Introduction

T
he burden of asthma rests heavily on children and their parents, with an estimated
25 per cent of children and 10 per cent of adults being afflicted in most Western
countries.1 It is frightening for any parent to watch the hollow of the throat being
sucked inwards with every breath their child takes and listen to the wheeze and
cough. However, it is the elderly who struggle most with this condition and are more
likely to die as a result of its strangulation.2
The Buteyko It comes as no surprise that, as asthma affects such a wide range of people, there is a
thriving industry with puffers, pills and potions sold around the world, promising relief
method has had from this insidious condition. GlaxoSmithKline, the leaders in the field, reported in 2004
that its sales of Seretide/Advair were up 19 per cent to £2.5 billion, 3 and AstraZeneca
great success in reported that its Symbicort sales totalled US$797 million for the same year, up 32 per
cent.4 Asthma costs every Western country a fortune, not only in money but also in
controlling asthma, misery. It is the only chronic condition where morbidity is increasing, 5, 6 t h o u g h
fortunately mortality has generally begun to decline.7, 8
reversing symptoms Teachers of the Buteyko method say that they can help people with asthma and in many
and removing the cases eliminate symptoms and the need for drugs. If we are honest, the drugs at best only
reduce the severity of the symptoms because, even when medication is taken daily, these
need for symptoms still recur and the medication does nothing to improve the outcome of the
condition.9
medication, which "Under instruction from our doctor we were giving our son Robert more and more med-
ication, and it seemed that the more medication we gave him the worse he got, but
is why it poses such because we trusted our doctors we never made the connection at the time," says Russell
Stark, a long-term asthmatic, teacher of the Buteyko techniques and co-author (with this
a threat to the writer) of The Carbon Dioxide Syndrome.
Robert Stark was a relatively mild asthmatic from the time he was two years old, taking
pharmaceutical a bronchodilator medication when he had a cold two or three times a year. When he was
companies. six, his GP prescribed an inhaled corticosteroid—which he took diligently for the next
eight years in ever-increasing doses. The preventer did not appear to make any significant
difference, however, as he still got asthma whenever he caught a cold. As he grew older,
the attacks also began to occur during the night, especially in winter. He played a lot of
sport, which gave him asthma as well; he was instructed to take two puffs of his bron-
chodilator beforehand to prevent the attacks. These practices led to Robert taking this
medication nearly every day for at least four years.
In spite of his asthma, by the time Robert was ten he was winning middle-distance
running races in his home state of Queensland, Australia, and when he was eleven he
began to win national events. Robert had a severe attack when he was almost thirteen,
which spearheaded the prescription of round-the-clock nebulisation of Ventolin (a
by Jennifer Stark © 2005 bronchodilator) and the need for Prednisone (an oral corticosteroid) every few weeks for
the next two years.
Buteyko Works By the time Robert was fourteen, his asthma had deteriorated so much that he was not
accepted into his school's sports team and sometimes could not even ride his bicycle to
Email: info@buteykoworks.com school. In desperation and fear of this controlling condition, his parents took him to a
Buteyko course, where miraculously his asthma stopped virtually overnight. Robert took
Website: his usual nebuliser spray before he went to the first class and has hardly needed one since.
