while jogging or running, 129, 129–30, 251–52
while swimming, 131–32, 252
while walking, 126–29, 127, 249–51, 250
Sleep, 168–69
good breathing during, 64–66, 169
Sleep apnea, 64, 109, 168, 308n, 312–13n
Social media and attention spans, 143–44
Soda water, 116
Spleen, 99, 105–8, 305–6n
Sports performance, and BOLT and, 44–45
Steroid medications, 61, 213, 214
Stray-Gundersen, James, 101–2
Stress, 163–64, 174, 178, 180–81, 182–83
Stressed breathing, 72–73, 74
Strokes, 193
ST segment depression, 201–2, 323n
Sudden cardiac death, in young athletes, 200–204
Swart, Stephen, 98–99
Swimming (swimmers), 114, 222, 298n, 311–12n
asthma and, 216–17
breath holding during, 131–32, 252
Sydney Olympics (2000), 131
T
Tabata, Izumi, 103
Tabata training, 103
Tai chi, 67–68, 92
Talking, increased breathing, 27–28
Taoism, 68
Taormina, Sheila, 131
Taping the mouth, 64–66, 80
Tarahumara Indians, 80–81
Tea, 197
Teenagers, Oxygen Advantage program for, 44, 286–89
Teeth, 83, 227–29
Testosterone, 96, 98
Thatcher, Margaret, 64
Thinking, 148–49, 152–55, 163–64
Timing your breathing, 76–78
Tongue posture, 55, 83, 222–24, 229
Tour de France, 96–99, 135
Traditional Chinese medicine, 68
Triggers
for asthma, 214
for rhinitis, 61
Trinity College, Dublin, 153–54, 167–68, 221
Turbinates, 55
Turin Olympics (2006), 102–3
T-wave inversion, 201–2
U
Underwater hockey, 131–32
University at Albany, SUNY, 167
University of Arizona Cancer Center, 114
University of British Columbia, 147
University of California, Berkeley, 79
University of Chicago, 141
University of Exeter, 103, 197
University of Minnesota, 180
University of Patras, 202
University of Texas, 101
Upper-chest breathing, 42, 52, 69, 71, 72
Urine color, and hydration, 116
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), 97–98
V
Vasoregulation, and nitric oxide, 59, 195
Viagra, 59–60
VO2 max. See Maximal oxygen uptake
Volume of breath. See Breathing volume
W
Walking, simulated high-altitude training while, 126–29, 127, 184, 249–51, 250
Walsh, David, 99
Warm-up, 86–88
breath-holding exercises, 85, 87–88
for exercise-induced asthma, 220
Water intoxication, 116
Water polo, 211, 217
Wealth, and asthma rates, 211–12
Weddell seal, 105–6
Weight gain, 174, 178, 180–81
Weight loss, 173–74, 177, 179–80
Donna’s case, 12–13, 284–85
Oxygen Advantage program for, 282–85
Weitzberg, Eddie, 59, 60
West, John, 26
Western breathing habits, 4–5, 80–81
“What if” thoughts, 162–63
Wheezing, 28, 40, 41, 124, 212, 213, 215, 218
Wilde, Oscar, 148
Windpipe (trachea), 19, 54
Winfrey, Oprah, 98
Woods, Earl, 145
Woods, Tiger, 145
Y
Yawns (yawning), 45–46, 244
Yoga, 68–69, 224, 302n
Yogi Bhajan (Harbhajan Singh), 224
Yogi Ramacharaka (William Atkinson), 56
Yogi Science of Breath, 56
Z
Zátopek, Emil, 122–23
Zone, the, 140–69, 181–82
concentrated and undivided mind, 161–65
connecting with the inner body to enter, 158–60
entering at will, 143–55
following the breath to enter, 156–58
improving brain oxygenation, 165–68
living in the now to enter, 160–61
quality sleep for, 168–69
About the Author
PATRICK MCKEOWN was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and later studied under the auspices of the founder of the Buteyko Method, the late Dr. Konstantin Buteyko. From a very young age, Patrick suffered from asthma and relied on an array of medicines and inhalers until he discovered the Buteyko Method at age twenty-six. By applying the principles from Dr. Buteyko, Patrick experienced immediate relief from his asthmatic symptoms—a feat that more than twenty years of medication had failed to accomplish. Learning to breathe through his nose and reducing his breathing volume positively changed his life in so many ways.
For the first time ever, Patrick’s asthma was under control.
This life-changing discovery motivated Patrick to change his career in order to help children and adults who suffered from similar breathing problems. Following his time in Russia in 2002, Patrick has been teaching the Oxygen Advantage program in Australia, the United States, and throughout Europe. He has written seven books, including in their respective fields three Amazon.com bestsellers, and has been invited to speak at dental and respiratory conferences around the world.
In collaboration with the University of Limerick, Patrick was the instructor in a clinical study investigating the Buteyko Method as a treatment for rhinitis in asthma. As published in the leading rhinitis journal Otolaryngology, the results showed a 70 percent reduction of nasal symptoms in participants, including snoring, loss of smell, nasal congestion, and difficulty breathing through the nose.
The Oxygen Advantage program is based on Patrick’s experience of working with thousands of clients and hundreds of health care professionals, along with his extensive research on breath-hold training over the past thirteen years. A number of the exercises in this book were specifically created by Patrick to help athletes to improve their sports performance.
Patrick has been interviewed internationally for radio and television, including by Dr. Joseph Mercola, founder of the world’s largest health website, Mercola.com. Patrick’s message is simple: Breathe through your nose in a calm, gentle, and efficient manner. That’s all that matters. Patrick’s passion for his subject enables him to continue developing and refining his techniques to bring relief to asthma sufferers worldwide, and to improve the fitness and well-being of athletes and nonathletes alike.
Your profession is not what brings home your pay.
Your profession is what you were put on earth to do with
such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.
—VINCENT VAN GOGH
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Also by Patrick McKeown
Asthma-Free Naturally
Anxiety Free: Stop Worrying and Quieten Your Mind
Sleep with Buteyko: Stop Snoring, Sleep Apnoea and Insomnia
Buteyko Meets Dr. Mew: Buteyko Method for Children and Teenagers
Close Your Mouth
Copyright
This book is written as a source of information only. The information contained in this book should by no means be considered a substitute for the advice of a qualified medical professional, who should always be consulted before beginning any new diet, exercise, or other health program.
Some names, identities, and circumstances have been changed in order to protect the anonymity of the various individuals involved.
All efforts hav
e been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this book as of the date published. The author and the publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects arising from the use or application of the information contained herein.
THE OXYGEN ADVANTAGE. Copyright © 2015 by Patrick McKeown. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
Illustrations by Bex Burgess
ISBN 978-0-06-234945-3
EPub Edition August 2015 ISBN 9780062349484
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* From time to time, I do see an individual with lower blood oxygen saturation, but this generally results from severe lung obstruction such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The Oxygen Advantage: The Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques for a Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter You Page 34