. I said, why not? I have been on asthma medication since 
I was an infant, and I also have had a serious snoring problem. The 
snoring went away in 3 or 4 days. I still snore a little on occasion, 
but hardly at all and not loudly. As I said, I haven't been on asthma 
meds for months and I lost 20 pounds without any effort on my part.

Doing two 25 minute exercises each day of reduced breathing can have 
major beneficial effects. The effects are quite lasting for some reason. 
One theory is that the breathing center re-adjusts to higher CO2 levels 
as you do the exercises, and your health improves.

It affects each cell in the body at a most basic level and therefore is 
a huge determinant of overall health.

If you don't have a high control pause, that doesn't mean you are 
actively sick. Many people with a low CP often have health issues even 
if they are not aware of them.

Some of these health issues are subtle. I've gotten my control pause up 
quite a bit. But now, I can feel a root canal that I had a number of 
years ago acting up. These "clearing reactions" are common, short or 
lengthy episodes where you don't feel that great, or feel sick, as your 
body gets healthier and attempts to clear old issues that it hasn't had 
the energy level to address (at least that's the theory. Some people 
don't get clearing reactions but many people do, and they generally 
precede dramatic improvements in CP and health.)

My dentist says that pain even from old root canals is common. I have 
read that many people have anerobic infections that continue in their 
gums or in a root canal area and continually challenge the body's immune 
system.



Here's how to measure your CP. Get a seconds timer like one used in the 
kitchen. Exhale naturally, and at the end of the exhale, hold your 
breath, hold your nose, and start the timer. Stop when it gets 
uncomfortable.

A healthy person should be able to do 40 seconds. When I started I could 
do 12 - 14 seconds. Now I can do 30 seconds. This is known as the 
"control pause" (CP). It is a great measure of your arterial CO2 levels.

There are several parts to raising your CO2 levels:

1. only breathe through your nose. Stop all mouth breathing. Have your 
mouth open when you talk, when you eat or brush teeth, and all the other 
times, closed.

2. tape your mouth at night so it stays closed. I use a Johnson & 
Johnson tape that doesn't cause any allergy and stays on all night.

3. start the breathing exercises. Here is how I do them:

* You relax and observe your breathing without trying to affect it.

* Observe the inhalations and mentally imagine the air going in.

* Now, modify your mental image by imagining the air going in slightly 
less deeply.

You may feel a slight desire for more air. That's normal. You don't want 
to feel uncomfortable. Your breathing may speed up. But that's fine. 
Just keep breathing in shallowly using the mental image.

That's it. If you do 2 sessions per day for a few days, tape your mouth 
and breathe through your nose, you will stop snoring.

Here's how to do a session:

* take your pulse and write it down.

* do a control pause, write it down. When you do a control pause, don't 
do it to the point of discomfort. Do it to the point when you can 
restart your breathing in the same pattern as before. This is important 
as otherwise it will be stressful and it's not supposed to be.

* Do 5 or 10 minutes of the reduced breathing

* Do a control pause

* Do another 5 or 10 minutes of reduced breathing

* Do a control pause

* repeat the 5 or 10 minutes, totaling about 30 minutes

* end with a control pause and take your pulse again.

* rest 5 minutes, do a last control pause.

If you do it right (and this can take awhile to get right), you will 
usually feel more relaxed and a bit sleepy. Your pulse will be lower at 
the end. And your CP will be higher after the 5 minutes of resting.

While you do it, relax especially by relaxing your belly. This should be 
very relaxing and not stressful.

You do this twice per day. In a few days, snoring will basically stop. 
You won't have as much need to urinate during the night (I used to get 
up 3 - 4 times per night, now I rarely have to at all). You will 
experience reduced appetite, reduced need to sleep, fewer dreams that 
you remember, better sleep, better recovery from exercises, much more.

regards

--Richard




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