http://www.buteykoworks.com "In twelve years I have had approximately six puffs of Ventolin, and steroids only once
for three days. The reduction in medication and symptoms was huge, but I had to work

DECEMBER 2005 – JANUARY 2006 www.nexusmagazine.com NEXUS • 33

hard at the Buteyko exercises for two months to make the While today there is no single thing that is considered to cause
improvement. I still play a lot of sport—rugby, running, swim- asthma to start in the first place,22 theories presumably run thick
ming, and I mountain-bike. I seldom get asthma any more, and if and fast in the heads of researchers because they do endless
I do I use Buteyko to get me through," says Robert, who currently studies about this. The first divergence in regard to the cause of
lives in Taiwan with its ever-present smog and humidity. asthma is whether it is genetic or environmental.23
Doctors might say that Robert grew out of his asthma, just like Those who support the gene theory have not yet been able to
they thought he grew into it. However, his parents are convinced identify successfully which gene, or how many genes, could be
that it was taking bronchodilator medication every day as part of a involved;24 but this theory holds weight because the airways of an
regular regime that made his asthma worse. When he followed asthmatic are abnormal. There is up to seven times more smooth
the education that is provided as part of the Buteyko program—to muscle wrapping the airways of asthmatics compared with non-
use the nebuliser only when it is actually needed as well as doing asthmatics; there are five times more mast cells in their airways
the special exercises—he rapidly improved. releasing inflammatory chemicals such as histamines; the mucus-
The connection between daily bronchodilator usage and wors- producing cells are larger and there is a greater number of them in
ening asthma was first made in the 1960s when the world's first asthmatic airways; and the basal tissues of the airways are
asthma "epidemics" occurred in England and Australia. These thicker.25, 26, 27 These distinctions make the airways "twitchy" or
epidemics and the ones that followed are linked to the overuse of overreactive to things that normally cause no harm to humans.
these types of medications.10, 11 If the cause of asthma is purely genetic, then this knowledge
needs to be applied so that it can prevent the problem or at least
What is Asthma? improve patient care. There have been studies done on the size of
An alternative name for asthma is "reversible obstructive newborn babies, for example, which seem to indicate that, if a
airway disorder" (ROAD), which means that the typical baby is over a certain length or the head is more than 37 centime-
symptoms of chest tightness, wheeze, tres in circumference, there is a margin-
cough and shortness of breath are not ally greater chance the baby will
there all the time. These symptoms develop asthma. 29 While this might be
also occur with other conditions, such interesting in an academic way, the
as bronchitis or a cold. To add to the It has been known since 1990 practical application of what you
dilemma, asthma has no standard that taking a short-acting would do about the baby who has a
definition; instead, diagnosis is based larger head appears to be missing.
on the characteristics of variable bronchodilator dose regularly In the meantime, the environmental
airflow obstruction that happen over does not improve asthma theorists may be able to make a
short periods of time. 12 All of these difference to the outcome of the
things make it difficult to diagnose management. condition, but they frequently disagree
accurately. not only with the geneticists but also
Typically, three things occur in an with each other.
"asthma attack", which is defined for For example, we are told that asthma
this article as the situation where the is a condition that is primarily found in
asthmatic finds it difficult to breathe and requires a short-acting Western societies, and that the more affluent the society then the
bronchodilator medication to overcome the symptoms:13 more prevalent is the problem. 30 We are also told that washing
• spasm of the bands of smooth muscle wrapped around the air- clothes in cold water could be a primary cause of asthma.31 It is
ways; unlikely, however, that people living in impoverished countries
• swelling of the inner lining of the airways; with virtually no asthma are using hot water when they wash their
• production of an excessive amount of mucus in the airways. clothes.
