UPDATE:
Just a year ago my breathing was very labored due to COPD and asthma. I couldn’t walk fifty feet without a great deal of discomfort. When I got off an airplane I would have to stop several times on the way to baggage claim, stairs in my house were avoided at all costs and so it went. I was taking several medications, some worked a little, I used inhalers when I was very uncomfortable… All of my doctors tried to help me but nothing was making me better; Symbicort has been the biggest help. But until I discovered the Buteyko Method and changed my lifestyle nothing seemed to help very much, I was feeling desperate and depressed.
A friend had recently begun a program of care with Buteyko for his asthma and was better, he had been asthmatic his whole life; I listened to his story and immediately drove up to Buteyko Breathing Center USA and signed up for treatment. Well it’s about 6 months later and I feel the best I have felt for years! I ride my bike over 30 miles per week, go to the gym three times a week, walk on the treadmill three to four times a week and do my Buteyko therapy every day. My breathing has improved dramatically… I have lost 25 pounds and will continue to reduce my weight. I have adapted my diet to exclude dairy, cheeses and other foods that can affect my breathing. This has become a welcome way of life, not a chore. I went on a bicycle trip with my wife and friends last weekend and rode over 40 miles. Now that’s progress!!
Yes, my life has changed since I decided to embrace the Buteyko holistic approach for COPD and asthma. If you have a breathing problem you can understand why many seemingly little things mean a lot. I go upstairs in my house spontaneously, not worrying about being out of breathe, I am going on a trip to see my daughter at 6000 feet above sea level, I can walk through the airport without running out of breathe, I entertain on stage with no breathing worries. Wow it just goes on and on! I still can’t run a marathon but I could ride 40 miles on my bike!
Herb Birch
President and CEO,
HBHMC Ocean City, NJ
