All the healing forces reside originally in the human breathing system.

Rudolf Steiner

 

Breath is life, words are power, diet is health.

Benedict Lust

 

Breath is the door to the heart and the soul.

Amy Leigh McCree

 

If the breathing is at all unsettled, life is not your own.

Ancestral teacher Qiu

 

For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on earth.

Sanskrit Proverb

 

The nose is for breathing, the mouth is for eating.

Proverb

 

Strong emotions, feelings, STRESS and the breath

 

Breath is the pulse of the brain.

We breathe our thoughts.

Anon

 

Breath is the link between the mind and the body.

Dan Brule

 

Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts.

Thích Nhất Hạnh

 

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Concious breathing is my anchor

Thích Nhất Hạnh

 

If you don’t get it off your chest you will never be able to breathe.

A healthy mind has an easy breath.

Anon

 

When the breath wanders the mind also is unsteady. But when the breath is calmed the mind too will be still, and the yogi achieves long life. Therefore, one should learn to control the breath.

Svatmarama, Hatha Yoga Pradipika

 

Good breathing should be quiet and gentle

The greatest luxury in life is peaceful breathing because it repairs the wounds of the cosmic soul.

Amit Ray

“Yes, they are elves,” Legolas said. “and they say that you breathe so loud they could shoot you in the dark.” Sam hastily covered his mouth.”

J.R.R.Tolkien

 

How I feel sometimes!

For years I tried to help people with simple things, such as tension relief through breathing and relaxation, but all they wanted were the drugs. They wanted to numb themselves. They did not want to face their fears or feel better through their own efforts—and they certainly did not want to be illuminated.

Gudjon Bergmann

 

It’s funny, but you never really think much about breathing. Until it’s all you ever think about.

Tim Winton

The founder of the American Rhinological society, Dr Maurice Cottle, stated that the nose performs at least 30 functions, but at least 50% of modern children are permanent mouth breathers.

Why is the nose treated as an optional or redundant appendage?

Use it!

Here is a shorter list of reasons to convince you!

Continue Reading

One of the hardest things about breathing education and retraining is MOTIVATION, putting in enough effort (breathing exercises and lifestyle changes) early on to make a real change your breathing pattern. A colleague calls it “time, dedication and discipline” (TD&D). Sufficient effort at the beginning means clients soon see a decrease in symptoms, (after the first day or two often getting a good night’s sleep or no longer needing asthma reliever inhalers) which motivates them to carry on, and they will soon (usually after 1-3 months) be able to taper down the amount of breathing exercises; it is not usually a big time commitment long term.Continue Reading

In the USA the Institute of Medicine (IOM) are recommending a change of name for ME/CFS to SEID or systemic exertion intolerance disease. It is controversial, as expected, but the advisory panel recognise ME/CFS as “a legitimate, serious and complex systemic disease that frequently and dramatically limits the activities of affected individuals.”

They also recognise that ME/CFS is a physical disorder, not a psychological illness.

 

“Diagnosis of ME/CFS requires that a patient have the following three core symptoms:

 

• A substantial reduction or impairment in the ability to engage in pre-illness levels of activities that persists for more than six months and is accompanied by fatigue—which is often profound—of new or definite onset, not the result of ongoing excessive exertion and not substantially alleviated by rest
• The worsening of patients’ symptoms after any type of exertion—such as physical, cognitive, or emotional stress—known as post-exertional malaise
• Unrefreshing sleep

At least one of the two following manifestations is also required:

 

• Cognitive impairment
• The inability to remain upright with symptoms that improve when lying down—known as orthostatic intolerance

These symptoms should persist for at least six months and be present at least half the time with moderate, substantial, or severe intensity to distinguish ME/CFS from other diseases”.

More here at the IOM website.

 

Why is a new name for ME/CFS needed?

The renaming is important because:

“• Several studies have shown that the term “chronic fatigue syndrome” affects patients’ perceptions of their illness as well as the reactions of others, including medical personnel, family members, and colleagues. This label can trivialize the seriousness of the condition and promote misunderstanding of the illness.

• The term “myalgic encephalomyelitis” is not appropriate because there is a lack of evidence for encephalmyelitis (brain inflammation) in patients with this disease, and myalgia (muscle pain) is not a core symptom of the disease.
• The Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee recommends the name systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID) for this disease.

This new name captures a central characteristic of this disease— the fact that exertion of any sort (physical, cognitive, or emotional)—can adversely affect patients in many organ systems and in many aspects of their lives. To learn more, and to access the IOM committee’s proposed diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS, visit the IOM website.”

“Diagnosing ME/CFS often is a challenge, and seeking and receiving a diagnosis can be frustrating due to the skepticism of health care providers about these patients and the serious nature of their disease”

Hopefully the new definitions will help with diagnosis and end scepticism of doctors and the public (I know what you mean, I am exhausted too…)

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