These factors narrow the airspace in the tiny tubes, leading to Other examples of these disagreements include:
increased airway resistance14 and making it especially difficult to • Immunisation encourages asthma.32
exhale. Being unable to breathe out freely causes hyperinflation • Immunisation prevents asthma.33
of the lungs because air is trapped inside them. This compounds • Gas stoves cause asthma.34
the difficulty because the person wants to breathe in again before • Gas stoves do not cause asthma.35
they have finished exhaling. 1 5 As resistance in the airways • Not having infections causes asthma.36
increases, the person naturally breathes harder to overcome the • Having infections, particularly as a toddler, is a causal factor.37
restriction and, paradoxically, this overbreathing increases resis-
tance, making the problem worse.16 However, there are some things that most asthma researchers
do agree on:
The Cause of Asthma 1. The underlying cause of asthma is airway inflammation, and
It was originally thought that asthma was caused by "nerves",17a the chemicals involved in this process damage the airways,
and then it was thought to be primarily caused by spasm of the causing "remodelling". So even though the symptoms may be
smooth muscle wrapping the airways. 17b It must have seemed episodic, the airway change is permanent.38
logical, therefore, that taking a short-acting bronchodilator 2. Bronchodilators open up narrowed airways by relaxing
regularly would stop the spasm and lessen asthma symptoms. smooth muscle.39
However, it has been known since at least 1990 17c that taking a 3. The overuse of beta-2 agonist bronchodilator medications
short-acting bronchodilator dose regularly does n o t i m p r o v e makes asthma get worse.40
asthma management, 17d and it is estimated that this practice, based 4. The use of anti-inflammatory inhaled corticosteroids reduces
on faulty theory, has caused asthma to get worse in thousands of airway inflammation and the need for bronchodilators. It is con-
cases18, 19 and has caused the deaths of thousands more.20, 21 sidered the cornerstone of good asthma management.41

34 • NEXUS www.nexusmagazine.com DECEMBER 2005 – JANUARY 2006

Asthma Medications immune system from overreacting to allergens. By doing this,
Asthma treatments have not changed significantly since the asthma symptoms decline as airways become less reactive, which
1950s. For at least 20 years, the only really new medications to has to be a good thing from the asthmatic's point of view. 51, 52
make it into the asthma industry are leukotriene modifiers, which However, because steroids suppress natural immunity,53 they can
show some improvement in asthma control but less than that seen contribute to infection and the growth of fungi and bacteria, not
with a low dose of corticosteroid. 42 The other "new" drugs that only in the airways but also systemically.54, 55
appear from time to time are really only variations on old ones, "The design of the respiratory system means that the lungs are
which is clever marketing on the part of the drug companies. For normally sterile, and the deliberate inhalation of any substance is
example, in the 2004 report by GlaxoSmithKline it was revealed: usually considered a bad idea," Russell Stark continues. "The
"GlaxoSmithKline's respiratory franchise is driven by the wisdom of inhaling something that prevents the body from
growth of Seretide/Advair [combination controller-steroid], gain- defending itself against foreign bodies such as bacteria has to be
ing patients from competitor products and the cannibalisation of questioned because chest infections are a common cause of
[existing drugs] Serevent and Flixotide/Flovent."43 asthma symptoms. People using steroids notice the side effects of
In the same report, there are more than 10 "new" asthma prod- oral thrush, husky voice, thinning skin and easy bruising, as well
ucts in "the pipeline" and almost all contain long-acting beta-2 as hear about the higher incidence of glaucoma and cataracts, so
agonists,44 which have been used they are more likely to stop
to treat asthma for several years. EXAMPLES OF ASTHMA MEDICATIONS taking this medication than their
Long-acting beta-2 agonists are a bronchodilator, which has no
more powerful version of short- • Medications that open up airways: such noticeable side effects.
acting bronchodilator medica- Because the medications appear
tion, keeping smooth muscle Short-acting Long-acting to create their own dependence,
relaxed for up to 12 hours. bronchodilator bronchodilator most people with asthma slowly
However, the more medication Airomir* Foradil* increase their intake over a
you take, the more you need. Albuterol* Nuelin number of years. In spite of this,
Even taking one puff of a short- Atrovent Oxis* bronchodilators are dispensed as
Berotec* Serevent*
acting bronchodilator every day Bricanyl* Theophylline if they are harmless, and most
causes deterioration in asthma Respolin* Volmax* users are unaware that overuse
control, and more medication is Salbutamol* could worsen their condition."
required to achieve the same Ventolin* * = Beta-2 agonist Perhaps the worst part about
result because a tolerance devel- asthma medication is that it is
ops to the drug.45 • Medications that reduce asthma symptoms: not very effective. The person
Since the early 1990s, this takes it yet still has symptoms,
information has led to current Steroid Non-Steroid and no medication therapy cur-
recommendations that these Preventers Preventers rently available significantly
drugs should only be taken to Becotide Accolate alters the natural progress of
treat acute symptoms, and that if Becloforte Intal asthma in a positive way. 56, 57
they are required more than three Flixotide Singulair Because of this and the per-
times a week the person should Flovent Tilade ceived danger of asthma medica-
Prednisone Vicrom
also take an inhaled steroid in a Pulmicort Zyflo tions, many asthmatics become
bid to reduce the symptoms.46 QVAR disillusioned with conventional
It comes as somewhat of a sur- Respocorte treatments and seek other forms
prise, then, that many asthmatics of control, including the
are prescribed the twice-daily • Combination Medications Buteyko method.
