July, 2010

I have been under the care of Thomas and Sasha Yakovlev-Fredricksen and their Staff Members at Buteyko Center USA for the past 8 weeks, I sought out their assistance because I was very concerned about my breathing.  It didn't seem like anything I was doing was working properly.  My breathing got worse and I worried more and more about it.  I was diagnosed with COPD and placed on several forms of medication, all of them helped some.  I was told by my General Practitioner, Cardiologist and Pulmonary Physicians to lose weight. 

I quit smoking 5 years ago and gained about 10 extra pounds per year.  My ability to exercise was becomming more and more restricted by these circumstances, even though I did continue to train and ride my bike.  I tried several diets including Atkins and Weight Watchers, they helped me to stop my weight from increasing but I was not losing as much as I needed to.  My daughter told me about a program her stepfather was on that had helped him with asthma.  I talked to him, reached Buteyko Center USA and here I am!

My breathing is much better, it gets better every day, I am on a very aggressive exercise program including weight training, walking, stretching and bike riding.  I do my personalized Buteyko Breathing Program as instructed everyday, I get the message and I follow the dietary guidelines.  I have lost 18 pounds and will lose another 30 during the next six months.  I am no longer afraid.  This is working and it will continue to work, I clearly have a new lease on life.  THE BUTEYKO METHOD WORKS IF YOU WORK FOR IT!!!!!!!


Herb Birch
President and CEO
HBHMC
Ocean City, NJ

                                                                                                                                       Back to Top

April, 2010

Until I applied the Buteyko Method, I suffered from asthma attacks, or the threat of one, since was a small child. My condition was triggered by exercise, dust, animals and who knows what else. For almost fifty years I took asthma medication every day: including, at one point or another; advair, ventolin, flovent, serevent and ephedrine. While I led a healthy lifestyle, exercising every day, eating wholesome food and trying to reduce allergens in my home, I was dependent upon pharmaceutical drugs to give me the feeling that I could breathe with comfort.

My asthma seemed well under control using advair every night, but I worried about the side effects, having read the long list that comes with each prescription. I was also tired of shelling out close to $200 for each refill as my insurance didn’t cover it. When I came across the New York Times article, I thought “What have I got to lose?” I bought the Buteyko Method CD and through diligent application of the methods given thereon, I was able to get stop my inhaler use within a few weeks. However, my recovery felt rocky and I was intrigued as to how far this practice could be taken, so I enrolled in the Buteyko Method and Lifestyle program. I’m happy to say, it has freed me from my dependence on drugs and now I enjoy having the knowledge that I need not have an asthma attack again.

But it goes beyond that. (“But wait, there’s more!”) I feel better in my physical being than I have in years. I now live my life in a more relaxed state, I find the time to drive more slowly and don’t feel so offended by the bad habits of other drivers, I have more clarity of thought, greater concentration and a general overall improvement in health. In yoga, my body seems to be gaining elasticity at a faster pace and my muscles recover more quickly.  While others around me seem to be suffering from allergies, mine have not bothered me. My guitar playing is more focused and even my singing has improved! I find I need less sleep and so have gained the time in which to do the exercises. I feel better than I have in years.

Consequently, I want to offer my thanks to my teachers, Thomas and Sasha Yakovlev-Fredricksen, to their teachers Konstantin Buteyko, Ludmila Buteyko and Andrey Novozhilov, to Buteyko Center Program Coordinator, Jesse Steinberg, and to everyone else who has helped bring the Buteyko breathing method into my life.

I am very happy to be involved with the programs being offered by the Buteyko Center USA and I look forward with great excitement to learning more and gaining greater understanding of the Buteyko Method. I have enrolled to become a practitioner so that I can help share this remarkable discovery and guide those who seek a holistic, gentle remedy for asthma, and other conditions, in Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region as a whole. 

Thank you to all of you who have helped and guided me thus far to make my life so much better.

Richard Bannister
Columbia, MD

                                                                                                                                       Back to Top

April, 2010

Thank you, Sasha, Thomas and Jesse; you are so kind! Out of the kindness of your hearts and your wish to benefit, you taught me the Buteyko Method. This method helped you to overcome your own breathing difficulties and now your experience is helping me to recover from my difficulties. I am determined to continue applying this method and hope that as a result my asthma will get cured completely. I am eternally grateful to you and will never forget your generosity in sharing this breathing technique with me. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Bodhicitta, a mind-stream dedicated towards enlightenment and benefiting others, is precious. Where it is not born yet, may it be born. Where it is born, may it not diminish but increase further and further.

Venerable Traga Rinpoche,
Albuquerque, NM

                                                                                                                                       Back to Top

April, 2010

Email: 
"I just want to tell you that these Buteyko exercises are nothing short of a miracle. As far as I'm concerned, I no longer have asthma. Twice a day, before breakfast and before supper, I'm sitting down for 30 to 40 minutes of relaxing into reduced breathing. I sometimes fidget for a while, and I'm sort of bumbling, but I'm going through the day and night with a clear chest, not a trace of congestion in my throat, and when, after talking a lot, or at various other times I begin to feel my airway getting congested, I just concentrate on "sleeping baby breathing" which is how I think of it. I have an imaginary creature, a little white furry animal, who has been part of my life for a while, and this little creature sits comfortably inside my belly while I breathe, all surrounded and enfolded by co2! :-)

It is nearly instantaneous that any tightness clears all by itself in a few minutes just by sitting there and letting my breathing relax. I'm keeping my mouth shut all the time. (I always thought I breathed through my nose all the time, but now I know that wasn't the case!)

