Breathing Has Been on My Mind

 

When I was getting ready to leave Ecuador thirty-five years ago, I went to a local hospital for an exit physical which included a chest x-ray.  Soon after, the examining physician called with urgency in his voice telling me I had a “concerning spot” on my lung.  He advised me to get that checked out by competent experts, as soon as possible, which I did.  Back in Minnesota I went to the ultimate in experts – the Mayo Clinic!  After more x-rays, a bronchoscopy and lung biopsy, a room full of Mayo doctors looked at the results and came to the conclusion that I had a “spot of unknown etiology” on my lung.  For the next twenty-five years I gave little thought or attention to the health of my lungs. 

When I recently bought “Breath” the best-selling book by James Nestor at the local Barnes and Nobles, the woman at the counter remarked, “this book is a life changer”!  I have now read it, and it is quite a revelation and has prompted me to wonder about the history of my own lungs and breathing – and why I started having breathing “issues” in the last chapter of my life. 

I am 87 years old, and most of my life I had no breathing problems, BUT according to research reported in this book, I have been breathing wrong most of my life.  You see, and here is a confession, I am a mouth breather – especially while sleeping.  My asthma was only diagnosed by a pulmonologist a couple of years ago and it has been a moderate case.   Asthma has become a global epidemic and nearly 25 million Americans suffer from it – a fourfold increase since 1980 – the leading cause of emergency room visits and missed school days for children.  Why all the asthma, I wonder.

Breathing freely is such a blessing.  For the last dozen or so years I have been using inhalers when needed to control shortness of breath with good effect. This winter was a breathing rough spot for me and a new pulmonologist prescribed an inhaler that contains steroids -   a warning flag for me, and, not covered by insurance, the cost is prohibitive.  But, with my sister’s help, who happened to be in Columbia, she sent me a six month’s supply (6 inhalers) for less than half the cost of what one month would cost here.  Now I am breathing freely but don’t want to be on steroids indefinitely. With no breathing complications now, I keep a regular schedule of pickleball four or five times a week and go on walks without any problem.

The biggest take away from Nestor’s narrative is the emphasize on nose breathing, pointing out research showing that people who switch from mouth to nose breathing can boost oxygen efficiency by as much as 20%.

One of the most fascinating case studies in the book is that of a doctor in the USSR back in the 1950s who discovered the benefit of breathing less and slower.  Dr. Buteyko helped thousands of patients with asthma and other conditions, such as migraines and hypertension, with a method called hypoventilation.  These people all had the same breathing pattern: they breathed too much.  One review of “Breath” by a medical professional stated “The Buteyko method was never taught to me or my colleagues in medical school or residency, despite being around for decades and having Grade B evidence of efficacy”. 

Using Buteyko’s findings, competitive athletes and everyday people are cited as having increased performance, like a cyclist who lowered his heart rate drastically after just a month of focused nose breathing.  Or the Olympic swimming team that was trained with this method and won an all-time record of medals at the Montreal Olympic games. On the pickleball court these days I have been trying to concentrate on nose breathing – I’ll see how that works out.

Nestor includes a variety of breathing techniques and exercises, some of which I have been experimenting.  I particularly am drawn to using 5.5 breathing.   Called coherence breathing, it is when the functions of the heart, circulation and nervous system are coordinated to peak efficiency while using this breathing technique.  Slowly inhale (using your abdomen) 5.5 seconds and exhale slowly for 5.5 seconds – completely expelling the air in the lungs.  I have been practicing it for some minutes every day.  Experiments show that blood pressure lowers and anxiety level are improved.  It turns out that breathing less and slowly is better for us. Interestingly this rate of breathing results in 5.5 breaths a minute.  I’ve tried it and it’s true. 

There are many personal stories, research and historical studies on breathing in this book, and MANY reviews online.  Nestor is a journalist, not a scientist or doctor, so a few medical professional reviewers have taken him to task for writing on the “new science of breathing”.  But the reviews are overwhelmingly positive.  As of 2022 three million copies were sold and it was translated into dozens of languages. 

For practitioners of meditation and contemplative prayer, slow rhythmic breathing is essential.  It works with the classic Christian Prayer of the Heart – inhale 6 seconds, "Jesus Christ, Son of God", - exhale 6 seconds - "Have Mercy on me, a sinner".  The Buddhist mantra Om Mani Padme Hum also fits the six second pattern.  For contemplative prayer, the prayer of silence, I often use slow and full breaths using the word Maranatha. Inhale Mara, exhale Natha, or another sacred word. 

Finely, what about my nighttime mouth breathing? One stand-out tip: tape your mouth shut at night (seriously) if you’re a mouth breather.  According to Nestor, it works, (for some people).  I am working on it, but not there yet.  Judy is a natural nose breather – I envy her.