use of powerful, long-acting (combination of bronchodilator and preventer):
beta-2 agonist bronchodilators. Buteyko's Discoveries and
The main concern with this prac- Flixotide + Serevent = Seretide/Advair Therapeutic Practices
tice is that the asthmatic is less Pulmicort + Oxis = Symbicort Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko
aware of how severe the underly- (1923–2003) was a medical
ing airway inflammation is,47 and one British study reveals that trainee in charge of a Moscow hospital ward when, one night in
the risk of dying as a result of asthma is three times higher in asth- 1956, he first made the connection between hyperventilation and
matics using long-acting Serevent than short-acting Ventolin. 48 headache.58 He was having a particularly bad headache when he
These deaths are likely to be due to airway obstruction—the very noticed that his breathing was heavy, so he consciously reduced
thing that Serevent is designed to overcome.49, 50 the volume of air that he was breathing and found that the pain
"Few doctors would tell a patient with a sprained ankle to take a eased. He deliberately increased his breathing and the headache
painkiller night and day to mask the problem in order to continue returned. He then commenced waking the patients in his care,
walking or running normally, because this would worsen the one after the other, getting them to alternately increase and
inflammation and cause more damage to the ankle," says Russell decrease their breathing. They, too, felt worse when they
Stark. "Since the underlying cause of asthma is believed to be breathed heavily, and better when they breathed less air each
inflammation in the airways, and long-acting bronchodilators tend minute. Believing that his teachers would warmly welcome this
to cover up the symptoms, it seems possible that they could con- discovery, he reported his findings—but, to his surprise, not one
tribute to worsening airway inflammation, with further airway of them was remotely interested. It seems that this apathy from
remodelling in the future." the medical fraternity has largely followed the path of Buteyko for
Corticosteroids reduce airway inflammation and stop the the past 50 years.

DECEMBER 2005 – JANUARY 2006 www.nexusmagazine.com NEXUS • 35

 Fortunately for people with conditions such as asthma, recognises that acute hyperventilation can mimic asthma attacks
migraine, panic attacks, snoring, sleep apnoea and allergies, Dr in up to 42 per cent of asthmatics. 64, 65 But the Buteyko theory
Buteyko remained interested in how breathing affects the health. says that hyperventilation is not only a result of narrowed airways
He continued to develop not only his theory that modern life acts but causes the airway narrowing in the first place, and if the
like a stress on the human body, causing a rise in the automatic person were breathing normally then it would not occur.
breathing pattern and a drop in good health, but also the way to There are two kinds of hyperventilation: acute, and chronic or
reverse this problem. He developed a series of techniques based low-grade. The acute type is easily recognisable because the
on special principles about breathing, diet and exercise that turn breathing is usually rapid, noisy or with obvious movement in the
the conventional thoughts of asthma upside down. torso.
While considering airway narrowing as a legitimate and poten- The kind of hyperventilation that Dr Buteyko recognised is the
tially dangerous concern, the Buteyko practitioner also looks on subtler, low-grade kind that he called "hidden hyperventilation".
