5 October 2011

I never had asthma.  My younger brother wheezed, and anxiously took puffs from his rescue inhaler through his twenties and early thirties.  Then one day, in my mid-forties, I suddenly couldn’t breathe.  It was like two hands reached up from somewhere in my gut, grabbed both my lungs, and squeezed.  I had no idea what was happening.  “Is this an asthma attack?” I asked myself?  But I don’t have asthma.  I couldn’t figure out what else it could possibly be, so I called my brother.  I didn’t have an inhaler, so his best suggestion was that I take a hot shower.  

It was, in retrospect, a mild attack lasting no more that 20 minutes.  It subsided by the time I got out of the shower.  I didn’t rush off to the asthma doctor.  I just simply wondered “what was that all about” and proceeded along in my days assuming it would never happen again.

It happened again.  It happened several weeks later while I was in the remote wooded mountains of Maine.  It was about 3 hours to a hospital and about an hour to anyone at all, sans my boyfriend who sat for almost 2 hours calming me while I gasped for every breath of air.

Okay, now I went to the asthma doctor.  I got my own personal stash of emergency inhalers, and in the next 2 years I ended up in the ER three times.  I didn’t like taking the daily maintenance asthma meds that they were prescribing me, because I don’t like taking medicine – period.  But I was using my emergency inhaler more and more often and it was becoming less and less effective.

I searched for alternatives, and over the next several years, I tried many ineffective holistic and homeopathy remedies.  At the same time I was taking more and more asthma medications, and the asthma was getting worse.  Then I came across the Buteyko Center’s website.  I had become more aware of my breathing through the asthma, and Dr. Buteyko’s theories and discoveries were ringing true and making some sense of what I was experiencing.  I purchased the Asthma Cure Manual and absorbed all that I could.  I was unable (financially) to take the Buteyko Method and Lifestyle Course.  I also believed that I could figure this out for myself.

A year later, I was still struggling with the asthma.  And, when I would struggle, I would end up taking medication.  I didn’t need the Buteyko Center to tell me that the meds were only making the asthma worse, for this was something I was experiencing first hand.  One morning I awoke with another aggravated asthma attack, only to find that the emergency inhaler didn’t stop the attack.  I went down to the bathroom and did a full nebulizer treatment.  It not only didn’t work – it made the attack worse!  I was now having a severe asthma attack.  I was sitting on the cold slate tile bathroom floor alone in remote Montana, unable to talk or walk even a half a step.  I couldn’t call anyone and I couldn’t go anywhere.  The attack lasted 4 hours.  I truly believe that the only thing that saved me was the beginning knowledge that I had acquired from the Buteyko Asthma Cure Manual.  I worked at slowing my breathing and eventually recovered.

It was clear that medication is not the answer.  I called the center (as soon as I could talk) and started working with Thomas Yakovlev-Fredricksen.  My very life was now at stake, (which put the matter of finances into quiet a different perspective.)

It is difficult to understand the critical importance of working with someone from the Buteyko Center when you are initially introduced to the Buteyko Method.  The philosophy and medical discovery is so profoundly simple - Breathe Less!  Breathe less and your physiology will find its optimal balance, and you will be healthy and free from asthma.  Breathe less.  It sounds so simple.  And though it is simple, it is a complicated and calculated journey that is made so much easier and fruitful with the help of an experienced Buteyko Specialist.  There is just so much to learn and so much of which to become aware.

This isn’t a quick fix.  It is a life journey.  I haven’t seen the inside of an ER since I started reading about Dr Buteyko 3 years ago.  Now with the help of the Buteyko Center USA, I have the added knowledge and encouraging support that keeps me on a progressive path.

Here’s to gentle breathing!  Thank you Thomas, and the entire staff at Buteyko Center USA!



Carol Clouse
Pennsylvania

15 October 2011

My son Nicholas is now six years old. A couple years ago he was prescribed antibiotics for bronchitis. After he finished taking them the coughing continued. The doctors claimed he had intermittent asthma, but honestly I was in denial. I could not believe this was asthma since there were no asthmatics in our family. But unfortunately after he got another cold, his cough became much worse and he started having asthma attacks regularly (scary for the child but also for parents!). 

The doctors prescribed steroids and albuterol.  However, after learning about their side effects, I couldn't force myself to give them to him continuously. I kept hoping that his asthma would disappear when he turns 12 (our doctor claimed that asthma often subsided by this age).

Since traditional medicine didn't have a cure for asthma, I turned to alternative medicine. Unfortunately, herbs and homeopathy did not bring much relief so I continued looking for a solution. That’s when I read about the Buteyko Method. I was ready to fly to Moscow for a consultation, but then I learned about the Buteyko Center in Woodstock.

After we finished the course with our wonderful instructor Sasha, we left the country for a vacation to Crimea seashore. When my son was swimming in the cold water, he started having an asthma attack.  Amazingly he was able to stop it completely by applying the Buteyko method. Until this moment my husband was rather skeptical, but now he thinks that the Buteyko course is a great investment for asthma sufferers.

By the way, I have never written a testimonial before but this was so important I had to write it for the parents who want to help their children overcome asthma.  Parents, the Buteyko Method is not just a breathing technique, it is a lifestyle.  Learning it will greatly help your child and one day they will thank you for it. I am so proud of my six year old son who was able to overcome his asthma.

Carolina Picouzo
New York

15 October 2011

My Buteyko experience has been amazing!  The practitioners, Thomas and Sasha, have been wonderful to work with and very informative…truly a blessing! I had a pulmonologist appointment this morning.  My lung function test was 119%!!!  Three months ago it was 84%.  I didn’t have to do the albuterol inhaler with this test...thankfully!  

I developed asthma three years ago.  Although my asthma was initially classified as mild, it was very persistent.  It continued to worsen and I eventually was on the strongest class of inhalers daily.  I was very concerned about being on inhalers because it was affecting other things such as blood pressure, tachycardia, etc.  The inhalers were also losing their effectiveness and I searched to find an alternative.   Within the first week of beginning the Buteyko breathing exercises I was completely off the strongest inhaler and by the third week was completely off all inhalers.  I have not had to use my emergency inhaler since beginning the exercises, almost three months ago.  I am very pleased with the results and know my health is improving daily. I am not using any medication to control my asthma….only the breathing exercises.  I would also suggest the Buteyko in Motion.  This really helped me to learn how to breathe while exercising and eliminated breathing issues after exercise.  I am truly grateful to Thomas and Sasha for their continued support and dedication to teaching the Buteyko method.


Lori Booth
Louisiana