I've stopped taking any Flovent. I had already cut my puffs in half from two to one, so the stopping wasn't completely sudden. I haven't felt anything but much, much much better. I'm not going back. The reduced breathing, morning and afternoon and in between, is part of me from here on. I am astounded, astonished and also angry that something so simple, so close at hand, so life-saving, should be so unknown and unused by doctors and all the millions of people who struggle miserably with asthma medications. If it hadn't been for my voice loss (I love to sing; I love my voice!) and  the more or less constant feeling of soreness and irritation from the inhaler, I might still be going that route. One day last week I just couldn't stand it any more, and I went to the library and checked out every book they had on asthma. One of them was about the Buteyko Method, and that was what led me to the internet, and to your center in Woodstock.

I am so grateful! I've been at this for all of about five days, and the asthma is as good as dead. I know what to do when it pokes its head in the door, and then it's gone. I have an unopened package of Flovent by the bathroom sink which I had just gotten. It is my little symbolic triumph that it's going to stay unopened.

At this stage I'm only doing the first exercise... I don't really know what I'm doing, but this quiet little baby sleeping in my stomach and the little animal come quite naturally to me. It is a total miracle so far, and that is all I need.

 
Julia Drury
Pittsfield, MA

                                                                                                                                       Back to Top

April, 2010

Dear Thomas,

I wanted to thank you for sharing the Buteyko Method with me.  It’s one of the most amazing things I have ever done in my life.

I learned of the Buteyko method many years ago and even bought a tape from Australia on how to do the method.  For some reason, I never watched it in its entirety and never applied the techniques even though I suffered from asthma.

As I explained when we first talked, I have had asthma and have used an inhaler at least twice a day for nearly 30 years, essentially all my adult life. 

I am a holistic chiropractor, an acupuncturist and nutritionist in private practice since 1978.  I have been a Kundalini Yoga practitioner and teacher for over 35 years and, as you know, breathing techniques are an integral part of yoga.  I have studied these wonderful healing arts out a passion for understanding the road to health to help my patients and I have diligently applied what I’ve learned to help heal myself.  I have attempted to correct my asthma all these years with all these techniques, with no permanent relief.

A few months ago a friend sent me the NY Times article on Buteyko Center USA.  I saw the title Buteyko and filed it away for future reading.  After all, near the very top of my goal list for the last 30 years I wrote “study and implement Buteyko” but never took the necessary actions steps.

While I was studying to teach yogic breathing techniques to future yoga teachers in November of 2009, I ran across a statement from my yoga teacher to practice a specific mantra that “would solve all breathing problems”.  I committed to chanting the mantra daily for 31 minutes and sat back waiting for the results.

Four or five days later I stumbled upon the NY Times article buried in my inbox and decided to call your center “right now” to find a local referral for a practitioner to finally start learning and implementing the Buteyko method.  To my dismay, you said there was no local teacher but that we could do long distance learning via the internet.  I reluctantly agreed to give it a shot, my hopes and prayers for resolution of my asthma and my newly found mantra prodding me on.

During the fall of 2009, my asthma had taken a turn for the worse, prompting me to use my rescue inhaler 3 or 4 times a week in addition to my preventative inhaler.  I even went to a new doctor to see about getting a different prescription, dreading the idea of having to take an inhaler with steroids.

Within a few days of our first session, I stopped needing my rescue inhaler but continued on with my Buteyko practices, encouraged.  After a few weeks I felt stabilized but I still needed the preventative inhaler twice a day and started feeling discouraged.  After all, maybe this Buteyko method wasn’t good enough to cure my asthma completely in six weeks even though I’d suffered nearly 30 years.  Strange how impatience makes us think funny things.

During our next consult I expressed my frustration and you patiently explained that the Buteyko practices had to actually be done 3 times a day (like you had instructed me) and that I should have patience.  Within a few days of re-committing to my exercises, my asthma dramatically improved and my need for the inhalers dramatically decreased.  With my doctor’s blessing, I was able to completely wean myself from the inhalers.

It’s been over six weeks now since I’ve last used an inhaler.  I still do my breathing and relaxation exercises 3 times a day and I still stick to my diet fastidiously.  And I’ve clearly recognized that when my chest feels tight, when I feel like I might have an attack, I can just take a break, do my breathing and the attack will stop.  Even though the chiropractic, acupuncture and dietary/supplement regimens I received all helped some, the breathing was the key component to my relief.

This is a miracle.  I thank you and your staff from the depths of my being.  I only pray that all people who suffer from any kind of breathing difficulties find this wonderful Buteyko method and can be relieved from the burden of inhaling their life from a drug instead of breathing easily, freely and consciously through their own, healed bodies.