the narrowing as part of the solution to This type of hyperventilation was first
the problem. According to Buteyko discovered during the American Civil
theory,59, 60, 61 airway narrowing occurs War, when soldiers were sick but the
for at least three reasons: Buteyko's theory works doctor treating them (Dr Da Costa)
1. To keep irritants, bacteria and could find nothing physically wrong
other foreign materials out of the air- around the premise that the with them. 66 Since then, it has had var-
ways. Every time foreign particles asthmatic habitually breathes ious names including "Da Costa's syn-
enter the airways they cause scarring, drome", "effort syndrome", "chronic
resulting in the airways losing tone with more force or more hyperventilation syndrome" and even
and elasticity. To keep foreign matter
out of the airways, or at least to keep it
rapidly than is necessary the "'fat folder' syndrome", because the
patient has so many tests for various
in one place while building a defence, almost all the time. ailments that their medical file
the immune system creates excessive bulges.67, 68
amounts of mucus, airway inflamma- Breathing largely goes unnoticed
tion and smooth muscle spasm. until there is a problem with it, because
2. To prevent the cooling and drying of the airways that over- most of the time it is taken care of by the primitive part of the
breathing causes. brain. However, it can be deliberately altered, such as during
3. To prevent the excessive loss of carbon dioxide that is speech or when diving into water.
caused by breathing too much air each minute. Hyperventilation is defined as breathing more air than is
It is the third point that is largely ignored by asthma required to complete an activity; it does not necessarily mean
researchers. breathing excessively quickly or deeply. A healthy adult breathes
around 12 times a minute, inhaling approximately five litres of air
Hyperventilation and Asthma by doing so. 69 An example of hyperventilation is breathing 20
Conventional asthma management recognises that times a minute, which could cause around eight litres of air to be
hyperventilation plays a role in asthma, but primarily sees it as a breathed. When done over a week, 30,000 litres of extra air will
result of the narrowed airways rather than as a cause.62, 63 It also have been breathed—enough to fill a small swimming pool.
No one notices if a person breathes every three seconds
instead of every five, unless perhaps the breathing is
noisy. However, your body is aware of it, because
breathing like this can be almost relentless. It gradually
lowers the amount of carbon dioxide found in the lungs
and the bloodstream, setting off any of the following
symptoms:70, 71
• Respiratory system: Shortness of breath, chest tight-
ness, extra-sensitive airways, excessive production of
mucus, sneezing, long-term blocked or running sinuses,
coughing, excessive yawning and sighing.
• Nervous system: Light-headedness, dizziness,
unsteadiness, poor concentration, numbness, tingling and
coldness especially in the hands, feet and face. In severe
cases, loss of memory or loss of consciousness.
• Heart: Racing, pounding or skipped heartbeats.
• Psychological: Degrees of anxiety, depression, ten-
sion, apprehension or feeling "spaced out".
• General: Dry mouth, abdominal bloating, belching,
flatulence, easily tired, poor sleep patterns, sweaty palms,
repeated throat-clearing, itchy skin, chest pain (not heart-
related), headache, general weakness and chronic
"This is a burned CD of downloaded websites listing online retailers exhaustion.
of self-help DVDs that show you how to find a REAL shop The symptoms are many and varied because breathing
where you can buy a book." affects the entire body and people experience some symp-
toms more than others.

36 • NEXUS www.nexusmagazine.com DECEMBER 2005 – JANUARY 2006

 Most people with asthma attempt to eliminate their symptoms more carbon dioxide is gradually retained and the breathing
by avoiding trigger situations or by taking medication. Few pattern drops back towards normal. This opens up the airways
would think that they are breathing too much air, because a and releases sufficient oxygen to tissues so that the person's
primary symptom is shortness of breath, and anything abnormal in asthma symptoms reduce significantly.
the breathing pattern is generally considered a result of asthma When overbreathing occurs, the loss of carbon dioxide is first
rather than a cause. There is also a Western philosophy that deep noted in the lungs, and if the person has the asthmatic-type's lungs
breathing is good for you. Both of these factors mean that then the loss is notably marked. However, if the overbreathing
hyperventilation is not recognised or considered, let alone can be stopped at this point, then the airways will readily open up
addressed. again. If the person does not stop the overbreathing and the car-
bon dioxide pressure in the blood drops further, then the problem
Carbon Dioxide Balance will be harder to solve because, as well as smooth muscle spasm,
Buteyko's theory works around the premise that the asthmatic the airway inflammation and mucus production go into overdrive.
habitually breathes with more force or more rapidly than is neces- More and more of the lungs become plugged with mucus and
sary almost all the time. This theory is sup- debris until gas exchange becomes severely
ported by research where asthmatics were affected.
