Customer Reviews

Asthma-Free Naturally: Everything You Need to Know to Take Control of Your Asthma - Featuring the Buteyko Breathing Method Suitable for Adults and Children

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I used to be a relatively healthy middle age female, who have never had respiratory troubles. My story started with ordinary winter flu and consequent bronchitis, that left me coughing for month, and eventually wheezy and completely breathless. After few months of pulmonary tests, CT scans, ER visits, antibiotics and steroids (oral and inhaled), the verdict was in - I have a late offset of a non allergic moderate to severe asthma, and I'll have it for the rest of my life. I thought to myself - I just need to find the right doctor, who understands what is happening to me. Five doctors later (one GP, two asthma and allergy specs, two pulmonologists), I was pretty much where I've started, except my asthma was more or less controlled with drugs. None of the doctors had the answers to WHY and HOW this happened to me. The next step would be to explore alternative cures. I've joined yoga class, started homeopathic treatment and continued for a year. I took few treatments of Chinese herbs and tried a couple month of acupuncture. Although yoga has been very beneficial for my body strength and flexibility, it did nothing for my asthma. None of the other treatments worked. Every time I've tried to decrease my dose of steroids, my asthma was coming back with the vengeance. Every time I increase the dose I was having harsh side effects from the drugs. My quality of life was spiraling down. I felt absolutely helpless. One day my never ending search for cure over Internet brought me across Buteyko method. Pieces and bits of information were hard to put together, but once I had a slight understanding what is it about, I started applying it during asthma attacks. It was an eye opening moment, when I was able to stop my attack without using the inhaler. I knew I've finally found something that is working. To find a practitioner anywhere close to where I live turned out to be impossible. The method was virtually unknown in US. I knew I had to search for some good literature about it. Patrick's book has changed my life in so many ways. It is written in such manner, that every asthmatic could instantly relate. It has a wealth of information delivered in a simple and practical way.
I am happy to say my days of drugs and asthma battles are over. My initial anger and frustration over the fact that something so simple and effective should be widely known, turned into desire to help others and increase an awareness of the method in United States. I've traveled to Irealnd to be trained as Buteyko Practitioner at Patrick's clinics (www.buteykoclinic.com). It was an incredible experience seeing so many people frustrated with their conditions for years feeling better after just a couple weeks of workshops. I am proud to say I am starting my practice in US (www.asthmacare.us). If you are an asthmatic or suffering from any other respiratory condition, this book will be one of the best investments you've ever made.

I bought this book last spring. My asthma was getting worse and my doctor was telling me to take more and more medication. The more I took the worse I got. I decided I didn't want to continue this downward cycle so I researched more natural remedies for asthma. I read some about the Buteyko Breathing Technique and it sounded like a good start.

This book will get you started with the technique and will also give you some dietary suggestions as well. After two months of doing the breathing exercises, I was able to ween myself off all my asthma medication. I haven't used an inhaler in 6 months and rarely have any asthma symptoms. I am able to exercise 4-5 times a week for up to an hour without any exercise induced asthma now too!

The breathing technique in this book will help you understand how your body reacts to the way you breath. When you understand this, you will be able to prevent attacks. The breathing technique also acts as a barometer for you to measure to what extent your asthma is affecting you. As you do the exercises, you will become aware of how your breathing changes throughout the day based on things such as stress, diet, exercise, or certain allergens.

Don't think this is a magic cure. This method requires time and commitment, but it will be worth it if you give it time to work. I did and it has changed my life. I have gone from a person who couldn't get enough medication to make me breath freely to one who doesn't need it and feels much better without it!

I bought this book about ten days ago, hoping it would help my teenager with his asthma and related symptoms.
He started nasal breathing right away and feels it has been very helpful--he no longer feels impelled to cough continuously, which is so draining and impacts sleep and energy. We are thrilled--and haven't even been doing the reduced breathing excercises on a regular basis yet. We started to, but he found himself getting very tired, as we live at very high altitude. Folks living at high altitude should know to introduce this breathing technique slowly. The Buteyko practitioners have been so incredibly helpful to us in this and every professional way. We are very grateful!

After reading about the Buteyko method on the web, I immediately started to breath only through my nose and also starting taking NAC as a supplement. I don't have very severe asthma but I had very bad reactions to all the medications. With just those 2 changes, I've seen a marked improvement. There's lots of information on the web - just not how to do the breathing exercises. After exhausting all the free available information, I ordered this book. Most of it was a rehash of what was available except for the pages on actually doing the exercises. The problem is they are extremely sketcky. My CP is only 8-12 seconds. When it says reduce to little breaths, it doesn't give you any guideance. Is it 2 seconds in or 3? The instructions for the CP are more detailed but do you breathe the same for the exercises? Since my CP is not improving, perhaps I'm doing it incorrectly. On the otherhand my asthma has definitely improved.

