Phelan's hyperventilation theory
This theory is based on the contemporary understanding of the immense biological role of the carbon dioxide gas in the human organism.
The human metabolism developed in the ancient geological eras when carbon dioxide in the air and water was represented in the tens of percent. It is probably due to this factor that a definite concentration of CO2 (7% approx.) must be an absolutely essential condition of each human cell in order for it to sustain all the normal pathways of the biochemical processes.
The problem faced by the evolving human organism has been the depletion of CO2 in our atmosphere from the tens of percent of ancient eras to the current level (1982) of 0.03%. Human evolution has dealt with this dilemma by creating an autonomous internal air environment within the alveolar spaces of the lungs. These aveoli contain around 6.5% of CO2, quite a contrast to the surrounding air. The gaseous mix in the womb is also an interesting indicator of the ideal human environment. Here there exists 7 to 8% of CO2.
CO2 is, through the conversion into carbonic acid, the most important buffer system in the body's regulation of its acid-base balance (acid-alkali balance). A low level of CO2 may lead to alkalosis. IF the level of CO2 lowers to below 3% shifting the PH to 8 then the whole organism dies.
A low level of CO2 causes a displacement of the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve, thereby not allowing correct oxygenation of tissues and vital organs. (Bohr effect)
Poor oxygenation leads to hypoxia and a whole gamut of medical disorders.
CO2 is a smooth muscle vessel dilator. Therefore the shortfall of CO2 causes spasming of brain tissue, bronchus tissue and many other tissues.
Hyperventilation causes a progressive lose of CO2 i.e. The higher the breathing, the lower the CO2 level.
CO2 is the catalyst to the body's metabolic processes, playing a vital role in biosynthesis of amino acids and their amides, Lipids, Carbohydrates, etc.
Guess what, Carbon Dioxide CO2 is not a waste gas!
Lavoisier in the second part of the 18th century gave the name oxygen to what has since been thought of as "gas of life".
By contrast, Carbon Dioxide, which was shown to kill mice at high concentrations, was believed to be poisonous, or at best as waste gas. But yet, later, an experiment with baby mice, which were put in a container with pure oxygen, showed that this 'gas of life' made them blind. For some reason not many people know about this very important experiment.
The common BUT FALSE assumption that after inhaling O2 we exhale a waste gas called Carbon Dioxide has led a to a fundamental misunderstanding of asthma. In fact carbon dioxide Carbon Dioxide IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CHEMICAL REGULATORS OF THE HUMAN BODY, MONITORING THE ACTIVITY OF THE HEART, THE BLOOD VESSELS AND THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM.
The rate and depth of our breathing is regulated by the amount of Carbon Dioxide in our blood, as Haldrene discovered in 1905.
When Carbon Dioxide is removed from the body in undue quantities by excessive artificial ventilation of the lungs, the heart and circulation gradually fail and death results as professor Yandell Henderson of Yale discovered in 1909.
The level of O2 in the room where you are reading this is 20% - the normal level of this gas in our atmosphere. You would probably not notice if this O2 level doubled or even tripled around you because our bodies are 'blind to higher levels of O2'. You would be unlikely to notice any difference in your breathing but if if the level dropped below 15% - as it does in high altitudes -then you would be aware of the difference.
Contrast that with the situation with Carbon Dioxide. Asthmatics have between 3.5% and 4.5% of the Carbon Dioxide in their alveolar air. If this were to be decreased by as little as 0.1% anyone, 'whether asthmatic or not would develop dizziness, palpations, wheezing, a blocked nose or even a mild asthma attack.
These figures indicate that our bodies are 50x times more sensitive to changes in CO2 levels than they are to changes in O2. It follows, that CO2 is far more important to your body than O2.
If an asthmatic can 'normalise' his or her CO2 level by raising it to 5.5% or 6%, he or she can get rid of their asthma. Experiments have shown that more than 10% of the CO2 causes lose of consciousness, but there is never any need to increase CO2 to such an extent, and this method certainly does not involve raising CO2 levels to above normal.
Haldane established that O2 passes into our bloodstreams through the thin membrane of the alveoli without having to be 'pumped' by any other process. It was Haldane, too, who established the importance of the right quantities of CO2 in our breathing by the techniques he invented of sampling the gas in the alveoli in his secret experiments for the government. He wrote a book called Respiration.
Deep breathing test.
You may want to try this test yourself, although beware; it may provoke an Asthma attach or, if you are epileptic, a fit.
Sit down and start to breathe fast and deeply through your mouth ass you do when you are running.
Within 30-40 seconds you will develop unpleasant symptoms which may include dizziness, palpitations, rising blood pressure, coughing and wheezing.
When you develop these initial symptoms, stop breathing deeply, close your mouth and try to breath gently through your nose,. YOUR SYMPTOMS WILL GO AWAY.
If you try this test again, you will develop the bad symptoms again.
The point of this test is that these symptoms are caused not by too much O2, but by too little CO2.
Hyperventilation and Asthma - A summary
Asthma attacks happen when you increase your rate of over breathing, or hyperventilation.
If you know how to control your hyperventilation, you can overcome an asthma attack.