reported breathing 10–15 litres of air each It is well documented that, during an
minute when they had no symptoms, instead asthma attack, carbon dioxide pressure in the
of the normal 4–6 litres. 72, 73 The carbon blood is low, right up until the attack
dioxide pressure in their blood confirms this Because this trial of becomes very severe, with lung function test
because it is commonly less than the normal results less than 20 per cent of the norm.80, 81
40 mm Hg until the person has severe airway Buteyko had such However, carbon dioxide pressure will rise
obstruction, when it can rise rapidly, causing amazing results, it is rapidly once the airways are plugged, and
another problem.74, 75 finding carbon dioxide pressure normal or
When a person breathes more air than they astounding that high during an asthma attack indicates that
need to and there is not a huge problem with asthma researchers the attack is dangerous.82 Buteyko is not a
the gas exchange in the lungs, then carbon suitable treatment at this time; instead,
dioxide pressure in the lungs and blood- have not fallen over immediate medication attention is required.
stream drops, causing a major problem for each other to do more
the body. Buteyko theory says that air- The Proof of Buteyko's Efficacy
way narrowing is a simple, if rather trials on the Buteyko According to trials of the Buteyko
extreme, way of avoiding the loss of
too much carbon dioxide.
method. method that have been conducted and
published so far, the technique
One of the most vital roles of carbon undoubtedly reduces symptoms
dioxide is ensuring the release of oxy- In fact, the opposite because a minimum reduction of 85
gen to tissue cells. When carbon diox- per cent in bronchodilator medication
ide pressure is low, more oxygen is is true. use and 50 per cent in steroid use has
retained by haemoglobin and less is been reported.83, 84 Even when a video
released to tissues to provide fuel for was trialled with minimal intervention
the body. This was first discovered by by a trained practitioner, the reduction
Danish scientist Christian Bohr approx- in bronchodilator use was still 60 per
imately 100 years ago, and is called the cent.85
"Bohr effect".76 Hundreds of stories similar to Robert
Low pressure of carbon dioxide also Stark's experience contributed to a two-
causes a multitude of other problems and reactions:77, 78, 79 year media campaign in Australia, finally resulting in the
• smooth muscle throughout the body spasms; Australian Association of Asthma Foundations' funding of a
• extra histamine is produced; Buteyko trial in Brisbane in 1994–95. Six weeks into that trial,
• the airways narrow; the Buteyko participants had reduced their bronchodilator medica-
• the heart beats faster; tion by 90 per cent. The research doctor, Simon Bowler, said:
• the nervous system becomes agitated; "We were surprised at the results, as we didn't expect any signifi-
• a condition known as respiratory alkalosis develops. cant changes."86
The primary stimulation for breathing is to maintain a predeter- Ordinarily, an almost complete cessation in bronchodilator
mined pressure of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream, and breath- medication use is usually only possible with a substantial increase
ing is adjusted to keep the level constant. Carbon dioxide is man- in steroid preventers, yet these were also reduced by 49 per cent a
ufactured within the tissue cells, and when the cells are working few weeks later. 87 The doctors had no obvious explanations for
hard they produce extra carbon dioxide. This is why during exer- these improvements or the 71 per cent reduction in symptoms and
cise the breathing pattern increases to get rid of the excess, and significant improvement in quality of life, except that they might
during sleep it slows down. However, the respiratory centre in have been due to the number of phone calls that the Buteyko prac-
the brain is adaptable to new pressures of carbon dioxide, and a titioner made to the participants.88
prolonged drop in this pressure will cause the brain to accept the Asthma costs so much in both money and suffering, and yet a
new and lower pressure as normal. It now stimulates the breath- vast amount of research is conducted into the problem every year.