Although counter intuitive, that reducing your tidal breath will help increase your blood oxygen levels, it is brilliant in how it does work. I participated in one of Patrick McKeown's seminars, and is has changed my life and also of all my friends that also attended. By following his specific suggestions, my asthma is vastly improved and I have been able to decrease the medicines to low maintenance levels and more importantly my energy is also coming back.

There is so much emphasis on doing deep large breath breathing these days, and that is the WORST thing you can do if you have any respiratory issues. By retraining and watching your breath on an ongoing basis, and only breathing though your nose even when exercising, you will notice the difference in just two weeks and continue to improve as long as you continue the work. Patrick also suggests using paper tape to keep your mouth closed and prevent from over breathing while you are asleep and results in much more restful sleep and waking up alert, strange as it sounds it works also. The program is self reinforcing as you feel better able to breathe and less drug dependent.... compared to becoming more drug dependent and less functional over time as the asthma process progresses.

He teaches you how to get into an exercise program and to build your breath and stamina slowly and safely. Which exercise is the most helpful to asthmatics and why. He teaches a simple measurement of your breath capacity, your CP, and gives you an easy to determine marker to monitor self progress over the weeks and months.

Read the book, check out his websites, watch the You Tube videos, and go to a seminar or find practitioner in your area if possible, but learn this technique!

I highly recommend this book for anyone with asthma or has a loved one with asthma. It was very eye-opening and completely unbelievable what a difference how simply breathing through your nose instead of your mouth makes! The book is very well written, fast to read and easy to follow. It greatly helped my elderly mother who had to take rescue inhalers practically every day. Now she does only very, very rarely. For the price it's definitely worth giving it a try, especially if you don't want to keep filling your body with all those toxic asthma drugs which cost a fortune. It seems unbelievable that no one in the conventional medical establishment seems to know anything about these simple procedures!

I have the pleasure to meet Patrick McKeown, he is here in Phoenix Arizona teaching 5 practitioners who will be teaching soon in CA, TX, Connecticut and Arizona.

He shared all his expertise with 40 patients who were suffering from different type of Respiratory Disorders, Sleep Apnea, Snoring, Panic Attacks, Overweight, etc; who felt the results of the Real Buteyko Method from Russia since the first day of the workshop, and I'm sure that today they're feeling much better.

His latest book is fantastic, it has a very friendly manner to explain all the details about asthma and how to deal with this terrible illness.

I strongly recommend it. Congratulations, and please keep impacting the lives of all those who suffer from those horrible illnesses.

An excellent book on the Buteyko Breathing Method as it relates to Asthma. Also includes brief discussions of other natural methods for dealing with asthma. Some of the best discussions I've seen on air pollution and allergies. But emphasizes that breathing correctly is 90% of the solution. Numerous exercises to practice to develop proper breathing. He also has some excellent short videos on his website demonstrating some of the basic exercises. I wish he had more specifically discussed how to use the Buteyko Method for other issues like sleep apnea.

This book has changed my life. I have used many inhalers over the years and have been to the emergency room numerous times for asthma attacks. I've also struggled with colds that trigger my asthma as well as animals, dust, and smoke. I got to a point where I felt so hopeless about my asthma and the impact that it had on my day to day life and not knowing when it was going to act up. I then discovered the Buteyko method and read Patrick's book. I was leary as to whether such a simply exercise of breathing through your nose and being conscious of your breath could drastically turn my health around. I really didn't have much to lose and decided to try it out. I read the book three times and ended up going to one of Patrick's workshops to see if I could learn anymore. This method has literally given me hope and has dramatically improved my health. I rarely use my inhaler anymore, if at all. Give this method a chance...you will amazed and happily surprised. Also, wearing the tape on your mouth at night might seem a little strange and unnatural. It actually made me quite anxious at first, but now I can't go to sleep without wearing it and I notice such a difference when I wake up and the amount of energy I have. I really can't thank you enough, Patrick.

I bought this book after reading an article about the author online. I have been a life long asthmatic, and have grown extremely tired of the "medication only" view of my doctors. The Buteyko breathing method takes time and a lot of practice. This book covers the Buteyko method, lifestyle and diet. It works for me, because my asthma is exasperated by stress, and the breathing exercises are akin to meditative breathing. It would be wonderful if there were a center near by that offered classes on the Buteyko Method, but sadly the method is not well known in the USA. The nearest center I found was in Ohio. American doctors are quick to discount any treatments that are not pharmaceutical. It is my belief that with the rising rate of asthma, the medical community will need to treat this condition from both sides -medication and non-medication.