Chris Christie: Reading His Breathing

Breathing Incorrectly Can Damage Your Overall Health

Breathing gives out a plethora of information. Buteyko Specialists don’t ask questions; they answer them by observing a person’s breathing. Let’s use Chris Christie, the Governor of New Jersey as an example. What does his breathing say about him?

Watch the video above to observe Chris Christie’s breathing. What do you see? He is a mouth breather; most of the time his mouth is wide open; his breathing is noisy. That indicates that he over-breathes to a significant degree, causing great damage to his body.

Reading Breathing Language

Physical level: His respiratory, immune, nervous, and digestive systems cannot be healthy and, most likely, there are other health issues. I am sure the governor snores at night; I would be surprised if he does not suffer from sleep apnea and chronic fatigue. In addition, most likely, he has allergies and blood pressure problems, which are the result of his improper breathing as well.

We know that he has asthma, which is a compensatory reaction to over-breathing. Notice that he begins and ends his speech by coughing: that is how his body tries to protect him from hyperventilation, which could be lethal. By creating bronchospasm (or excessive mucus, or suffocation attacks), his body is forcing him to breathe less. Unfortunately, the governor does not understand the language of his highly intelligent body and continues to damage it by over-breathing.

Mr. Christie is obese: over-eating always creates over-breathing. However, considering his body mass, Mr. Christie’s breathing looks better than it should. The reason for it, I assume, is an intake of steroids, which (as Dr. Buteyko discovered) makes people breathe less. Unfortunately, there is a payoff: this medication has serious side effects, one of which is weight gain. It becomes a vicious circle: he hyperventilates – his body tries to protect him from over-breathing by creating asthma symptoms – he reduces these symptoms by taking steroids – steroids make him gain weight – extra-weight makes him hyperventilate more.

Emotional level: The Governor’s breathing indicates that he is an outgoing and people-oriented person who enjoys entertaining. It’s easy for him to make people like him. Desirable qualities for any politician!

Most likely he likes to talk and often talks just for the joy of it.  His respiration also shows that it is difficult for him to control his emotions. He can act thoughtlessly, regret it and yet cannot prevent the next episode of impulsive behavior. This could be damaging to his self-esteem. The governor appears super-confident: this is how he wants people to perceive him since he is aware of his weaknesses (imposed by hyperventilation).

Intellectual level: Over-breathing creates oxygen deficiency in all organs of the body, including the brain. According to Dr. Buteyko, this causes computer-like thinking, which means that a person is effective within familiar programs but incapable of moving beyond them. Mr. Christie’s breathing indicates that he might have difficulties learning new concepts. He is conservative in terms that he is ‘conserved’ by pre-existing ideas and has little energy to open himself to anything radically new. He might also experience concentration and memory problems.

Is there any way out of this trap? Of course! It is called the Buteyko Breathing Method. We help people like Mr. Christie every day (read The New York Times article about us). By learning how to establish nasal breathing 24/7 and reduce air consumption, our students are able to tame their asthma, sleep apnea, allergies, fatigue, hypertension, and many other health issues.  By doing so, they greatly improve the efficiency of their bodies on all levels. Remember: there is no health without healthy breathing!

By the way, Buteyko Breathing Center contacted the Governor’s office offering him help but it was refused.  I sincerely hope that Mr. Christie normalizes his breathing before it is too late. Certainly, he can change his conditions.

P.S.: All statements in this article are my personal interpretations and are not based on any medical facts.

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