ing pattern to maintain the new pressure. The good news is that Because this trial of Buteyko had such amazing results, it is
the opposite is also true. astounding that asthma researchers have not fallen over each other
According to Russell Stark, by following the Buteyko program, to do more trials on the Buteyko method. In fact, the opposite is

DECEMBER 2005 – JANUARY 2006 www.nexusmagazine.com NEXUS • 37

true, with a mere handful of trials since that time and only one All practitioners are essentially competing against each other
that followed the same model as carried out in Brisbane. This for clients, which has led to some of them marketing their courses
trial was conducted in Gisborne, New Zealand, in 2000, in spite of with a lot of hype and/or denigration of other practitioners. This
a refusal of funding by the New Zealand Asthma and Respiratory aggressive marketing approach is not usually a part of the health
Foundation. To find out if the asthmatics in the Brisbane group system and does not inspire confidence from the community in
were indeed talked out of their asthma by the Buteyko regard to Buteyko.
practitioner, each participant in this trial was matched with a
control-group participant and any contact with the teacher from • Lack of credibility with medical fraternity
either group was reciprocated with the matched person. The Even though symptoms and medication were slashed in the
results of the six-month trial rebutted the psychological impact of Buteyko trials that have already been done, a familiar comment is
the Buteyko method and mirrored the Brisbane results.89 that doctors are unsure that there is any real benefit from using the
If the clinical trial results were replicated in Buteyko classes Buteyko method because lung function tests remained
throughout the Western world, this would mean an unprecedented unchanged.90, 91 Russell Stark argues that because preventive med-
saving of monies currently allocated to health. For example, there ication was halved with no deterioration in lung function, then
would be at least a 70 per cent reduction in the A$700 million that Buteyko must have been of benefit. Lung function tests have
the Australian Government spends every year in asthma medical been shown to cause airway narrowing and asthma symptoms, 92
costs.89a Governments that incorporated Buteyko into their health and he says that this casts doubt on their accuracy in measuring
system could have the techniques taught by underlying inflammation.
asthma educators who are already employed
by the government or organisations dedicated • Professional jealousy?
to improving the lot of asthmatics. If Adults with asthma are never really expect-
Buteyko were taught first of all to school-
children, within five years the incidence of
Buteyko practitioners ed to improve. In fact, asthma is supposed to
worsen with age, as most deaths from asthma
asthma would be declining instead of increas- and journalists have occur in the elderly age group. In the
ing and health systems would be feeling less
of a squeeze.
carried forward his Buteyko trials, however, people reduce their
symptoms by an average of 71 per cent and
message into the media. substantially improve their quality of life.
Why Has No Further Research Been In many of these stories, unbelievable Results like these are perhaps frustrating or
Done Into This Apparently Harmless to doctors whose patients are
Method? the medical profession getting worse—especially when most of the
Since the safety of asthma medications is people teaching Buteyko do not have a med-
in serious doubt, should we be surprised
has appeared to ical background, according to some doc-
that there is not more research on drug- be abnormally tors who are supportive of Buteyko.
free options of asthma control—
Buteyko in particular, since it has self-righteous and • Antagonism caused by the
demonstrated spectacular results? disbelieving, with media
In his latter years, Dr Buteyko seemed
• Lack of interest by researchers Buteyko appearing to be fond of saying two things:
You cannot patent breathing, and it is like a miracle cure. 1. Conventional medicine is stupid
difficult to give someone a lasting and is looking at asthma in an upside-
"dose" of carbon dioxide, which means down fashion.93
that there is little room for interest from 2. The only people who should teach
other players in the asthma industry. It the method are those who use it in their
also appears that research is more about own life, to avoid tainting it with upside-
investigating a personal theory or prov- down medical knowledge.94
ing that a drug is safe, rather than improving the real quality of Some Buteyko practitioners and journalists have carried for-
life of asthmatics. ward his message into the media. In many of these stories, the
medical profession has appeared to be abnormally self-righteous
• Lack of funding for trials and disbelieving, with Buteyko appearing to be like a miracle
Most funding of trials comes from drug companies that are aim- cure. When the doctor's own patient says that he is a lot better,
ing to prove that their products are effective and will not cause the doctor is made to look foolish, and while this might sell news-
major health problems. It is unlikely that any drug company that papers it does not endear those who are mocked by the media.
