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The most helpful favorable review
The most helpful critical review
62 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
This book can change your life
I've written a book about asthma; thought I knew everything. And then I bought this book. Started the five day program with great cynicism. Let me say I've not had a day free from symptoms from a case diagnosed as "moderately severe" asthma for five years. After doing the program, stringently, and following the guidelines (except for the diet -- I only...
Published on February 19, 2000 by Louise DeSalvo
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Comparison to Asthma Free naturally
I read Teresa Hales book a number of years ago and found the principles easy to follow. However, I have recently read another book called Asthma Free Naturally which is written by an asthmatic and can so readily identify with the symptoms. I felt that I knew this person as the condition he was describing was so me. The book Asthma Free naturally is far easier to read,...
Published on November 28, 2005 by Dave C
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62 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
This book can change your life, February 19, 2000
I've written a book about asthma; thought I knew everything. And then I bought this book. Started the five day program with great cynicism. Let me say I've not had a day free from symptoms from a case diagnosed as "moderately severe" asthma for five years. After doing the program, stringently, and following the guidelines (except for the diet -- I only cut out milk products) -- I have no post-nasal drip; don't feel as if I'm drowning; sleep magnificently; have no shortness of breath, or tightness in my chest, and have more energy. I started to experience positive results the first day. Frankly, I don't feel I "have" asthma anymore, though I do take inhaled corticosteroids, at a very reduced rate. If you are disciplined, and if you're willing to invest time, read this book. It's the better of the two books available on this method. I listened to music or read in the intervals between doing the controlled pause -- a technique that's taught. The best investment in a self-help book I've ever made.
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35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
*The* premier introduction to the Buteyko method!, August 2, 1999
If you have or ever have had any kind of respiratory problem in your life, or you know of someone who's had any kind of respiratory problem in their lives, BUY THIS BOOK! The Buteyko method of breath retraining promises to be the medical breakthrough of the next century, and this book is as good an introduction to the method as it gets. I began the book with a Control Pause of 8 and finished the book a week later with a CP of 30 and am looking forward to getting to 50 or 60. You'll have to read the book to understand about the Control Pause, but I'm willing to make the prediction that, in the years to come, the CP will be regarded as almost more valuable than the pulse in determining a person's overall state of health. The book's thesis--that carbon dioxide is not the waste gas we've all been taught it is, and that low-grade hyperventilation is at the root of an amazing number of health disorders--is one of those counterintuitive ideas that suddenly makes a lot of sense once its implications are thoroughly spelled out. That the book does. My only constructive criticism of the book is that it tends to be a little wordy in some parts, and occasionally repititious, but not so much that it becomes disagreeable. For us Yanks on the western side of the puddle, a bit more brevity would have been welcome. Nonetheless, this book is too important to let a few literary bumps stand in the way. Buy the book, read it, and begin practicing the exercises. Give yourself a week to try it on for size. You won't be disappointed. I most certainly was not. I'm feeling much better already.
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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent approach but you have to work at it., November 10, 1999
By A Customer
In spite of what some of the previous negative reviewers have said about the book, the Buteyko Method is neither a "crock" nor is it "pseudoscience". The approach works, but you have to work at it. This book by Teresa Hale is an excellent introduction to the method-only recently brought into the US via Australia and England-that's been practiced over the past 40 years in the former Soviet Union. Some of the negative comments by previous reviewers are accurate. The book is a bit self-promotional and the claim that you can "cure" asthma in only five days is not quite correct. You can learn the method in three to five days, and in some cases even then experience significant relief from your respiratory symptoms. However, to raise your control pause to 50 or 60 as they recommend for optimal health will probably take you anywhere from a couple of months to a year to accomplish. The method can be difficult and uncomfortable to do, and continual practice is necessary. Nonetheless, the method works if you work at it. You may need to take a full Buteyko seminar rather than rely on the book alone. I suspect the negative reviewers either were expecting too much from a book alone, were looking for a quick fix, or had medical complications that would necessitate their taking the full seminar. The book even advises most people to take the seminar and not rely on the book for all of the answers. Some people's conditions require subtle modifications of the Method that only an experienced trainer can coach them in. Maybe they should take the course. In any event, I would most strongly encourage any of you out there who suffers from any kind of respiratory illness, from sinusitus to asthma, to buy this book, as I would recommend any of you who suffer from symptoms of stress or anxiety disorder--including panic attack-- to buy this book. Don't expect the exercises to be too easy, and don't expect a quick cure. Think about taking the Buteyko course if you need to. It'll set you back around $500. But as one who started off with a control pause of less than 10 and who now has an average control pause of 40 - 45, I will say the benefits in my case are obvious and worth it. My chronic sinusitus which I've had from childhood is cleared up entirely, as are my migraine headaches and most of my tendencies to overeat. I've lost weight and am continuing to lose. My ten year old son is even starting to practice the Method a little bit at a time. His sleeping is very much improved, and he no longer wakes up with a dry or a sort throat as he used to before. I cannot recommend this book to you enough. :-)
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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
Maybe a Miracle, December 27, 1999
