Asthma occurs in 1 in 10 Australians, 1 in 4 children and we have the highest death rate from asthma.  Asthmatics breath 3 to 4 times faster than normal.  But asthma is not the only reason we may have problems breathing.

Nor is scoliosis and weak muscles from a bout of polio the only other reason that polios may need to think about how we breath.
 

OVER ACHIEVERS RUN THE RISK OF OVER BREATHING.  And polio people are usually over achievers!

Over breathing or hyperventilation can result in muscle, tendon and joint pain.  It can cause chest tightness, chest pain and palpitations.  It can increase our response to pain.  It can lead to depression, asthma, hayfever, panic attacks, nightmares, brain fog, increased sweating, skin rashes, clammy skin and flushed faces.

Overbreathing can cause -

•  dizziness/light-headed/unsteadiness
•  tingling/numbness in fingers, lips and toes
•  shortness of breath/cough/tight chest
•  yawning, sighing and air hunger
•  poor concentration/memory loss
•  chest pain/palpitations/fast pulse
•  muscle stiffness/pain/ twitch and cramps
•  anxiety/ tension/ stress
•  dry mouth/difficulty swallowing
•  mouth breathing/bloating/belching/flatus
•  generalised weakness/fatigue/insomnia

Overbreathing can be brought on by -

•  stress/ anxiety
•  strenuous exercise or lack of exercise
•  poor posture/ tight clothing
•  dangerous situations/ fear
•  pain/ poor health/ surgery

So we can see that just the stresses of daily living with a disability can predispose to abnormal breathing patterns.  Here is a simple test to see if you are breathing correctly.

12-Breath Test
Take 12 rapid breaths and see if you develop any of the symptoms listed above.

DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING TEST
Place one hand on your tummy, the other on your chest.  Take a deep breath in and see which hand moves out.

If you breathed in through your nose and your tummy expanded first then you are using your diaphragm correctly.  If you breath in through your mouth, the chest will expand first and your tummy might have gone in instead of out!

When this happens you raise your shoulders and tense your muscles.  Shallow quick chest breathing results in loss of too much carbon dioxide (CO2) and this tends to make us too alkaline.  This changes the rate of metabolism of the whole body and makes us more susceptible to viruses and allergies.  Lowering of CO2 also increases excitability in nerve cells, leading to irritability, sleeplessness, stress, anxiety, fear and allergic reactions

Other factors causing poor breathing are limited mobility, lack of physical activity, over-eating, hot days and overheated, stuffy rooms.  (Do we open all the windows and doors every-day to air the house off like our parents did?)

So this may explain why a lot of polios develop asthma and other problems related to overbreathing.

HOW TO CORRECT POOR BREATHING
Hand on tummy, lips together, relax jaw and shoulders,
breath in low and slow - 2 - 3 expanding your waist;
hold the breath in - 2 - 3; out slowly - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5.

If you get short of breath Stop, Drop (shoulders) Flop (relax) Count slow breaths.

Get your rate down to 12/min. Practise this as often as you can each day.
 
 

RETURN TO MAIN PAGE