Breath of Life
TREATING DYSFUNCTIONAL BREATHING USING BUTEYKO BREATHING AND OTHER INTEGRATIVE BREATHING METHODS 

Welcome to Breath of Life!

I'm Greg Rittenhouse, a Registered Respiratory Therapist with more than 24 years experience in healthcare, including critical care, acute care, hyperbaric medicine, and cardiopulmonary education. I hold a certificate in the Buteyko breathing method, and am a fellow of the Buteyko Professionals International.
After working with hundreds of patients suffering from lung disease and

other chronic conditions, my experience has  led me to the conclusion that traditional medicine falls short of producing lasting change.

Embarking on a quest to find better ways of treating people, I became interested in, and researched the work of Dr. Konstantin Buteyko, a Russian physician who pioneered the Buteyko breathing method. I then contacted practitioner Carol Baglia in Cleveland Ohio and observed her working with clients suffering from asthma. I was amazed to learn from her clients, that since putting into practice the exercises taught them, there was a sizable reduction in symptoms and medication use. One client relayed how she used inhalers several times daily for more than 15 years, but now used them rarely, if ever. Highly convinced of the efficacy of the method,  I went on to receive training from Patrick McKeown of The Buteyko Clinic International, and now work with clients in the Dayton/Cincinnati area of Ohio, and Northern Kentucky.

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The Buteyko method of breathing helps restore functional breathing by assisting the client in learning to reduce the volume of air breathed in and out, which then allows carbon dioxide levels to optimally increase, balancing pH, and working to enhance oxygenation at the cellular level. This cycle is known as The Bohr Effect. With dysfunctional breathing, the volume of air inhaled is typically well in excess of 6 liters per minute (4 to 6 liters is considered normal), carbon dioxide levels are reduced, and the resulting cascade may include vascular constriction,  diminished oxygen transport to the cellular level, airway dysfunction, and dampening of the immune system. Additional symptoms may include such things as shortness of breath, impairment of thinking, fatigue, anxiety, snoring, sleep disorders, cardiovascular dysfunction, and more.   

In my 24 years as a veteran of healthcare, I have known many people with chronic disease to be avid mouth breathers, the classic sign of chronic hyperventilation syndrome (CHVS).  The symptoms of dysfunctional breathing then often result in extensive testing, misdiagnosis, and dependency on harmful, prescribed chemicals.