Humbly yours,

Dr. Gurusahay Khalsa
Dunwoody, GA

                                                                                                                                       Back to Top

April, 2010

Although I did not initially enroll in the Buteyko Workshop, I drove my wife, Judy, more than 300 miles one way to Woodstock, NY, so that she could participate in it. Judy had had such a terrible time with chronic obstructive asthma following a January surgery. The procedure was a simple surgery on the elbow which went well but the anesthesia was mismanaged. In the aftermath of that I was willing to try in any way to help her find a possible solution to her difficulty.

Perhaps I was a little bit like Abraham of old, called to leave his home and journey with his wife to a faraway place. Unlike Abraham, I traveled symbolically from a position of caution and some skepticism about what I was hearing regarding the Buteyko Method while observing it from a distance to a kind of promised land or at least a land of new beginnings as I met and began to appreciate Thomas and Sasha who were the presenters at the workshop.

Undoubtedly a major signpost enabling me to travel this route from skepticism to openness and later even appreciation is the spirituality inherent in and integral to the program which Thomas and Sasha shared in the workshop and with me personally. In fact the spiritual component they talked about helped to put me back in touch with some spiritual disciplines which I need to refocus on myself.

Most impressively along this journey has been the observation that Judy has been significantly helped in her energy level, her diminishing need for rescue inhalers, her sense of self-confidence and her overall outlook on life.

A serendipitous discovery along the way which has made the connection to Buteyko even more special for me is the fact that Thomas’s first pastor who also baptized him was a senior colleague of mine in Carlisle Presbytery where we served in different churches.

While some mystery still remains about how the method works (being more of a theologian than a physiologist), the fact that it does make a positive difference for people is a worthy commendation for consideration by others also seeking help with respiratory issues in particular. And part of what helped me to become comfortable with the Buteyko concept is the very fact that they urge people to maintain contact with their regular doctors and not to throw away their medicine, but to take what they need.

Furthermore I was particularly impressed with the on-going connections with medical communities in the United States as well as in Russia where it began as well as efforts to connect with research medical institutions in the United States, such as the Institutes of National Health, to further explore and give credibility to the method within the medical community in our own country.

Reverend Robert Dent, Presbyterian Minister
Topsham, ME

                                                                                                                                       Back to Top

April, 2010

With asthma always in the forefront of my life, and worsening as I age, a caring friend gave me an article to read from a November 2009,  New York Times that sang the praises of the Buteyko Center USA where a holistic breathing method is taught for the cure of asthma and all that it affects. Sounds interesting, I thought, but with my asthma relatively under control and being busy, I set the article aside.

In January of 2010, after an anesthetic mishap and a horrendous time with prednisone,  I was feeling depressed and a bit desperate just trying to get my breathing under control.  It was then that I remembered the NY Times article!  Reading it, I went on-line, and soon discovered a tremendous web site at buteykocenterusa.com that was full of very encouraging, useful information, and miracle of miracles, a two day weekend workshop was coming up in just a short time!  I was desperate enough to sign up on the spot, although I wondered what I was getting myself into…. it can’t hurt, I thought.  And I can always leave!

Not only did I not leave the workshop with its many convincing and healed participants, but the leaders, Thomas (himself healed) and Sasha Yakovlev-Fredricksen, spent many hours teaching all of us the beginning breathing techniques that make the Buteyto Method so special and unique.  They interacted with each participant individually, invited my husband who had driven me to sit in on some sessions, and perhaps because I was in such bad shape personally,  they really took me under their Buteyko  ‘angels wings’… and suggested that I continue to work with them.

The Buteyko Workshop was four weeks ago, as I write.  I did sign on for 10 more sessions, some via Skype, and I have now spent those 4 weeks practicing breathing with my mouth closed, and doing the special Buteyko Method breathing exercises. I’m already beginning to feel like a new woman:  I no longer use my rescue inhaler(!) as I had been doing 2-3 times a day;  the previous heavy, wet cough that I had when I  leaned over has disappeared;  the color is returning to my face;  the energy is returning to my step;  I have not napped for the last two days, not even cat-napped.  

I was in a compromising position mold-wise today for about an hour, which I didn’t realize because I didn’t lose my voice as I usually do.  After the mold was discovered in an adjacent area I began practicing my Buteyko exercises and there have been no ill effects!  This is only the beginning – this is only one month!  I am now a wholehearted believer in the Buteyko Method, including it’s spiritual component, which greatly enhances the benefits for me and for many others. 

Thank you, Thomas and Sasha, with all my heart!  

One Month Later...

In the month since my first write-up I am doing quite well.  I am more energetic with good practicing and numbers consistently in the upper teens and low twenties - a big change from the original 1's, 2's, and 3's!  My blood sugars are normalizing nicely, and I even purchased an adult tricycle and am thoroughly enjoying the now regular exercise, at last! 

Judy Dent
Topsham, ME

                                                                                                                                       Back to Top

March, 2010

Email:
"Dear Sasha & Thomas,
 
Just wanted to say thank you for a wonderful weekend.
 
I was rather skeptical about the workshop and how it would help me given the nature of the topic before I arrived.  Not only was the entire weekend informational but it provided me with a perspective and a realization of how blessed I am to be healthy (at least free of asthma).  Thank you.  Meeting you both was a wonderful experience.
 
