What is the thing that will kill you the fastest when deprived of it? While some of you may be tempted to say "love", physiologically it is air. When it comes to survival, there is a commonly accepted "rule of threes." You can survive for 3 minutes without oxygen, 3 hours without shelter (in harsh conditions), 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food. The point of this (beyond the fact that I love survival facts) is to highlight the importance of breath.
Some of the ways that breath gets disrupted are respiratory disorders: Asthma, COPD, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, collapsed lung, etc. But even without lung disease, this determinant is often less than optimal. As a society, we tend to consciously or unconsciously “suck in our gut.” This means disrupting the normal movement of the diaphragm – the large muscle that drops down to open up the lungs and allow them to fully inflate. It turns us into “chest breathers” where we raise our shoulders to take a deep breath and this gives the lungs much less room to move.
A great experiment is to get a pulse oximeter – a small device that clips onto a finger and shows pulse and oxygen saturation. Our blood should maintain a 98-100% saturation of oxygen but this dips if we are not breathing well or have a lung disorder. I often have patients watch as their oxygen saturation goes from 95% to 98% with a couple of deep belly breaths. I frequently train patients how to properly breathe again. Many patients are surprised that something so fundamental like breathing could be functioning sub-optimally.
Breath affects our mood and energy levels – without enough oxygen, you may feel fatigued or un-motivated. A lack of deep breathing can also cause or worsen feelings of anxiety.
Naturopathic doctors take a comprehensive look at your health. We ask about the many factors that influence health which we term “The determinants of health.” Taking a patient-centered approach lets us build a partnership together to help patients achieve their health goals.
Are you looking for a new kind of partnership with your primary care provider? If you are ready to start or revitalize your health journey, you are in the right spot! Check out my bio to get in touch. I offer free 15-minute consultation calls to answer your initial questions. Convenient telehealth appointments are available from the comfort of your own home.
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