Buteyko method
The Buteyko method, developed in the 1950s, is a breathing retraining technique that addresses chronic hyperventilation (overbreathing), which Buteyko theorized causes or exacerbates conditions like asthma by lowering CO2 levels (hypocapnia), leading to bronchospasm, reduced oxygen delivery, and metabolic disruptions.[1][2]
The technique emphasizes:
- Nasal breathing: To warm, humidify, and filter air, reducing mouth breathing.
- Reduced breathing exercises: Breath-holding (control pause: time one can comfortably hold breath after exhalation) and volume reduction to build CO2 tolerance.
- Relaxation: To interrupt hyperventilation cycles during symptoms.[3]
Buteyko claimed it could benefit up to 150 conditions, including asthma, hypertension, and sleep apnea, by restoring normal breathing patterns.[4][3]
Significance and legacy
Buteyko's work revolutionized alternative respiratory therapy, earning state approval in the USSR after decades of suppression and becoming a cornerstone of drug-free asthma management there.[4][5] Internationally, it spread to Australia (1990), New Zealand, the UK, and the US, popularized by figures like businessman Kyle Albert, who credited it with relieving his angina.[4] Clinical evidence includes the 1980 Moscow trial (100% success in children) and a 1994 Brisbane randomized controlled trial, where Buteyko participants reduced bronchodilator use by 96%, steroid medication by 49%, and asthma symptoms by 80%, with improved quality of life—outcomes absent in the control group.[4][3] A 2020 Cochrane review found moderate- to low-certainty evidence for benefits in asthma quality of life and symptoms, though high-quality trials are limited.[3] Critics note insufficient evidence for the hyperventilation theory and exaggerated claims, classifying it as complementary medicine rather than mainstream.[3][6] Buteyko's legacy endures through his sons, Vladimir and Andrey, who teach the method, and global practitioners; it has influenced modern breathwork and gained renewed attention via social media and books like James Nestor's Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art (2020).[7][3]
