In a recent study, Fedrica Campigotto MD, Luca Pomidori, PhD, Tara Man Amatya, Luciano Bernardi, MD, and Annalisa Cogo, MD researched the effects of deep, slow abdominal breathing on COPD symptoms. Patients who practiced this power breathing experienced less shortness of breath and increased oxygen absorption. (“Efficacy and Tolerability of Yoga Breathing in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Pilot Study.” Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, March/April 2009).
Suzanne Andrews, an occupational therapy practitioner with extensive experience treating patients with COPD, states, " Beating COPD and asthma begins with learning how your muscles help you to breathe. Your diaphragm, which covers the lower chest area, helps you draws air into the lungs. Your abdominal muscles work with the diaphragm when you exhale. And the intercostal muscles around your ribs allow the ribcage to expand when you inhale."
Suzanne Andrews, host of Functional Fitness on PBS TV, has medically documented the results of specific fitness and breathing exercises that focus on improving functional lung capacity. Using a pulseoximeter, a device that measures oxygen saturation and heart rate, Andrews has medically documented how specific breathing and pulmonary fitness increases oxygen saturation up to 10 points and lowers heart rate to a healthier rate within 10 seconds. A healthy person has an oxygen saturation of 90 and up. However, people with COPD fall below that line. Andrew's often begins treatment with patients who's oxygen is in the 70 - 80's. Through specific pulmonary rehabilitation techniques, she has successfully increased peoples o2 to that of a healthy person enabling the person to live a fuller life with more energy.
These techniques can be found in the newly released Functional Fitness COPD/Asthma DVD.
Doctors are now making Functional Fitness COPD/Asthma DVD available to their patients and it is also available at
http://www.healthwiseexercise.com/
