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Breathing and Exercise: Strength Training for Your Diaphragm (2018)

pennmedicine.org

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Re: Breathing and Exercise: Strength Training for Your Diaphragm (2018)

#31

Post by randycupertino »

ubercow13 wrote: post #26

I am guessing this is being posted in relation to the virus. Is this likely to be at all helpful? Is having a strong diaphragm useful when your lungs are filled with fluid?

In respiratory therapy school we were taught some breathing exercises to teach patients who were graduating after being on a vent, had lung surgery following cancer, COPD and/or other pulmonary issues. Some of the trainers like the inspiratory and expiatory trainers have benefits to non-compromised patients - some athletes use them for training in sports like swimming and basketball.

Maybe an MD will chime in, however in case not imo the diaphragmatic training is only beneficial for singers and yogis and others who need to do large diaphram style breaths. Most people will go back to their normal style of breathing even if they're trained and practice diaphragmatic breathing after they're done concentrating.

If I had to recommend one thing to buy for a regular person to use, it would probably be a really simple inspiratory/expiratory trainer. Basically you inhale and blow through a hole and it strengthens your lungs.

This one is low tech and bombproof, cheap, easy to disinfect and used a lot in the field: http://www.medi-careequipment.com/Catalog/Product/26832/Pfle...

https://www.respiratorytherapyzone.com/best-breathing-exerci...

Re: Breathing and Exercise: Strength Training for Your Diaphragm (2018)

#32

Post by DoreenMichele »

ubercow13 wrote: post #26

I am guessing this is being posted in relation to the virus. Is this likely to be at all helpful? Is having a strong diaphragm useful when your lungs are filled with fluid?

Breathing exercises are medically recommended for some very deadly lung conditions. For example:

https://www.cff.org/Life-With-CF/Treatments-and-Therapies/Ai...

Re: Breathing and Exercise: Strength Training for Your Diaphragm (2018)

#34

Post by nateburke »

I had pneumonia when I was 14 (weakened immune system after growing 6 inches in 8 months...) and the doctor prescribed breathing exercises which were very helpful. There was of course a ton of ABX as well as inhaled steroids, but after all of that, the breathing exercises were what helped to restore me to normal. (The Prednisone actually did a lot of harm, don't go off it without a taper!)

Re: Breathing and Exercise: Strength Training for Your Diaphragm (2018)

#35

Post by Zenst »

ninenines wrote: post #16

Lot of people tend to have respiratory failure before situation gets worrisome and breath exercises are a definite way to help your body do what a ventilator does In yoga asanas, there are few breathing exercises that existed in ancient India and I myself can attest to it that I was able to overcome lot of allergies practising it, Here is a resource to follow along. https://youtu.be/iUKjuni-6l8 starts at 9 mins and g…

>And yes everyone breathes the wrong way, we pull in stomach when inhaling which is supposed to be otherway round, I know it's surprising to hear that we are breathing wrong. if you want the proof just notice a child breathing that's the most natural form of breathing

Interesting as in martial arts the kiai is from the base of the stomach clenching with a breath out.

More so as I breath in via the chest not the stomach, not given that much thought, though did a lot of competitive swimming and that may of played a part, not something I considered.

Re: Breathing and Exercise: Strength Training for Your Diaphragm (2018)

#36

Post by TheBlerch »

randycupertino wrote: post #31
ubercow13 wrote: post #26

I am guessing this is being posted in relation to the virus. Is this likely to be at all helpful? Is having a strong diaphragm useful when your lungs are filled with fluid?

In respiratory therapy school we were taught some breathing exercises to teach patients who were graduating after being on a vent, had lung surgery following cancer, COPD and/or other pulmonary issues. Some of the trainers like the inspiratory and expiatory trainers have benefits to non-compromised patients - some athletes use them for training in sports like swimming and basketball. Maybe an MD will chime in, howeve…

Thanks for posting. I’ve done diaphragm breathing exercises for sports training and meditation. How does using these inspiratory/expiratory devices strengthen the lungs? Isn’t the action just strengthening primarily the diaphragm and some chest muscles used in breathing? How many minutes training per day would you recommend for healthy people? And how much does the Pflex sell for? Site makes you request to order and collects a lot of info.