answers to its shareholders is going to trial something that has
already been shown to vastly reduce the need for its products and All of the above mean two things:
consequently its profitability. The private individuals teaching 1. For more than 10 years, the public organisations that are
Buteyko lack the funding to conduct trials of the method in a dedicated to helping asthmatics have been able to hide behind the
major way, and consequently more trials have not been initiated. same statement that the Buteyko method appears to be safe, but
due to the lack of trials it cannot be supported.95, 96, 97
• Lack of cohesion among Buteyko practitioners 2. Asthmatics still do not have easy access to a safe and
Buteyko practitioners tend to work independently and there is effective method of reducing their symptoms and consequently
no standardisation of teaching or training of new practitioners, their medication.
therefore the general knowledge of Buteyko and teaching tech-
niques can vary enormously from practitioner to practitioner. Continued on page 76

38 • NEXUS www.nexusmagazine.com DECEMBER 2005 – JANUARY 2006

 Asthma: Ignorance or Design?
Continued from page 38 "The future of Buteyko lies with asth- Zealand in 1994, and have also been instru-
matics wanting better quality of life and the mental in propagating Buteyko in Australia,
Spreading the Word the USA, the UK, Canada, Israel and The
doctors who genuinely want to help their
Netherlands. They have taught more than
In spite of the medical fraternity not patients. GPs don't have a vested interest
7,000 people with breathing problems to
embracing Buteyko, the technique is in asthma and more of them are talking
use the techniques and improve their own
steadily increasing in popularity throughout positively about Buteyko because they
health in a natural way, and have also
the world. However, the Buteyko method have seen its amazingly good effects as trained more than 60 new practitioners.
has a long way to go because fewer than 20 well as the negativity associated with long- The Starks have also taught the tech-
people are teaching the techniques full-time term drug-taking. When asthmatics use niques in clinical trials and studies in New
in any Western country and there are over Buteyko, they reduce their symptoms by at Zealand, Canada and the UK. They hosted
300 million asthmatics worldwide. 9 8 least 70 per cent. This is a powerful dri- the first international Buteyko conference in
Considering that so few people are teach- ving force behind Buteyko, and the reason New Zealand in December 2000.
ing Buteyko, it is remarkable that anyone why so many people know about it when Jennifer Stark is the co-author, with
knows about it, let alone that a number of so few are teaching it." ∞ Rus sell Stark, of The Carbon Dioxide
clinical trials have already been done. This Syndrome: Learn why changing your
indicates just how very useful at control- About the Author: breathing can improve your health and
ling asthma the Buteyko method is, and Jennifer Stark and her husband Russell Stark w e l l b e i n g (Buteyko Online Ltd, NZ,
why it should eventually take its rightful trained as Buteyko practitioners in 1993 Australia, 2002, ISBN 0-473-09610-2; see
place in the forefront of asthma treatment. with Russian-trained Alexander Stalmatski review in NEXUS vol. 12, no. 3).
Russell Stark has the last say: and later did additional training with
Jennifer can be contacted by email at
"Dr Buteyko has taken basic physiology Buteyko founder Dr Konstantin Pavlovich
info@buteykoworks.com or via the Buteyko
and anatomy that have been known for 100 Buteyko. Their son Robert had severe asth-
ma that was unrelenting despite his follow- Works website at http://buteykoworks.com.
years and applied that knowledge to asth-
ma. By using his techniques, people stop ing the recommended conventional med-
ical treatments, and they turned to the Editor's Note:
getting the symptoms and so they stop Due to space constraints, we are unable to
Buteyko breathing techniques in despera-
needing most if not all of their medication. tion. Buteyko provided such a complete include the extensive endnotes accompany-
Basically there is nothing in the Buteyko change of health that they decided to train ing this article; instead, we've posted the
method for those currently making money as practitioners and help others. article plus references on our website,
from the asthma industry to support it. They took the Buteyko method to New http://www.nexusmagazine.com.

76 • NEXUS www.nexusmagazine.com DECEMBER 2005 – JANUARY 2006