Another book recommendation for the Lunar New Year. Question: what do Yogis, Buddhist monks, functional oral surgeons and orthodontists, Stanford ENTs, opera coaches and deep (sea) divers have in common? As James Nestor tells in his bestseller ‘Breath: the new science of a lost art,’ they are all ‘pulmonauts’ seeking health benefits through practice, study, and science of breathing. This is a very readable, intriguing and life-provoking account of his journey of self-healing from skull-full catacombs of Paris to pulmonaut practitioners and scientists around the globe – many initially considered to be outside the mainstream.
Here are some fun facts:
- We take 670,000,000 breaths during our lifetime and breathe 30 lbs of air per day.
- 85% of our weight loss occurs through the weight of expired CO2 in the breath!
- CO2 maybe more important than O2! CO2 enhances oxygen release from hemoglobin.
- In a study of 1000+, the healthiest individuals had CO2s of 6.5-7.5% whereas normal is considered 5%. Conversely, the unhealthiest with multiple health problems were at 4%. Hypoventilate!
- The perfect breathing rhythm – used by yogis, Buddhist chanters, Hindu khechari, Latin rosary, Native Americans, Taoists – was measured to be 5.5 sec inhales, 5.5 sec exhales or 5.5 breaths a minute!
- Mouth breathing is very detrimental to health – within 10 days it can lead to sinus infections, increased stress (cortisols), snoring, sleep apnea as well as fatigue, anxiety and irritability.
- Panic anxiety may be induced by CO2 chemoreceptors in the amygdala – this is for my neuroscience friends.
- Prolonged exhalation (Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 inhale-hold-exhale count) increases heart rate variability and enhances the calming effect of the parasympathetic nervous system to counterbalance the sympathetic fight-or-flight system.
- Today’s breathing problems (sleep apnea, snoring) and crooked teeth go lung-in-mouth, the cumulative effect of lack of mastication from our soft food diet – early man had and all other mammals have perfectly aligned teeth! We are the humanoid exceptions.
- Our diet and consequent lack of chewing induces a narrowed jaw and air passages – this can be reversed using gum chewing and palate expanders within a short period even past the age of 70 (documented by CT scans)!
So how about a summary:
Breathing/energy may be the unheralded missing pillar of health. Improved breathing addresses many functional disorders of civilization including stress, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, sleep disorders, presumably through calming effects on the autonomic nervous system. Although it cannot cure cancer, optimal breathing appears to have a beneficial effect on some diseases such as asthma, emphysema and ADHD.
Action points:
- Shut your mouth and breathe through your nose – following 10 days of forced mouth breathing, resumption of nasal breathing resolved sinus congestion, high blood pressure, elevated stress/cortisol levels, snoring, sleep apnea etc.
- Exhale longer – Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 inhale-hold-exhale practice can help one sleep and enhance the calming parasympathetic nervous system.
- Hold your breath – it retools your CO2 chemoreceptors to help deliver oxygen to tissues more efficiently, a technique widely used by elite athletes.
- Just breathe slower using the 5.5 sec inhale and 5.5 sec exhale (synchronizing apps are available) – 10 to 15 minutes of practice a day has been shown to reduce high blood pressure …
- For crooked teeth, instead of braces, consider tongue exercises, gum chewing and palate expanders.
All in all, a breathtaking tome (couldn’t resist),
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