Breathing Slower and Less: The Greatest Health Discovery Ever

24. 09. 2015 - By Nirvana Fitness

Article contributed by Nirvana science consultant dr.Artour Rakhimov (http://www.normalbreathing.com/).

"Hence, normal breathing corresponds to a healthy organism" Dr. K. P. Buteyko, Dr. Buteyko's Lecture in the Moscow State University on 9 December 1969.

While breathing 2-3 times more than the medical norm, most people believe that they have good or normal breathing. Some of them even say that they are "barely breathing". But normal breathing is so tiny that healthy people experience virtually no sensations in relation to their breathing at rest.

Over 90% of modern people suffer from breathing problems. The common problems include chest breathing, mouth breathing, and hyperventilation (increased minute ventilation), all of which reduce oxygen levels in body cells and promote chronic diseases.

Minute ventilation rates (chronic diseases)

Condition	Minute ventilation	Number of people	All references or click below for abstracts
Normal breathing	6 L/min	-	Medical textbooks
Healthy Subjects	6-7 L/min	>400	Results of 14 studies
Heart disease	15 (+-4) L/min	22	Dimopoulou et al, 2001
Heart disease	16 (+-2) L/min	11	Johnson et al, 2000
Heart disease	12 (+-3) L/min	132	Fanfulla et al, 1998
Heart disease	15 (+-4) L/min	55	Clark et al, 1997
Heart disease	13 (+-4) L/min	15	Banning et al, 1995
Heart disease	15 (+-4) L/min	88	Clark et al, 1995
Heart disease	14 (+-2) L/min	30	Buller et al, 1990
Heart disease	16 (+-6) L/min	20	Elborn et al, 1990
Pulm hypertension	12 (+-2) L/min	11	D'Alonzo et al, 1987
Cancer	12 (+-2) L/min	40	Travers et al, 2008
Diabetes	12-17 L/min	26	Bottini et al, 2003
Diabetes	15 (+-2) L/min	45	Tantucci et al, 2001
Diabetes	12 (+-2) L/min	8	Mancini et al, 1999
Diabetes	10-20 L/min	28	Tantucci et al, 1997
Diabetes	13 (+-2) L/min	20	Tantucci et al, 1996
Asthma	13 (+-2) L/min	16	Chalupa et al, 2004
Asthma	15 L/min	8	Johnson et al, 1995
Asthma	14 (+-6) L/min	39	Bowler et al, 1998
Asthma	13 (+-4) L/min	17	Kassabian et al, 1982
Asthma	12 L/min	101	McFadden, Lyons, 1968
COPD	14 (+-2) L/min	12	Palange et al, 2001
COPD	12 (+-2) L/min	10	Sinderby et al, 2001
COPD	14 L/min	3	Stulbarg et al, 2001
Sleep apnea	15 (+-3) L/min	20	Radwan et al, 2001
Liver cirrhosis	11-18 L/min	24	Epstein et al, 1998
Hyperthyroidism	15 (+-1) L/min	42	Kahaly, 1998
Cystic fibrosis	15 L/min	15	Fauroux et al, 2006
Cystic fibrosis	10 L/min	11	Browning et al, 1990
Cystic fibrosis*	10 L/min	10	Ward et al, 1999
CF and diabetes*	10 L/min	7	Ward et al, 1999
Cystic fibrosis	16 L/min	7	Dodd et al, 2006
Cystic fibrosis	18 L/min	9	McKone et al, 2005
Cystic fibrosis*	13 (+-2) L/min	10	Bell et al, 1996
Cystic fibrosis	11-14 L/min	6	Tepper et al, 1983
Epilepsy	13 L/min	12	Esquivel et al, 1991
CHV	13 (+-2) L/min	134	Han et al, 1997
Panic disorder	12 (+-5) L/min	12	Pain et al, 1991
Bipolar disorder	11 (+-2) L/min	16	MacKinnon et al, 2007
Dystrophia myotonica	16 (+-4) L/min	12	Clague et al, 1994

Note that advanced stages of asthma can lead to lung destruction, ventilation-perfusion mismatch, and arterial hypercapnia causing further reduction in body oxygen levels.