Buteyko is a drug-free program of asthma control. The program consists of a series of breathing exercises and advice on asthma education and management. It involves breathing techniques which overcome the harmful effects of “hidden hyperventilation”, and works toward preventing it from occurring. The aim of the Buteyko method is to return breathing patterns to that of a normal healthy person.

Safe and natural breathing exercises tailored to the individual and depending on medical history, coupled with simple and easy to implement dietary and lifestyle changes.

When compared to the price of maintenance on a car or a new three-piece suite, Buteyko is very good value. This is a product that remains with you, helping to keep you in good health for the rest of your life. If you buy your own prescription, it is common to have made your money back in as little as a year.

Professor Buteyko, whilst completing his medical training, did a piece of work on breathing and health. He found that the sicker someone was, the more they breathed. So he set about exploring the connection between breath rate and disease. During periods of disease he found that the breath rate increased way over what is considered normal. He found that over 250 medical complaints responded favourably to breath reduction, the most noticeable being asthma.

The Buteyko Method requires no special clothing, and for adults all exercises are done sitting. The programme is more active for children. On Day 1 the physiological background to the Buteyko Method is explained and the exercises taught. Day 2 we look more closely at the exercises and cover diaphragmatic breathing. Day 3 the exercises are practiced and adjusted according to results, together with some simple dietary changes. Day 4 we look at lifestyle and physical exercise.

He/she probably does not yet know about the Buteyko Method. Some doctors do tell their patients about the Buteyko Method, and others will tell you that the method "will do no harm". Until the necessary trial work has been completed on Buteyko, it will only be very enlightened doctors, who perhaps have personal experience of the Buteyko Method, that will actually recommend the treatment.

More information is contained within our sister site, Buteyko Asthma and Health Care, including newspaper articles, conditions that can benefit, how you can tell if you are overbreathing, patient testimonials, and clinical trials and research findings.

Answer: The surname of Konstantin Pavlovich may be translated to English by three equivalent ways, as Buteyko=Buteiko=Butejko. It is not unique. For instance, one of the Ukrainian diplomats is Anton Butyeko, whose relation to Konstantin Buteyko is unknown. The closest relatives are: Maria Philippovna Buteyko, Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko's mother; buried in the village of Pervy Liman, Panino District, Voronezh Oblast.

Buteyko International practitioner training is open to persons involved in conventional or complementary health therapy. A basic understanding of human physiology combined with a caring personality is required .

Buteyko is taught successfully from children as young as four years old, to adults right up in their eighties. Adults and children learn different exercises, with teenagers usually learning both. It is necessary for those under eighteen years old to be accompanied by a parent or guardian, who attends free of charge. Buteyko is suitable for asthmatics ranging from the very mild to the most severe.

The Buteyko Method normalises breathing. The exercises result in a gradual reduction in the overall intake and output of breath. Oxygen levels remain optimal, as with normal rate breathing oxygen levels are 98%, but what does change are the levels of carbon dioxide that are exhaled. This important gas is produced in the body and serves to keep the airways open and improve oxygen absorption.

It is more correct to view the Buteyko Method as a method for controlling asthma symptoms. Once the programme has been adhered to for long enough to normalise breathing, symptoms cease to occur.

Children as young as five manage well, so it really only needs very basic skills to be able to master the method.

Not at present, though it is hoped that the NHS will adopt the Buteyko Method as frontline management for asthma in the future.

Bronchodilators are taken on a need to only basis according to British Thoracic Association guidelines. If during the course you get a reduction in symptoms then you simply reduce the amount of bronchodilator accordingly. Steroids should never be stopped unless under the guidance of your doctor, who when the time comes will be very happy to reduce/stop drugs you no longer need.

In the UK, the therapy has been featured on a number of television programmes including the BBC's 'QED' science programme and 'Inside Out', ITV's 'Tonight with Trevor McDonald' and the "Pride of Britain awards", and Channel 4's 'Richard and Judy' show. In addition several case study articles have appeared in various newspapers and magazines.

long as a child can follow simple instruction, they can learn the Buteyko Method. Generally I take children over five years old and up.

Yes. Stamina improves, and, if symptoms have been experienced during exercise, this gradually reduces to become an experience of the past.

Since each individual will have a unique medical history, I do not personally recommend videos. A video will address the problem in general. However, if it were impossible to get to a class for any reason, this option would be the best way forward.

A number of clinical trials and research studies have been or are being currently undertaken into the Buteyko Method. The latest published clinical trial was carried out at the Gisborne Hospital in New Zealand. The results were published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, Volume 116 in December 2003. asthmatics aged between 18 and 70 took part in the trial and were split into two groups.

Yes, I do. Apart from the free talks I give from time to time, it is also possible to attend the first night of a class free of charge should you wish to better understand what the course entails before you make the commitment to do a course.

Answer: See the list of the malaises overcome by means of a Buteyko Method. Your specific diagnosis will be taken into consideration only if you are going to visit us. In this case, please send us an electronic (or regular mail) message with a brief case report, current diagnosis, and a list of drugs taken in.

Answer: We strongly recommend using only the article: "The First-Hand Buteyko Method". See the "Popular Publications" page of this website. If this does not help, please do not begin experimenting, just turn to an expert.

Answer: Recommending a practitioner means bearing responsibility for their qualification. Unfortunately, we have no information about qualification of the majority of those declaring itself as the Buteyko practitioners. If such a question appears in the forum, it roots in the desire of practitioners from other places to advertise them free of charge, or rather at the expense of Voronezh Center and this website. So we can only list the parameters qualifying a practitioner.

Answer: The Buteyko Method is a system of principles and scientific conclusions that are impossible to protect by patents or other legal means. There are two patents pertaining to the Method. The first one is the "Method of Treatment of Hemohypocarbia", whose restrictive action has expired (the author and owner - K.P Buteyko). The other patent is still effective; it is the "Conscious Correction of Breathing" patent (author and owner is Margarita A. Buteyko from Cheliabinsk).

Patients are advised to limit their sporting activities to mild exercise for the first four weeks in order not to exacerbate breathing. Asthma Care provide correct training procedure for people with asthma which will result in greater fitness levels and minimum risk to condition. Once patients become accustomed to correct breathing, training and sporting activity are very recommended.