The brain needs 3 things: glucose, blood flow and oxygen. Stimulating blood flow and oxygen can be a little more challenging at times especially when exercising may be limiting for some. I’ve been reading about breathing techniques for quite some time. This is the most recent video I found on Buteyko breathing, that’s specific to increasing oxygen to the brain to prevent seizures. They propose that they have a 70-80% success rate in stopping seizures just by implementing this 2-3 minute breathing technique. How empowering!
The key is to recognize the onset of the seizure, through an aura, feeling, sense, etc. The second step is to practice this breathing pattern repeatedly before having a seizure. Then apply at the onset of a seizure. This is a fantastic practice to add to your current regimen (including nutrition and medications).
They explain here:
“Breathe regularly and only through the nose, but only while taking small or short inhalations using the diaphragm, instead of taking your large and quick inhales using the chest muscles. In order to exhale just relax the diaphragm and count for about 3 seconds for each exhale. You have to breathe regularly all the time during this exercise.
Due to this shallow or “reduced breathing” exercise, you should feel “air hunger” or desire to breathe more. This air hunger should appear in 10-20 seconds after you start the exercise. Maintaining this air hunger increases carbon dioxide in your blood and brain. Extra CO2 will calm down your overexcited nerve cells and increase their threshold of excitability, restoring it closer to normal numbers. CO2 will also improve blood supply for the brain. Improved blood supply to the brain will raise oxygen and glucose transport, which are also crucial for its normal work. This is the physiological mechanism and cause of success for this exercise.”
I would love to hear if any of you can apply this and what your experience was.
Much light,
Lynn
