Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM): Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology
Mayo Clinic Q&A: How Belly Breathing Benefits Your Body, Mind
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Is breathing from your belly beneficial? If so, can you explain why and how to do it?
ANSWER: From the day you're born, you know how to breathe correctly. That means letting the diaphragm — the large, thin muscle just below the rib cage — do the work of drawing air into the lungs and letting it out. It's known as diaphragmatic or belly breathing, and it's the most efficient and effective way to breathe.
But over time, almost everyone needs to remember how. Rather than belly breathing, people begin chest breathing. With chest breathing, the muscles between the ribs and the neck do the harder work of raising and lowering the rib cage to pull air into the lungs and push it out. Chest breathing requires a lot of effort and moves less air.
When it comes to the correct way to breathe, it doesn't matter whether you breathe through your nose or your mouth. Where you breathe from matters — your belly and not your chest.
Relaxed breathing should originate primarily from the diaphragm with little movement of the chest and shoulders. Chest breathing activates "accessory respiratory muscles" that tighten the neck, chest and vocal cords and can trigger a fight-or-flight stress reflex.
A chest-breathing pattern is useful in short bursts when running from danger. However, prolonged chest breathing can contribute to coughing, hoarseness, tension headaches, chest tightness, shortness of breath and anxiety.
Belly breathing promotes a sense of calm relaxation. That's why it's typically part of mindfulness practices and yoga.
About 80% of people with chronic cough have more than one factor contributing to symptoms. These can include postnasal drip, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) , asthma, respiratory infections, throat dryness and inefficient chest breathing, which is an often-overlooked cough trigger. People with chronic coughs tend to adopt inefficient breathing habits.
Each of these conditions can aggravate the other, and the cough may persist unless the person addresses all contributing factors at the same time.
Research has indicated that people with GERD who practice belly breathing after eating reduce how often they experience acid reflux.
People with sleep apnea and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can find some relief with belly breathing, which helps them feel less short of breath and less anxious.
Belly breathing also can slow your heartbeat and lower or stabilize blood pressure.
Mayo Clinic's Pain Rehabilitation Centers in Minnesota, Florida and Arizona help people experiencing chronic pain find ways to alleviate or control the pain. One way is by using biofeedback to train patients to relax and breathe with their belly, not their chest.
Medications can't correct chest breathing. The only solution is practice and patience. Most people can improve their breathing patterns with enough time and attention. As a bonus, you may end up with fewer headaches and less anxiety.
To determine how you breathe, try this simple test:
Other signs that you're chest breathing include frequent sighing and yawning, which indicate you're not getting enough air into your lungs.
Relearning how to belly breathe takes practice. If you've ever taken a yoga class or done a mindfulness exercise, those activities usually start with belly-breathing practice.
Begin your training by repeating the test throughout the day while lying down, standing or sitting with your back straight. As you get more comfortable breathing from your belly, you can try it when you're more active, such as walking. Then, build your way up to practicing belly breathing while engaging in more vigorous activities such as working out, running, mowing the grass or dancing.
Don't worry if you revert to chest breathing. Think about it this way: Chest breathing will get you there, just like crawling does. But neither is very efficient. As a toddler, you spend countless hours, with plenty of falls and tumbles, learning how to walk so you can get from point A to point B most efficiently. Like walking, belly breathing will become normal to you. Be patient with yourself.
Not only is diaphragmatic or belly breathing efficient and powerful, but it's also free and has no side effects. Embrace belly breathing, and your body and mind will thank you. — Richard Crockett, M.D. , Immunology & Allergy Services, Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato and New Prague , Minnesota.
Mayo Clinic Q&A is an educational resource and doesn't replace regular medical care. Email a question to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.Edu. For more information, visit www.Mayoclinic.Org .
Pneumonia Management: 10 Yoga Asanas To Improve Blood Oxygen Circulation In Lungs
Pneumonia management tips: Here are the top 10 yoga asanas that can help improve blood oxygen circulation to the lungs, thus strengthening it especially during winter. Pneumonia Management: 10 Yoga Asanas To Improve Blood Oxygen Circulation In LungsPneumonia is a severe lung condition that is marked by an excess accumulation of fluid inside the lungs, leading to infection. When this infection is left untreated, it can inflame the air sacs in one or both lungs - causing the lungs to function optimally. Some of the warning signs of pneumonia include - cough with phlegm or pus, fever chills, and difficulty breathing.
While there are several ways to manage the condition and to keep the lungs healthy and safe, especially during the winter, in this article, we highlight the top 10 yoga asanas that you can perform daily to stay safe.
