Supportive Complementary Therapy for Cancer

Today more and more people are seeking complementary therapies or lifestyle approaches to support orthodox cancer therapy. The most common therapies used include nutritional therapy, aromatherapy, homoeopathy, acupuncture, relaxation techniques, healing and counselling. These therapies are primarily aimed at improving general health and wellbeing to strenghthen and support the patient during their orthodox therapy. A major component of healthy functioning may have been overlooked or not given the attention it deserves and that is breathing. Although an integral part of Yoga and many relaxation techniques it is the primary focus of the Buteyko Method. Only the Buteyko Method provides an ongoing method of monitoring breathing and thereby the means to evaluate any progress made with breathing exercises or lifestyle changes that may affect breathing.

Why should this factor of health be so important for cancer patients?

A brief search through Google for <cancer and hypoxia> will produce many research papers linking hypoxia, or poor tissue oxygenation, with cancer. In fact areas of hypoxia may be used as markers for the cancer areas affected. For a variety of reasons poor tissue oxygenation seems to be a favouable environment for tumour development and conversely well oxygenated tissue appears to offer protection from tumour formation. If this is true, and more research needs to be done to verify this relationship, then any means to improve tissue oxygenation should prove beneficial for cancer patients. Professor Buteyko refers often to the benefits of normalized breathing for cancer patients in his work in Russia. The key feature of the Buteyko Method is the systematic normalisation of breathing, specifically the reduction of chronic hidden hyperventilation. The connection with improved tissue oxygenation is a scientifically proven one. Hyperventilation leads to metabolic alkalosis through excessive loss of carbon dioxide, this in turn leads to impaired release of oxygen from the haemaglobin, spasm of smooth muscle wrapped around blood vessels and airways and impaired biochemical reactions ( enzyme, amino acid, amides, hormones etc) due to non optimal pH. Whereas the resulting hypoxia will affect all the body's tissues, areas already suffering impaired blood circulation and congestion for mechanical or other reasons may well be critically affected and suffer more severe hypoxia.

Could the Buteyko Method help cancer patients?

Only clinical trials will demonstrate the potential effects of normalized breathing with certainty but until such trials are done there are simple steps that could be taken to support the cancer patient in this way. Firstly the obvious thing is to check the patient for dysfunctional breathing and in particular for chronic hidden hyperventilation. This is achieved with the Buteyko Method in a simple quick and economical way using the "control pause and pulse" see Check Your Own Breathing Here. Control pauses of under 20 seconds indicate significant hyperventilation, under 15 seconds serious hyperventilation and those under 10 seconds will frequently be demonstrating other health problems such as asthma, panic attacts, hypertension etc. Every patient with moderate hyperventilation (CP 15-25) can be taught simple self-help exercises to start to bring their breathing back to normal. Those patients with more serious hyperventilation (CP under 15) may need individual formal Buteyko training to effect a lasting change. The Buteyko Method is successfully taught in small groups and the group dynamics appears to facilitate the training through mutual support.

Conclusions

Chronic hidden hyperventilation is very common amongst the western population, it leads to impaired oxygenation of body tissues, poor oxygenation or hypoxia appears to be a favourable environment for tumour development whereas good oxygenation favours healthy tissue growth, the Buteyko Method trains people to stop hyperventilating and to return to normal breathing patterns in a very short time, with normalized breathing tissue oxygenation is improved this can only be beneficial and an excellent complement to other ongoing therapy.

More information at Dr. Artour Rakhimov website Here