I doubt there is anything out there which will work for everyone. This universe does not accept such sweeping absolutes. However, the results I have gleaned from this book are far and away above anything I have ever experienced. Having had asthma since I was 2, over 45 years, I have been through the gamut of alternatives, medical and otherwise. I've had allergy shots, was on prednisone for over 40 years, have been on various bronchial dialator medications, have had lung surgery, chest tubes, been on respirators at least 6 times over the past 15 years and tried a host of homeopathic, chiropractic, nutritonal and general supplement programs, as well as my chosen spritual path. Everything helped some. I began this program on November 5th. It is not a 5 day program, and the exercises for a severe asthmatic take a good 45 min a pop, not 20-30. I saw results almost instantly and have been off my inhaler since that time, with a couple puffs around Thanksgiving when I over-ate (note here that the longest I have gone without an inhaler is about 12 hours). I have been able to fully go off Theophylline and Brethine as well. As for exercise, I was exercising for over an hour a day and am now even less winded afterwards. A visit to the snow, about 6000 feet altitude, caused no discomfort, though over the summer, prior to the program, a trip to Sequoia was accompanied by a constant shortness of breath. Currently, the only medication I am using is Pulmicort (newer inhaled steroid). I am off all my oral meds. This has never happened. What does the future hold? This is all so unprecedented, I do not know. The program takes diligence and a willingness to do it. If you are really in communication with your body and/or have a good health practioner, you could do quite well. I showed the book to my pulminary specialist as well as my chiropractor/homeopath. Both were impressed, but the MD a bit more conservative in his interest. This book is not perfect, dietary guidelines I took with a grain of salt. For more info you may want to check out the Buteyko method. This text is written for the layman and does a good job. Read it more than once, as there is a lot of data.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Comparison to Asthma Free naturally, November 28, 2005
This review is from: Breathing Free: The Revolutionary 5-Day Program to Heal Asthma, Emphysema, Bronchitis, and Other Respiratory Ailments (Paperback)
I read Teresa Hales book a number of years ago and found the principles easy to follow. However, I have recently read another book called Asthma Free Naturally which is written by an asthmatic and can so readily identify with the symptoms. I felt that I knew this person as the condition he was describing was so me. The book Asthma Free naturally is far easier to read, understand and apply. The author of this book is a trained Buteyko practitioner and this is evident from the read. Teresa Hale is not a qualified practitioner and so is writing based on someones elses experiences. While Teresa Hales book is worth reading, Asthma Free naturally by Patrick McKeown is essential reading for all asthmatics.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Fair Introduction, but reads like a sales pamphlet, February 22, 2006
This review is from: Breathing Free: The Revolutionary 5-Day Program to Heal Asthma, Emphysema, Bronchitis, and Other Respiratory Ailments (Paperback)
This book is a skimpy introduction to the Buteyko method, which seems to work. While the Buteyko method is very good, this book is deliberately vague about the details of the actual exercises. Hale spends chapter after chapter describing all the illnesses that the Breath Connection method will cure, but leaves many key questions about the method unanswered. Why do you take your pulse? How exactly do you breath shallowly? Do you use your diaphragm? Do you count? If not, how are you sure that you are doing it right?
Hale is plainly drumming up business for her clinic, so if there are more complete books on Buteyko elsewhere, I would strongly recommend going there.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Recommended by a leading CFS MD (Cheney), December 30, 1999
Based on a recommendation by Dr. Cheney, I read the book and found it a bit self-promotional but it contained clear scientific explanation for what was happening. It has significiantly improved my CFS and my husband's CFS. In fact, we both suffered "herx" (die-off) effects from doing it. It is NOT the easiest technique to learn, but it is effective and cleared up a persistant sinus infection that I have had for years, and corrected my husband's chronic snoring....You will not be "cured" in a 5 days, it is 5 days to learn the techniques that may eventually lead to a cure... PS>> The diet is VERY important...
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
In total agreement with asthmatics review, March 2, 2006
This review is from: Breathing Free: The Revolutionary 5-Day Program to Heal Asthma, Emphysema, Bronchitis, and Other Respiratory Ailments (Paperback)
The Buteyko method is a superb therapy for asthma. Teresa Hales book touches on it but does not contain it. There are many books available which are worthy of reading especially if you have asthma, fatigue and other complaints. For example- do a search for Asthma Free naturally, Every Breath you take, The Buteyko Manual or a very simple read with all exercises called Close Your Mouth.
Good luck and healthy breathing
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
The missing link!, February 10, 2006
This review is from: Breathing Free: The Revolutionary 5-Day Program to Heal Asthma, Emphysema, Bronchitis, and Other Respiratory Ailments (Paperback)
As an asthma and allergy sufferer, I had tried everything to alleviate my asthma without being dependent on prescription medication. I had already exercised regularly, maintained a wheat-, dairy-free and mostly organic diet, took vitamins and mineral supplements regularly and still my asthma plagued me daily.
The concepts presented in this book are so utterly simple that I felt foolish for not knowing! I am completely in awe of the fact that no doctor I visited, in my 29 years on this planet, saw my constant mouth-breathing as a problem. Although I performed the exercises in this book, all I really had to do was retrain my breathing and voila! I haven't needed a fast-acting inhaler in almost a month.
Asthma is a manifestation of a NUMBER of problems that also stem from improper diet and lack of exercise, as well as improper breathing patterns. They ALL have to be changed to be successful at combatting this condition.
I am amazed at the number of people who shrug off this kind of information without even trying it! If you are an asthmatic and you are taking drugs that aren't helping, what exactly do you have to lose by trying some non-invasive breathing techniques and moving towards a healthier lifestyle?!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
if you want to take control of your asthma without medication, September 25, 2005
This book has allowed me to get off of all medication. The concepts are deceptively simple and laid out so they are very easy to follow, cookbook style.
It is so simple stupid. But ten days later, after a lifetime of perpetual medication, asthma and allergies, I am free from taking all medication, and yesterday I ran for 15 minutes with no asthma.
If this sounds appealing, read the book. What do you have to lose?
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