How is Buteyko Taught

The Buteyko Method is taught at courses spread over five consecutive days, each session lasting approximately one and a half hours. The Buteyko breathing exercises are only part of the course. Considerable time is devoted to the safe management of asthma, the necessity of correctly using medication and the physiology of asthma. For those unable to attend a course a the Buteyko Home Education video and manual provides tuition.
What is taught during a Buteyko course?
A Buteyko course does not simply teach the Buteyko breathing exercises. It is a comprehensive approach to asthma management that educates attendees about their condition. Each course deals with the following:

the Buteyko exercises
how to monitor the asthmatic condition accurately using breathing exercises, pulse, peak flow, sleep patterns, symptoms and medication

the basic physiology of asthma attacks

the importance of breathing through the nose

the trigger-hyperventilation-asthma connection

the appropriate use of medication

the importance of seeking medical attention before an emergency occurs

the role allergies play in asthma

exercise and asthma

how to control asthma with minimum medication

Ongoing Support
An essential component of successful asthma management is ongoing support and follow up.

People who are registered in the Buteyko Asthma Management Program are eligible to access a support information line. Simply by telephoning a free number, you will be able to talk to a trained Buteyko Professional on matters relating to asthma and the Buteyko asthma Program. Course attendees may also return to future courses at no extra cost, if they feel the need.

There is also a second component to our support line. Only with your consent, our trained health professionals will send you regular questionnaires during your first year of treatment. This is to identify any potential problems you may be experiencing while on the program and to help motivate and monitor your progress.

Seasonal newsletters
A quarterly lifestyle newsletter will be sent to everyone registered on the program, and will provide updated information on asthma, medication exercise, community mentor groups, activities and most importantly motivational tips to help you gain control of your condition.

Try Before you buy
Buteyko Asthma Management encourages people to try the method before they pay for it. Payment is due on the fourth day of the course and this allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of the course for three days before paying. After three days, most people find that their control over their asthma has improved dramatically, so even customers who were skeptical at the start of the course happily pay at the fourth session.

Money Back Guarantee
As a deliberate marketing policy, and because the method works, we offer a thirty day money back guarantee to any Buteyko course attendee. If Buteyko does not work for you, you can get your money back.

Buteyko’s Safety
The Buteyko Method’s first priority is safety. Course attendees are instructed to use bronchodilator medication on an “as needed” basis. A detailed explanation of the possible consequences of not continuing to take preventer medication is given, and attendees are instructed to continue to take preventive medication as prescribed, and only reduce it under medical supervision. These instructions are in accord with current medical advice.

With Buteyko, asthma sufferers take a definite step forward – you don’t have to “get worse before you get better” using Buteyko. The Buteyko Method is simply a way of using specialised breathing techniques. It is natural and harmless, involving no medical equipment and no extra medication.

Who can learn Buteyko?
Children as young as three years have successfully learned the method. Adults into their late eighties have also learned Buteyko. Adults and children learn different exercises, with teenagers usually learning both. It is necessary for those under eighteen years old to be accompanied by a parent or guardian, who attends free of charge. Buteyko is suitable for asthmatics ranging from the very mild to the most severe. People with other breathing problems such as rhinitis, sinusitis, bronchiectasis and emphysema, will also gain substantial benefit from learning the Buteyko exercises. Buteyko is not suitable for people unwilling to practice the exercises as they are taught, and who are initially unwilling to take time and responsibility for controlling their asthma.

What time commitment is needed to gain maximum benefit from Buteyko?
Buteyko is not a “quick fix”. Children need to spend up to fifteen minutes three times a day practicing the exercises for three to four weeks after the course. Adults need spend up to forty minutes three times a day for the same period. Three months later, the average adult asthmatic is doing less than fifteen minutes of Buteyko exercises per day and children less than five minutes, while maintaining a 96% reduction in medication and symptoms.

It is not necessary to find an extra two hours a day to practice adult Buteyko exercises. The exercises can be done during the normal daily routine, including while watching television, traveling in a car, or reading. If less time is committed to the method, then benefits will be slower to manifest themselves. If a severe asthmatic only does the exercises three times a day for twenty minutes, they might take six weeks to achieve the same benefit others gain from three weeks of exercising for thirty minutes, three times a day.