I look forward to working with you both and pursuing the Buteyko Method.
 
With love and gratitude,"
 
Zenia Ayrton
Pittsburgh, PA

                                                                                                                                       Back to Top

March, 2010

I am happy to report that at my most recent check up my pulmonologist reported that my pulmonary function tests registered the best scores since I was diagnosed with asthma, even though I am no longer taking any medication.

By way of background, I had trouble breathing through my nose for as long as I can remember and had been told by many doctors over a 40 year period that my turbinates were enlarged, blocking my nasal passages.  At around age 50, I started intensive cycling training, always breathing through my mouth.  Around age 54 I developed a milk protein sensitivity (not lactose intolerance nor allergy) and at 58 asthma.  On one long bike ride in August 2008, my coughing was so intense, I had to end the ride after 90 miles.  Albuterol only made the coughing worse.  That is when I consulted a pulmonologist who told me my lungs were at 50% capacity, inflamed and "angry."  Eventually, I wound up using a cocktail of meds via a nebulizer for a month followed by symbicort, 2 puffs twice a day to control the asthma.  Less drastic medicines did not stop the cough.

Then in November 2009, I read about the Buteyko method in the New York Times and called Thomas.  In late November, I began to self treat using Buteyko ideas and I started Skype sessions with Thomas when his schedule permitted in early December.  Breathing through my nose and doing 'less breathing exercises' led to a clear nose.  The turbinates are normal.  By Christmas I was off symbicort and only taking a steroid, at much lower dosages.  It took another 5 or 6 weeks to taper off of that.  I continue to do Buteyko exercises and have worked them into my daily routine.  I keep my meds handy, but have not taken any for almost 2 months now.

I tried some cheese recently and found that my reaction was minimal, almost unnoticed.  I have not gone back to dairy, instead mostly following the Buteyko vegan recommendation.  But, I no longer live in dread of a restaurant mistake.  I suspect that the benefits of breathing through my nose will extend beyond asthma control and elimination of digestive problems.  Make no mistake, I still have asthma.  Occasionally I will have a cough, tight chest or some phlegm (although these happen less frequently as time passes).  But, these symptoms can be chanted away or eliminated with breath relaxation techniques.  Obviously this is not all psychological since nasal blockage is gone and objective lung function tests are normal and better than when I was on powerful medications. 

I had to cut back on intense exercise during this period and am only now gradually ramping up my efforts.  But, I can perform today at levels with calm breathing that seemed impossible a month ago. Anyone with breathing problems short change themselves by not giving the Buteyko method a try.

Thank you for all your help,
 
Larry Arem
Merion Station, PA
                                                                                                                                       Back to Top

March, 2010

Email:
"Hello Drakon and Sasha,

It's 4:53 am and I've just done two 1/2 hour sets of exercises.  When I woke up I was tight and so did the first set.  After that I felt better but not sure I would be able to actually lay down and fall asleep so I did a second one.  Now I feel great.

Thank you both so much.  I had extremely high expectations for the workshop as I already practiced Buteyko and had had significant results in the past. I signed up for the weekend because I wanted inspiration and support to continue my practice and get myself off all asthma medication for good.  I'm
confident I can do that now and I have you two (and all the great support people that were there this weekend) to thank.

I look forward to doing more but right now I'm not sure what that will be.  Maybe the Buteyko in motion or a couple Skpye sessions, not sure.  I definitely want to come to Woodstock again.  It was a great experience.

Thank you!!!"

Christine Schrempp
New York City
                                                                                                                                       Back to Top

March, 2010

Email:
"Dear Thomas, Sasha, Cody, Jesse, Charles, Mike, & Ilene,

Thank you so much for all of your hard work to make the workshop a success!!  I really enjoyed meeting all of you and learning what you had to share. My goodness!  What a lot of valuable information!  Although it was quite a push for me to be in a class for all of those hours, I got so much out of it.  The Buteyko Method seems to have so much to offer me.  Thanks for giving us all hope with such a difficult and scary illness.  I so enjoyed my weekend workshop.  Have a great week!

Love, Leigh

PS Charles, thanks again for truly listening to me and adapting suggestions to my situation.  I will follow your recommendations."

Leigh K. Conway
Dover, NH
                                                                                                                                       Back to Top

March, 2010

Email:
"Dear Jesse, 

Kate, my three year old daughter, has been doing great, knock knock on wood... :)  We are still doing exercises twice a day on a regular basis, and she has gotten into a habit of breathing through the nose all the time... I am very impressed with the results, as we've been having all our windows open, the pollen counts are high, everyone is coughing and sneezing, but her nose remains clear... She sleeps with open windows, plays outside, runs, jumps, and has been off Claritin and Nasonex for 3.5 weeks now!  Since her allergies have always been pretty mild, I think that the nose breathing has really made a difference...

