Mim Beim International Breathe Through Your Nose Week Interview

Mim Beim International Breathe Through Your Nose Week Interview

International Breathe Through Your Nose Week: September 10th - 15th, 2012

Are you a mouth breather? Studies have shown that breathing through your mouth rather than your nose can contribute to:
Asthma & exercise induced asthma
Poor concentration
Snoring
Chronic exhaustion
Sleep apnoea
Constipation
ADHD
Stress
High blood pressure
Muscular cramps or spasm
Anxiety
Fibromyalgia
Fatigue Sinusitis
Hayfever
Bedwetting

The purpose of Breathe Through Your Nose Week is to highlight the negative health consequences associated with this seemingly innocuous habit.

In October 2012, leading naturopath Mim Beim will be facilitating Breathe Well, a five-week course. Based on the Buteyko method of breathing, Breathe Well corrects mouth breathing, the cause of many health concerns, over-breathing and hyperventilation. Through a series of easy techniques Mim demonstrates how to change your breathing style. Results are noticed very quickly, with a 100% money back guarantee if your symptoms aren't reduced. Classes run for 1.5 hours over 5 consecutive weeks in both Sydney (beginning October 10) and Bowral (beginning October 13).
For more information and enrolment details, go to: www.beamingwithhealth.com.au/buteyko

Review: Although I'm not a mouth breather, in a short session I worked through a breathing technique with Mim Beim and after five short minutes I felt instantly relaxed and less stressed whilst I found it easier to breathe naturally and further into the stomach (where we're meant to breath). I felt warmer and knew that my parasympathetic nervous system had been switched on because I had more saliva in my mouth and had let go of tension that I was holding.

Interview with Mim Beim

Question: What is -mouth breathing'?

Mim Beim: Mouth breathing is breathing in and out of the mouth which is associated with snoring, sleep apnoea, obesity, poor concentration, asthma and sinus issues.


Question: What negatives are associated with -mouth breathing' for children?

Mim Beim: For children who breathe in and out of the mouth there can be negative associations such as ADHD, poor concentration and learning. When we breathe through our nose and close our mouth the tongue rests at the top of the mouth but when children are mouth breathers their whole palate forms incorrectly and causes the malocclusion of the teeth. If the tongue isn't placed at the top of the mouth, when the palate is formed, it will arch up and the teeth will be maloccluded and will cost a fortunate at dentists.


Question: How can those with asthma that breathe through their mouth train themselves to breathe through their nose?

Mim Beim: We can absolutely train ourselves to breathe through the nose. With the exercise that I teach and by nose breathing you can help with asthma. The nose filters the air using turbinates. If the air is six degrees on the outside if you're mouth breathing that six degrees will go down to your lunges and cause a spasm and potentially an asthma attack. If it is six degrees on the outside and you're nose breathing, by the time the breath gets to the lungs it's 30 degrees because it warms, filters and humidifies the air; it is also a reduced volume of air and a smaller volume of breathing is very important as well.


Question: How does mouth breathing cause anxiety and stress?

Mim Beim: By having a slightly increased amount of carbon dioxide the body switches on the parasympathetic nervous system. The nervous system has the parasympathetic and sympathetic; sympathetic is the fight or flight whilst parasympathetic is the rest and relaxing system which aids in sleep and digestion. By nose breathing you increase the parasympathetic nervous system which will make you panic and gasp for air whilst nose breathing switches on the sympathetic nervous system which means your breathing is longer and slower.


Question: What is the Buteyko method of breathing?

Mim Beim: The Buteyko method of breathing is named after a Russian doctor who researched blood pressure and heart disease and this technique works for that in exactly the same way because it relaxes the muscles that line the arteries. For example if someone has hypertension by switching on the parasympathetic nervous system through the Buteyko method of breathing they relax and open up the artery to reduce blood pressure.

The Buteyko method of breathing works at increasing the carbon dioxide whilst maintain the amount of oxygen which is using the parasympathetic nervous system. The Buteyko method of breathing has all these other applications of reducing asthma, helping digestive problems, reducing hypertension and also fixing emotional issues by switching on the parasympathetic nervous system.

The hospital studies on the Buteyko method of breathing have mainly been on asthma which have been quiet extraordinary with a 90% improvement.


Question: What will your Breathe Well course achieve?

Mim Beim: Breathe Well will help everyone, even if they don't breathe through the mouth but over breathe which results is snoring, sleep apnoea or sinus issues.


Question: How did you come across the Buteyko method of breathing?

Mim Beim: I have been practicing as a naturopath for 25 years and over 20 years ago I was a regular presenter on JJJ and I was approached by a Buteyko practitioner to trial the method. I had asthma and after five sessions with the Buteyko practitioner I never had asthma again and that's why I wanted to learn the technique for my patients. I found an Irish instructor who was taught by Buteyko in Russia and late last year I heard he was teaching in Los Angeles and I went to do the training and I was blown away by the wide range of applications. I know that everyone can benefit from the Buteyko method of breathing.

Breathing is such an important thing but we don't think about it at all. I love the Buteyko method of breathing because it is a true healing tool, there are no pills and the body heals itself.


Interview by Brooke Hunter