Re: Breathing and Exercise: Strength Training for Your Diaphragm (2018)

#37

Post by blurbleblurble »

ninenines wrote: post #16

Lot of people tend to have respiratory failure before situation gets worrisome and breath exercises are a definite way to help your body do what a ventilator does In yoga asanas, there are few breathing exercises that existed in ancient India and I myself can attest to it that I was able to overcome lot of allergies practising it, Here is a resource to follow along. https://youtu.be/iUKjuni-6l8 starts at 9 mins and g…

Yes! Breathing like that will purge carbon dioxide from your blood more quickly and result in higher oxygen levels. There are some really powerful exercises based on oxygen breathing in quite a few different traditions. Some names I've heard of are "holotropic breathing", "circular breathing", "breath of fire", "round breathing", "bioenergetics breathing", and "Wim Hoff method". Wilhelm Reich made use of oxygen increasing breathwork in his orgone therapy back in the mid 20th century.

This stuff can really bring about powerful alternate states of mind, and I've personally experienced some deep spiritual and psychological release from oxygen breathing exercises.

At this point I've come to think that peoples' natural response during an anxiety attack, which is to hyperventilate, might actually be a healthy, desireable reaction. But we socially repress and stigmatize it. Fear and anxiety are uncomfortable to us, so instead of holding space for working through that stuff naturally, we stuff it.

I'm telling you though, the feeling relief that controlled hyperventilating can bring is unbelievable.

Re: Breathing and Exercise: Strength Training for Your Diaphragm (2018)

#38

Post by aggie »

I wonder if this is trending because people figure you might be able to strengthen your diaphragm as a precautionary measure in case of contracting COVID-19.

Anyway, if anyone is interested in a practical application from a scholarly source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2971640/

Re: Breathing and Exercise: Strength Training for Your Diaphragm (2018)

#39

Post by rand_r »

blurbleblurble wrote: post #37
ninenines wrote: post #16

Lot of people tend to have respiratory failure before situation gets worrisome and breath exercises are a definite way to help your body do what a ventilator does In yoga asanas, there are few breathing exercises that existed in ancient India and I myself can attest to it that I was able to overcome lot of allergies practising it, Here is a resource to follow along. https://youtu.be/iUKjuni-6l8 starts at 9 mins and g…

Yes! Breathing like that will purge carbon dioxide from your blood more quickly and result in higher oxygen levels. There are some really powerful exercises based on oxygen breathing in quite a few different traditions. Some names I've heard of are "holotropic breathing", "circular breathing", "breath of fire", "round breathing", "bioenergetics breathing", and "Wim Hoff method". Wilhelm Reich made use of oxygen incre…

The evolutionary history of how we developed an instinct to hyperventilate is an interesting question.

However, I have to put up a warning that hyperventilating doesn't actually increase oxygen levels. It's a dangerous practice because it surpasses the natural drive to breath by depleting CO2 in the blood to abnormally low levels.

Our breath drive depends on CO2 levels and can get fooled by hyperventilation into letting you black out from lack of oxygen. This section on Wikipedia explains the physics of the situation really well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freediving_blackout#Shallow_wa...

Re: Breathing and Exercise: Strength Training for Your Diaphragm (2018)

#40

Post by macintux »

jacquesm wrote: post #33

Go play a wind instrument. Saxophone, Trumpet, Flute. Breath control is very important. As it is for singers.

I played brass instruments for about 8 years in school; even playing the tuba didn't really help me with breath control.

I was lazy and apathetic, so the fault was mine, but it's just worth noting that while it may be helpful it's not sufficient.

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