Her asthma has also been pretty much under control... She is still on her costeroid (Flovent) inhaler twice a day, and I am just waiting for her to get a cold to see if she weathers it without a bronchodilator.  Once that happens, I'll request re-evaluation and lowering the dosage of the Flovent as well... So I'm just waiting for that cold - how crazy...  She hasn't had a cold for over a month now...  :)
 
It really made such a huge difference to have that Skype session with you!  I am pretty sure that doing the exercises correctly is the only reason for our normal life right now.  Thank you again so much!!! :)"

Olga Wharton
Flower Mound, TX
                                                                                                                                       Back to Top

February, 2010

Email:
“Hey Jesse, just to let you know, today has been the best day yet.  Tuesday I used my albuterol much too much and had a terrible night Monday into Tuesday morn.  But after calling Buteyko Hotline and speaking with you, I tried what you suggested.  Yesterday was great.  Today's the best day yet.  Thank you!"

Another email in a few days:
“I'm so grateful for an alternative to inhaled steroids.  I feel so, so much better not taking Advair!  I can't tell you how great it is!  After 10 years chained to that medicine and wondering about the adverse side effects and not feeling well for so long, I am so happy to be free of it!”

Another email:
“Jesse, your suggestions were excellent!  No problems since that day - I keep reminding myself not to automatically reach for that rescue inhaler (old habits die hard), but it's been working.  Yesterday I didn't even need to use it upon waking, or today either.  Cold air earlier this evening did make me use it without thinking.  Not the next time this happens though!  I did it without thinking and wasn't breathing through my nose then.  So next time...”

Barbara Capalbo
Westchester County, NY
                                                                                                                                       Back to Top

January, 2010

My name is Dante Desario and I’m 13 years old. I’ve had bad asthma all of my life. I went to all types of doctors for years on end, while taking various medications that didn’t seem to be doing anything. About a month ago, my parents discovered an article in the New York Times about Buteyko Center USA, so we decided to try it out.

When I first started Buteyko, my body was in bad condition. My nose was always badly stuffed up and I would breathe heavily out of my mouth all the time. If I ran up a big hill, or just went for a jog, I would need my inhaler. My body could handle exercise, but it could not handle my asthma.

When I arrived at the Buteyko Center, I could barely do a breath hold of 3 seconds! Now, a month later, I can easily do a breath hold of 20 seconds. And my nose is clear most of the time, for the first time in my life! Each week I get on my computer and work online with one of the practitioners (Jesse Steinberg) and do my exercises with his instructions. By changing my diet and practicing the exercises, I have greatly improved in a very short period of time. And now I can run three miles without difficulty! Thanks Buteyko Center!

Dante Desario
New York City
                                                                                                                                       Back to Top

 January, 2010

I had a demanding job and a growing family; after I was admitted into the hospital at age 41 I decided I couldn’t maintain my lifestyle and my health so I resigned from my job. The stress in my life dropped 100 fold. I had only one significant health issue after that, but ultimately was able to live free of all drugs and feel well for over 2 years. Then, while living out of the country, I came down with a significant respiratory infection. The drugs were launched in force – regular nebulizing, a myriad of progressively stronger antibiotics, prednisone, inhalers; the list felt endless. My body became accustomed to the prednisone and stopped producing cortisol. I became adrenal insufficient; my adrenal glands dried up – no energy, constant weight loss, headaches and consistent mood swings. I contracted pneumonia twice this past winter. And the mucus production in my chest was unending. My life was controlled by what felt like my never ending illness. In summary, I was a mess!

The medical community’s answer was always more drugs. I took them while always feeling they never really made a difference. The only drugs I knew for sure were effective were prednisone and the antibiotics, and they both terrified me. The inhalers and the nebulizer could best be described as murky in their effectiveness. I felt like my body could heal itself if given the chance and that my state of health was worsened by the barrage of potent drugs. I was on a constant journey to find good health. The medical community made me paranoid telling me it was allergies making me sick – I was afraid of everything, believing I was under siege from my environment. I sought out a variety of alternative medicines. I also knew my breathing wasn’t right – it seemed jumpy and irregular.

I finally found the Buteyko Method. So much of what the material said resonated with my experience. And I welcomed the opportunity to talk with people who knew what I had gone through because they had traveled the same road. I have been practicing the Buteyko Method for three months and intend to continue until I am cured. I have been very disciplined in adhering to the routine and moving along to new exercises with Sasha’s guidance. My starting Control Pause was 12. It is now a fairly reliable 30 or better. After doing the chant Om Mani Peme Hum it can be 60! The first time it happened I thought I must have done something wrong or I was delusional. It was neither. My mucus production and coughing have diminished significantly. I lead a nearly normal lifestyle and it is wonderful! I still have challenging days, but year-over-year, my health condition is like night and day. And best of all, the breathing exercises and Skype sessions with Sasha have given me the confidence that I can “be me” again – a priceless gift for which I will always be grateful.
                         

Celeste Cobb,
Redding, CT                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                     Back to Top
 

October, 2009

For as long as I can remember I have been searching for an explanation and a possible treatment for my lifelong condition of asthma and chronic bronchitis.  Four months ago, by pure luck, I came across an article about the Buteyko Method. The initial simple explanation "asthma can be triggered by breathing too much" immediately caught my attention like nothing else before.

The next days and weeks I read as much as I could about the method and tried to apply it on myself. I soon realized that I needed professional help and by another strike of luck I found the Buteyko Center USA and the possibility to connect with them via Skype.  Sasha and Thomas has been good teachers and I am impressed by their abilities to tune in to my specific needs and issues. I am extremely glad that I decided to invest in my education with them. We work through a live web-cam which works extremely well.