10 Yoga Asanas To Improve Blood Oxygen Circulation To Lungs NaturallyAre you worried about developing pneumonia? With the temperature dropping to level low, it is important to maintain a healthy routine -- especially working out regularly. Here are the top 10 yoga asanas that you must add to your routine to keep the lungs healthy and improve blood oxygen circulation.
Pranayama (Breath Control)Practice Pranayama daily in the morning to improve blood circulation to your lungs. This asana involves controlled breathing techniques that improve lung capacity and oxygenation.
Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)Bhujangasana, also known as cobra pose is the best posture that can help keep the lungs healthy. This asana helps open up the chest muscles and strengthen the lungs to deal with pneumonia like symptoms.
Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)Dhanurasana also known as the bow pose is the best posture that helps stretch the chest, abdomen, and lungs, promoting better oxygenation.
Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose)Try to add the bridge pose to your daily exercise routine to improve your lungs health. This pose elevates the chest and improves circulation to the lungs.
Ustrasana (Camel Pose)Ustrasana, also known as the camel pose is a great asana that can help keep your lungs healthy. This pose deeply stretches the chest and lungs, encouraging deeper breathing.
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog)Adho Mukha Svanasana also known as the downward facing dog asana can help strengthen lungs muscles and keep it safe from pneumonia. This posture helps enhance blood oxygen circulation to the organ and strengthen the respiratory muscles.
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Spinal Twist)Try to add twisting poses to your daily exercise routine to stimulate the lungs and improve their efficiency. Practice this postre daily for better results.
Matsyasana (Fish Pose)This pose opens the chest and throat, facilitating better airflow.
Tadasana (Mountain Pose)This foundational pose improves posture and encourages deep breathing.
Shavasana (Corpse Pose)This restorative pose promotes relaxation and improves overall respiratory function.
All the yoga asanas mentioned-above works great in keeping the lungs healthy and safe from the affects of pneumonia. These postures can naturally help strengthen the lungs muscles, thus enhancing blood circlation to the organ.
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Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: An Interstitial Lung Diseases That Cannot Be Reversed
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic interstitial lung disease characterized by progressive scarring of lung tissue, which impairs oxygen exchange and leads to breathing difficulties. Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: An Interstitial Lung Diseases That Cannot Be ReversedIdiopathic Pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a subset of interstitial lung diseases, where in the normal ageing of lung is augmented. It is characterised by fibrosis of the lung architecture which results in reducing the oxygen and carbon-di-oxide exchange capacity of the lung leading to respiratory failure.
As the name suggest 'Idiopathic' there is no exact cause identified. In few percentages, it may be inherited in a family. Most often, smoking is a contributory factor.
What Happens In Idiopathic Pulmonary FibrosisLung, as we know is the air filter of our body, it plays a crucial role in supplying oxygen to the body and gets rid of toxic gases, predominantly carbon-di-oxide, which are vital for survival. Being a huge organ, these vital functions are usually preserved until 70% of the lung functions are affected. This usually leads to delayed presentation and diagnosis. Early manifestations of IPF are dry cough not relieved by primary line of cough treatment. Breathlessness is usually masked with sedentary lifestyle, it only manifests on exertion. In IPF, symptoms are usually progressive in nature.
Why should you be worried about IPF?IPF is a serious condition, and you need to be aware of certain facts of this disease.
Late presentation: Usually, IPF is diagnosed in later stages of the disease. Several factors contribute for delayed diagnosis, chronic cough is usually managed by home remedies and at primary level of medical care. Breathlessness again may not be perceived as a warning sign unless an individual is involved in exertional activities. A chest Xray imaging is a poor tool in early stages of diagnosis.
Delayed diagnosis: A High Resolution Computed Tomography scan (HRCT) of the chest is the most sensitive tool currently available for diagnosis of IPF. An early level of suspicion of IPF and timely scan helps in early diagnosis. Its availability, cost of scan and radiation risk are a few common hurdles why they may not be prescribed to patients.
Unavailability of full proof treatment: As of now, we do have any medical management which can reverse lung fibrosis or can improve the affected lung functions. Anti-fibrotic drugs do have a role in few select patients which helps delay the progression of the diseases and stabilizing lung functions. Lung transplant is the only treatment, which after carefully selecting the right patients can be offered in IPF, to get rid of the disease.
What's the solution?Early diagnosis is the key. Due to lack of any corrective treatment the entire focus is on the preventive aspect.
If you want to delay the progression of the disease and improve your quality of life, you need to do the following
In suitable patients, lung transplant is the corrective treatment.
When to visit a PulmonologistIf you have the following symptoms, you need to visit a pulmonologist immediately.
(This article is authored by Dr. Vaibhav R. Kubal Consultant- Respiratory Medicine at Holy Family Hospital, Bandra, Mumbai)
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