If you normalise your breathing you can cure asthma.
You can't cure asthma without normalising your breathing.
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Do keep your mouth closed.
Don´t lie down.
Don’t forget to take steroids.
Don’t take a bronchodilator.
Don’t go to bed if your asthma is bad.
Don’t go to bed if your asthmas is bed.
Do make sure your mouth is closed when you go to bed.
Do sleep on your left side.
Do check your asthma child two or three times during the night.
Do set your alarm clock to break up your sleep if you have asthma attacks in the night.
In the morning.
Do get up straight away and try to control your breathing.
Do breath only through your nose.
Do avoid milk at breakfast time.
Don’t overeat, it causes hyperventilation.
Do try not to cough.
Do use a bronchodilator if, but only, you feel tightness in your chest. Ventolin.
Do keep taking steroids for the time being.
Do not use a peak flow meter.
During the day....
Do keep your mouth closed for breathing.
Do take your steroids if you forgot to take them in the morning.
Do breath through your nose all day long.
Do check your control pause.
Do count the number of puffs of bronchodilator you have taken.
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Q. Why is it easier for asthmatics to breathe in than breath out?
A. Because your defense mechanism, bronchoconstriction, works only when you exhale, because it is designed to stop you losing carbon dioxide.
Why do former sportsmen often suffer terrible disorders when they retire form sport?
A. Because when there were active their body produced sufficient amounts of carbon dioxide and now the only hyperventilate.
Q. Why do we get a second wind?
A. Our muscles when overworked produce excess carbon dioxide. When we exercise we lose carbon dioxide initially and thus less oxygen gets to the tissues but the new CO2 gives us the second wind.
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The Control Pause
It measures your breathing health.
To measure it, sit comfortably in an upright chair, relax and breathe out.
Then breathe in normally and out again, holding your nose after the out breath.
Count the seconds using a stopwatch until you feel the need to breathe in again!
Breathe in through your nose without gulping air.
The number of seconds you counted before breathing in gives you your control pause.
The ideal count is 60 seconds, but 40 denote good health.
30 means you are mildly asthmatic and breathing for two people.
15 mean you are breathing for 4 people.
10 is severe asthma.
5 is an asthmatic attack. Call an ambulance!
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My method is natural salbutamol.
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Breathing from the diaphragm is not going to make you healthier, unless you are advised to breathe less, not more.
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SEND THIS LETTER TO YOUR DOCTOR
Asthma is a breathing disorder.
According to scientific international norms I am supposed to breathe between four and six liters of air in one minute while I am at rest. I breathe three times as much as this (as demonstrated by my minute volume).
I am over breathing, which means that while I am taking in more oxygen, less oxygen is actually getting to certain area of my brain and body (Verigo Bohr effect). When levels of CPO2 in the body are lowered, the chemiocal bond between oxygen and hemoglobin increases. It won’t let go.
At the same time I am exhaling too much carbon dioxide which is a smooth muscle relaxant and bronchodilator. This means that my bronchotubes become constricted.
As a result of this I have been prescribed chemical bronchodilators which have been implicated in recent Asthma deaths and rising morbidity.
Phelan practitioners claim that Professor Phelan in 1952 invented a method to change breathing patterns which could be a drug free solution to my over breathing problem.
The Phelan method underwent a scientific trial in Australia in 1994 to show an unprecedented 90 per cent reduction in the use of bronchodilators, together with a 50 per cent reduction in the use of steroids, by the asthmatics in the trial. The control group, using conventional medicines, showed no reduction in the use of bronchodilators or steroids.
Phelan practitioners sat that when I start learning the Phelan breathing techniques I must keep taking my steroid medication, but that I should use my ´reliever´ (bronchodilator) medicine only when I feel that I need it.
I plan to learn how to use breathing techniques, in which CO2 acts as natural salbutamol, to stop the symptoms of asthma.
I will keep my puffer in my pocket just in case. I will use it if I need to use it but, I hope never again.
Once I have been free from Asthma symptoms for a few weeks I will ask you to reduce my dose of steroids.
I hope you find that this is just a matter of breathing and will say, "Go ahead, why not try it!"
How to walk uphill or upstairs
Do not use the inhaler until you need it.
Breathe strictly through your nose and breathe AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE.
Walk slowly at first, “listening” to your own breathing and stopping to rest when you feel you have lost control of your breath.
Once you reach the top of the stairs or hill try not to take a deep breath but try to hold back your breathing.
When you can make it to the top in one go without having to stop and rest, then try again but this time go faster. Stay in control of your breath.
The effect of exercise on your asthma.
You exhale more CO2 than usual and so your bronchotubes become narrowed.
Then your muscles start to produce excess CO2 to combat this.
After swimming for example if you can control your breathing so that your CO2 levels stay higher after swimming than they were before you started, it is good.
If you go swimming, ignore the standard advice to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Instead, keep your mouth closed for breast stroke, back stroke and the crawl. For the crawl, try to hold your face under water for four, six or even eight strokes. Check your control pause after.
How to unblock your nose
Adults should walk around the house trying to take as many steps as possible.
Children can do 12 or more squats.