The benefits so far have been many:
• I need less sleep and feel more energetic.
• I feel calmer and have less anxiety.
• The aches in joints and muscles have disappeared and I am more flexible.
• My breathing has improved, and most important, I have by several occasions been able to reverse an aggravating of my condition by doing breathing excersices. When I could only hope and pray before, I now know how to improve the situation.

I have been sick for 45 years, of course I am by no means cured. But the results so far have convinced me that this is the way to go.

Ingrid Mortensen
Oslo, Norway
                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                          Back to Top

September, 2009

                                                                                                                                         Back to Top

September, 2009

It all started when I was ten years old and came down with pneumonia. After my recovery, I started getting asthma attacks whenever I went out to play with the other kids. The doctors said I developed severe allergies, needed allergy shots and an awful tasting liquid medication. The treatment helped but did not stop it. I would still get severe attacks, just less frequently. As the years went by the doctors said that I would grow out of it as I got older. It eased up slightly until 1985 when I ended up in the hospital with a life threatening asthma attack. I spent three days there, was given more medication and told that an attack this severe could happen again at anytime. I continued on using the medication and staying away from the triggers. In 2006 I came down with pneumonia again, but this time it was worse. I spent one month on steroid inhalers and prednesone. I was told I needed to stay on steroids the rest of my life. With this treatment I started to develop stomach problems which meant I needed another medication.

September, 2009       

                                                                                                                                          Back to Top
 

September, 2009

I am extremely impressed with the benefits of the Buteyko Breathing Method as I have only been practicing for one month. I am much more perceptive and aware of my breathing and needless tension and stress. I have been able to shift my mouth breathing to nose breathing quicker than I thought as well as lengthen the pause after the exhale. I have not used my rescue inhaler or nebulizer since I started. I look forward to deepening the magnificent calm I am experiencing. The breath is the only mechanism we have to consciously access the unconscious nervous system at a profound level and I feel it. The support and attention I have received from Buteyko Center USA is excellent and I highly recommend this practice.

September 2009
 

The Buteyko Method of breathing is revolutionary in many ways primarily because 99% of us don't breathe properly the way were meant to breathe. For me, it was an eye-opening experience that is confirmed with practice and results which continues today. It is a lifestyle...this way of breathing...but it can only be taught and learned with practice and the results are remarkable. The practices eventually transform into good habits and the benefits that come from it are well worth the effort.

August 2009
 

I came to the Buteyko Breathe-less system by accident, or by fate, depending on how one sees things. My wife Doris phoned Thomas and Sasha after seeing a poster promoting a workshop. During the conversation, she told them of my exercise-induced asthmatic condition. They then invited us to tea at their lovely studio. After much discussion, we both enrolled in the Breathe-less program.

Charles LaBarre,
M.S., L.Ac., Licensed Acupuncturist
Woodstock, NY

August 2009
 

As mentioned by Charles LaBarre, Buteyko came into our life by chance, but most probably with a purpose. Not suffering from asthma, my participation in the program was at the beginning mainly in support of my husband and his lung problems that doctors had not been able to diagnose conclusively. My amazement was great when I learnt about the many other possible healing effects the Buteyko Method can have on a great variety of health issues and imbalances.  I am just an ordinary person in reasonably good health, but with a number of things that are “wrong” with my health which is not surprising at my ripe age of 66. To my surprise I woke up to the fact that I have been a very intense “hyperventilator” all my life and have embarked on reconditioning myself to reduced nose breathing.

 August 2009
 

I am writing a short note to let you know my thoughts on my experience with the Butekyo Center USA.

When I first met with Sasha and Thomas in Woodstock, I had been diagnosed with mild Asthma and/or Panic Attacks. (The diagnosis came from the Emergency Room at Vassar Hospital). I was given Xanax, a daily inhaler, and a rescue inhaler from the Doctors in the ER. I do not like to take medicine, and I searched for breathing exercises that would help me live a life without Xanax or an inhaler. This is how I fortunately found the Buteyko Center. 

 July 2009
 

Before beginning the Breathe Less course I was having great difficulty breathing because of asthma and allergies. Through Sasha and Thomas' insight and the Buteyko breathing exercises, I have felt an immense shift in my breathing. In less than one week of doing the breathing exercises, the wheezing and tightness in my chest and throat were nearly gone. Through breathing less I quickly discovered the patterns and habits that were contributing to my breathing problems. I now have more energy, I eat less and I have not needed to use my inhaler. I am a dancer and I take yoga and ballet classes, and I rehearse every week. Breathing less has helped me do all these things without experiencing any asthma problems. Thomas and Sasha were very encouraging throughout and always available to answer my many questions.
 

July 2009

Dear "Dr. Thomas,"

Three weeks ago , before we first spoke, I felt that my life was about to end, I had constant
asthma, a lot of wheezing and I was very short of breath. I couldn't even walk up the stairs in my own house; much less ride my bicycle. I felt as if I never slept through the night. I might get 3 hours but I woke up "in trouble" several times a night. Believe me, I was in a lot of stress and scared by not being able to breathe.

