mathematics-

We Do Not Notice When We Hyperventilate!

Practical medical evidence indicates that people can breathe 2-4 times more air every minute and be unaware that their breathing is too heavy. This is exactly the case for patients with heart disease, asthma, bronchitis, chronic fatigue, panic attacks, sleeping problems and many other conditions. The physiological norm for breathing is about 4-6 liters per minute, while medical research found 10-20 liters for the sick people.

Why is this? Air is weightless, and breathing muscles are powerful. During rigorous physical exercise we can breathe up to 100-150 l/min. Some athletes can breathe up to 200 l/min. So it is easy to breathe "only" 10-15 l/min at rest (only 10% of our maximum capacity), throughout the day and night and not be aware of this rate of breathing. However, in health, we should breathe only about 3-4% of our maximum breathing rate.

Usually, people notice that their breathing is heavy when they breathe more than 25 l/min at rest (or 4-6 times the norm!). Such acute episodes of overbreathing are normal during stroke, and asthma, heart, and epilepsy attacks.

The most surprising effect of any form of hyperventilation is reduced body oxygenation and shorter stress-free breath holding time (index of oxygenation). Why? There are 2 related biochemical effects of over-breathing.

First, CO2 (carbon dioxide), the gas we exhale, is crucial for dilation of blood vessels. Check it yourself. Start to breathe very heavy in and out just for 1-2 minutes, and you can lose consciousness (faint or pass out) due to low blood supply for the brain. There is another simple test to see the effects of breathing on blood flow. When you get a small accidental bleeding cut, hold your breath and accumulate CO2. Your blood losses can increase 2-5 times! But in real life, pain and sight of blood make breathing heavier preventing large blood losses and providing valuable time for blood to coagulate. It is a mechanism useful for our survival likely based on natural selection.

The second main cause of tissue hypoxia for hyperventilators relates to the Bohr effect, a physiological law discovered about a century ago. This law explains how, why, and where our red blood cells release oxygen. The release takes place in those tissues that have higher CO2 content. Hence, those organs and muscles that produce more CO2 get more O2. Try to imagine the picture: the blood arrives in certain tissues and releases more oxygen in the places with high CO2 concentrations. But when we hyperventilate, low CO2 content in all tissues suppresses O2 release from hemoglobin cells and we suffer from hypoxia.

Thousands of medical studies showed and proved other negative effects of overbreathing, such as, abnormal excitability of all nerve cells, bronchoconstriction, reduced activity of many immune cells, muscular spasms, and biochemical changes in rates and directions of many chemical reactions that require normal CO2 content.

Restoration of oxygenation and normal breathing parameters are the main goals of the Buteyko breathing method. The method was developed by Russian Doctor Konstantin Buteyko, who trained about 200 Russian medical professionals to apply this technique for various health conditions. These doctors found that if the patient manage to normalize main parameters of breathing, no symptoms and no medication are required for asthma, bronchitis, heart disease, and many other conditions.

There are 2 parts in his system: breathing exercises and common sense activities, which, as they found, influence breathing. For example, when we breathe through the mouth or sleep on the back at night, our oxygenation index can drop almost 2 times! In relation to other activities, Doctor Buteyko even suggested simple rules for better oxygenation: "Eat only when hungry and stop in time", "Go to sleep when really sleepy and get out of the bed in the morning", "Exercise with nasal breathing only", etc. Many other factors are useful for better oxygenation, as Russian doctors found, for example, raw diets, good posture, normal thermoregulation, relaxation and meditation techniques, forgiveness, moderation, hatha yoga postures, cold shower, etc.

While Russian doctors accumulated huge clinical experience, very little was translated in English. My educational website http://www.normalbreathing.com has some translations of original Russian publications devoted to this drug-free technique.

posted by fdwvsmr55035 @ 12:45 PM 0 comments

Science and Education

The greatest blessing to humanity is the advent of Science for bringing social prosperity through spread of knowledge and education. Science has helped man to the sky, measure the depth of oceans and wrest from nature many of her hidden treasures. In recent times, it has transformed human life beyond all imagination. Through its advanced inventions and discoveries, Science has cast its great effects on social life of the human and removed sufferings, ignorance and hardship. Science has extended the frontiers of knowledge of society in various ways and in various directions. It has enabled man to fight natural calamities and to revolutionise industrial and agricultural processes.

The level of education has greatly improved with the help of Science. Now people are more aware and want to know more and more about the latest happenings all round the world. In the modern era of Science, greater emphasis is being given to television in educational, social and moral spheres. Now it has become possible for man to sit in the cosy confines of his living room and watch the latest happenings of the world from his home. The expantion of education through television has been tremendous. Moreover, it has a great educative value. As on date, there are various programmes run by University Grants Commission to teach various subjects through the media of television. If proper methods are adopted, various subjects like Chemistry, Physics, English, Commerce and Mathematics etc., can be very well taught through television programmes. The students also gain a lot from such lessons taught in the form of pictures relating to various topics.

The subject matter taught on television has a more enduring and effective impression on the minds of the viewers. Further, it is all the output of the experienced teachers who understand the problems faced by students who pursue education along with their jobs or cannot afford to go to a regular college. In a large country like India, where most of the population is uneducated, the role of science in dissemination of education through television cannot be denied.

Science has also contributed the most advanced and well equipped laboratories for students to learn and conduct practicals. The launching of INSAT and other communication satellites in the space has given further fillip to the cause of education. Now the boundary of a state or a country is not the limit to get qualification of a particular university. The student can go through various courses through satellite - run programmes. The greatest and most significant achievement of science in this regard is launching internet. The internet has brought about a big revolution in the world of education and information. The click of the mouse can help him access a world of information in a matter of seconds.

With the help of Science, even the minute details of any kind of information or data is recorded wither on cassettes, disks or printed in any kind of books. The libraries of the schools, colleges and universities are full with latest books and journals on all subjects topic wise. A student can opt to go through any subject either on computer, or by going through a book. He has all the options available with him. Science has given him options to study various new fields in the research and development of science itself.

Science has helped the students to travel all across the world not only for pleasure but to educate himself about various wonders of nature and see historical places. He can avail the facility of cars, trains, ships and aeroplanes and reach his destination in time. Even he can talk to any relative or friend living in any part of the world at any moment of the day or night. Thus he has no tension and can concentrate better on his studies. A student can complete a work of months and years in a matter of hours. Communication and transport have really made the life of students more comfortable.

All other forms of entertainment have been brought to the door of the student by Science, Radio, television and cinema is helping the student in relieving the daily tensions of life by providing him the best and affordable entertainment. Surely, the daily life of students is very different and has improved a lot with the inventions of Science. Truly, Science is unlimited knowledge for a student and is going to be an eternal source of new blessing in the cause of spread of education across all horizons of the world.

Arun K has been building websites for many years and runs a number of successful websites. He is the owner of Kerala Backwaters Further articles can be found on his website at SMS Jokes.

posted by fdwvsmr55035 @ 12:44 AM 0 comments