Asthma seems to be continually on the increase. It is no any wonder with the rise in allergies increasing in tandem.
The chances are you or a close relative experience asthma and have to use a portable bronchial dilator particularly if you encounter cold air, dust, pollen, certain foods or smells or are stressed.
There are now tens of thousands of chemical exposures involved in our daily lives, 99% of which have not been tested or trialled for toxicity.
Many people we know are allergic to these chemicals. As a naturopath I constantly see people suffering from allergic reactions including breathing difficulties.
Governments only regulate a very small number toxic substances that can affect the respiratory system and cause loss of breathing capacity.
What I also see is a host of breathing disorders that are due to poor breathing patterns established in childhoods and simulating asthma type breathing difficulties.
Western medicine only checks lung capacity and ignores breathing patterns so it misses one of the most important ways to regulate and eliminate breathing disorders. In my clinic I am always observing people’s breathing patterns, rate of flow, depth and speed of breathing.
Many people are unaware that they may have developed a dysfunctional breathing pattern that has then become automatic out of their conscious awareness.
The dysfunctional pattern can present as hyperventilation when breathing is rapid yet shallow but the person does not get enough oxygen because the lungs fail to inflate sufficiently.
Some people can also have depressed breathing where the breathing becomes too slow and sedate and again causes low oxygen levels.
A chest exam also does not tell a health professional whether breathing is sufficient.
When I am listening to someone’s chest with a stethoscope I am not listening for rate or flow but to hear if there is any interruption in breathing caused by blockage or infection in the lungs.
However I am constantly observing clients’ breathing by watching the rise and fall of the chest and body position to determine if the person is getting sufficient breath.
Since I am a naturopath as well as a clinical hypnotherapist, medical nutritionist, and herbalist, I take a full medical history with breathing difficulties and may order blood tests so that we get a full picture of what is happening with you. There may be physical reasons you are having difficulties with breathing.
When I was younger I was a dancer and singer so I spent a lot of time learning to breathe for a living.
I teach people who have breathing difficulties a better way to breathe and teach them breathing exercises. This includes breathing techniques for asthma.
It is very important to re-educate breathing with asthma. As a naturopath I may change your diet and prescribes herbs or supplements as well as a change of lifestyle.
In cases when breathing difficulties have a psychological reason we need to change the breathing patterns inside your mind with hypnotic programming.
Even where breathing difficulties are due to physical illness it is still possible through hypnotherapy to help you have better breathing patterns.
Hypnosis is an incredibly effective way for help with breathing correctly, re-educating the breathing and to help you reduce or eliminate medications.
Book your hypnotherapy appointment with Dr Tracie O’Keefe DCH by calling 02 8021 6429.