Today after a several phone conversations with you and following your advice the best I can, I feel a lot better! I am learning how to breathe correctly and last night I was able to sleep a full 5-6 hours. I can only imagine what is going to happen when I formally start my first course this week. I am learning to control my asthma. I want to thank you for all of your time and advice which you have donated to me as I arrange my finances. I also want to thank you for the warmth and caring in your voice when you talk to me. You are an inspiration, thank you again.

By the way; I now have no more wheezing. Gracias Amigo!

A happy and content client,

Edwardo Diaz
Orlando Florida

 July 2009

Thank You Buteyko Center USA! With your help, I have not had an ear infection for over six months. Before this time, I would get an ear infection, go to the doctor, and get antibiotics. My ear infection would go away only to come back in a couple of weeks. It was very scary and frustrating. After applying the breathing methods Sasha taught me my ear infections have not come back! Now, I am very aware of my breathing and not afraid of ear infections. Thanks!

Cole Larsen
Woodstock, New York

David Wiebe
Woodstock, New York

I have personally been asthmatic most for my adult life. The Buteyko Method works!

As a Board Certified Internal Medicine Physician for 32 years, I have treated hundreds of asthmatic patients.

The obvious questions with asthmatics are always:

I had never asked anyone if they were chronically hyperventilating.

Obviously, even if they were, they wouldn’t know they were.

This method of asthma control and theory of the physiologic basis of asthma has a tremendous amount of anatomic, physiologic and pathologic support.

The important thing to understand about how the body works is the concept of homeostasis (i.e. keeping everything as it is)

The body controls a number of factors very carefully:

The most closely controlled factor is acid base. The lungs can quickly change the PH of the body by holding onto carbon dioxide (CO2) or getting rid of CO2. As CO2 goes up the PH drops (more acid). As CO2 goes down, the PH goes up (more basic or alkalotic). It is CO2, not Oxygen (O2) that drives our respiratory system and determines the rate at which you breathe.

The body delivers Oxygen to the organs and tissue by attaching the oxygen to the hemoglobin molecule of the blood. The blood circulates around the body and gives up the oxygen to the tissues. The ease with which the oxygen is released to the body tissue is determined by the oxygen/hemoglobin dissociation curve, which is greatly controlled by body PH.

As CO2 levels go up, the PH drops (becomes more acid or acidotic). The body likes to be slightly on the acid side because as the blood PH shifts to the acid side of the equation, there is a shift in the oxygen/hemoglobin dissociation curve which allows oxygen to be delivered more easily to all the organs and muscle tissue of the body. When the CO2 level drops, the opposite happens and the body doesn’t get the oxygen off the blood hemoglobin molecules as easily and you feel tired, achy and just plain lousy.

So, the concept that asthmatics are chronically hyperventilating thus lowering CO2 levels and raising the PH is very interesting. This means that asthmatics are always a little on the basic/alkalotic side of the equation thus making it harder for our bodies to get the oxygen out of the blood.

The Buteyko method is really very simple - it says that because the body very closely monitors PH, as asthmatics hyperventilate and lower their blood CO2 levels and raise their PH, the bodies natural response is to retain CO2, drop the ph and give more O2 to the tissues. The easiest way to do this is to constrict the airways so the lungs can’t blow out the CO2.

(Even though it feels like we can’t get a good breath in, asthma is really a disease of restricted expiration not inspiration)

This can be corrected by slowing down the breathing rate, thus increasing CO2 levels in the lungs and blood therefore alleviating the bronchial constriction, raising the CO2 level and lowering the PH so more oxygen is released to the bodies tissues.

If you start to feel "tight" and do these breathing exercises, you will immediately feel relief. IT WORKS - but more importantly - it makes perfect Physiologic sense.

Breathe easy!
Dr. Ira Packman M.D. Internal Medicine
Camp Hill, PA

I am an extreme athlete. I spend most of my time on mountain bikes, surfing, windsurfing and skiing. I live on the island of Maui and I have been in excellent shape for my entire adult life. Yet asthma took a hold of my life and my habit of hyperventilation took me into the emergency room.

Several years ago I had my first asthma attack when I was skiing. The symptoms were very severe. I thought I was having a stroke or a heart attack. My face was numb, and I though I was dying. It was then that I was diagnosed with asthma. I couldn’t believe I had asthma; I was in the best shape of my life. I took medication and I thought I had no problem until I changed climates from Maui to Idaho and went skiing again. The quick change from living at sea level and then going to the high and dry mountains seemed to cause my symptoms to return.

This time it was a beautiful powder skiing day when I had another attack that went off the charts. I couldn’t breath! The ski patrol came and they took me off the mountain in a toboggan. They gave me oxygen and I went to the emergency room and the doctor said I was hyperventilating. It was then that I truly understood that my asthma was a symptom of my hyperventilating.

I was very glad when I learned from you that hyperventilation is something I could change by applying The Buteyko Method. Now the Buteyko Method is becoming the basis of my physical fitness programs and the cure for my asthma. I feel this is the most important health education I have ever received.

I also want to share that although I am an avid reader and have learned many things from books, it has been essential for me to work with you directly. You have helped me realize and understand the complex changes that occur as the different systems of the body stabilize from years of over-breathing. Your guidance has been the key to my success. My tendency to hyperventilate is now well under control due to your instructions.

As I complete the Breath Less course with you via internet, I find myself able to control my symptoms and my health and my overall energy continues to improve greatly. I feel stronger than I have in years. This is like a fountain of Youth, which is rejuvenating my body. I look forward to continuing my education with The Buteyko Lifestyle Course.

My daughter who is in her twenties and has two young children has ended up at the emergency room twice with the same hyperventilation symptoms as I had. I would like to arrange your educational courses for her as well.

I find this so beneficial that I would like to attend your practitioner’s training in spring of 2010 and then use the Buteyko Method to train athletics.

Lee Gerhke
Maui, Hawaii

It was frightening and stressful to watch my husband suffer through his asthma attacks. I was concerned how long he could continue in this compromised state of ill health. I was praying daily for his recovery from his asthma.

I feel that my prayers were answered the day we learned about the Buteyko Method of breathing. I feel very fortunate to have the Buteyko Center located directly in our own town of Woodstock, NY, as we were prepared to travel some distance to learn this technique. Thomas Drakon Fredricksen, our instructor is understanding and supportive, not only to David, but to me - his caregiver. I am gratified to be undergoing the training of the Buteyko Method of Breathing alongside David. This allows me to help David improve his breathing and to utilize the techniques more effectively because I am also taking the training and striving to breath in the Buteyko Method.

Thomas is an inspiring teacher, whose caring manner makes learning this method a positive, empowering experience. A side benefit to the miraculous easing of David's asthmatic symptoms, are my improved clarity of mental focus and renewed vigor. I am so grateful for the gift of health and hope you have given to us both - thank you!

Susan Lipkins
Woodstock, New York

My asthma was diagnosed as serious and poorly controlled, and my quality of life had deteriorated significantly. A not uncommon health condition, in which my eyesight is jeopardized by the use of inhaled steroids, has forced me to go without the most effective known medical treatment for controlling asthma, thus leaving me at serious risk and vulnerable to repeated asthma attacks. There are no currently known successful medical treatment options open to me.

Through an acquaintance, I stumbled onto information about the Buteyko Method. Further research turned up the presence of the Buteyko Center in Woodstock, New York, the official representative presence in the U.S. of the Buteyko Institute in Moscow. Instructor Thomas Drakon Fredricksen admitted me into their program to get me started on my path to overcoming my asthma and in just 13 days of training, diligent participation and practice, I have already improved well beyond anything I could have imagined.

The Buteyko Method offers a qualitative way of measuring progress which is called the "Control Pause". This is a measure of one's ability to breathe successfully in a healthful way according the practice of the Buteyko Method and is designated by a numerical benchmark. When I arrived, my number was very low and in less than two weeks, my breathing capacity, as measured by the Control Pause, has increased 5 times over my initial number. As I gradually learn these new techniques, I already notice a distinct improvement in my daily and nightly breathing, as well as a reduced need for my inhaler.

Both Thomas and Sasha are deeply knowledgeable about the Buteyko Method. As an instructor, Thomas is thorough and encouraging, as well as available beyond the Center after hours for support, which is reassuring in bridging the gulf between dependence on inhalers and learning this new method. This training with Thomas is both very instructive and enjoyable. Knowing that Thomas was also a previous sufferer of serious asthma gives his insight credibility which is comforting, and his own personal recovery and success with the Buteyko Method offers great hope to me.

For me, the Buteyko Method is a heaven sent gift. I will practice the Buteyko Method for the rest of my life and am deeply grateful for the opportunity this method will afford me to go back to living life with renewed energy, now with hope for a long healthy life.

David Wiebe
Woodstock, New York

"I am writing to thank you again for the amazing help that your instructions on Buteyko have given me. In the short time that I have been working with Thomas, I've seen significant improvement in my breathing and my ability to deal with stress. Overall I feel healthier and calmer which changes the quality of each day for me. And I'm getting more accomplished each day. As you know, I've got a lot going on in my world. I look forward to continuing our work on Skype and also appreciate your answers to my questions by e-mail"

With aloha,
Jason Schwartz
Maui, Hawaii

Please accept my great appreciation for the sessions which I completed with you at your center in Woodstock, New York. I also appreciate you continuing to work with me on SKYPE. I continue to incorporate the exercises which you taught me into my work-out programs and I am using these with my students in the Martial Arts to increase their physical abilities and over-all strength.

My breathing difficulties have decreased greatly over this last month. And I am looking forward to the completion of my "Breathe Less" course and moving on to "The Buteyko Lifestyle" series. In the thirty years since my lungs were damaged by hydracloric acid, I have not breathed as well as I am now doing following The Buteyko Method. I have reduced my use of medication by over seventy-five percent and expect to have a full recovery soon. As a professional Marital Artist and a life long ruby player, my health is greatly determined by the condition of my respiratory system. You have given me "the breath of Life" and I will always grateful to your efforts. I hope that someday you will be able to do a workshop in my Karate Studio.

Master Thomas Joerg, Black Belt 7th degree
Joerg's American Karate
43 Locust St
Mechanicsburg, PA