Soviet leading physiologist Dr. KP Buteyko, MD developed many ideas related to diet that help to slow down breathing at rest and improve body oxygen content. Previous known ideas related to the Buteyko breathing technique mainly provided certain general rules:
– Eat only when you are really hungry
– Stop in time or when you get first signs of satiety
– Raw foods and raw diets are better since they do not intensify minute ventilation (or the rate of breathing) as much as cooked foods
– Vegetarian diets have some advantages over meat-based diets or diets with animal proteins but not for all people
– Foods in metal cans are better to avoid due to toxins from metals.
Major innovations for the NormalBreathing course
1. Development of the 3-day test for 5 major nutrients
Buteyko and his doctors used supplements only for cleansing reactions. During the NormalBreathing course, students can test their specific deficiencies from the first days of breathing retraining.
Uses of fish oil (USSR in 60-70s – no problems); the idea was suggested by Charles Maguire, while testing is done while monitoring changes in the morning CP.
2. “No soiling” idea
Teaching ideas related to diet and GI flora based on signs related to ideal GI health including “no soiling” (no need to use toilet paper after a bowel movement).
This sign (no soiling) is new even for the whole GI world with 1,000 of doctors, nutritionists and health therapists. No soiling means absence of biofilms on the surface of the small and large intestine. Overgrowth of Candida Albicans, Helicobacter Pylori, and other pathogens leads to formation of such biofilms.
3. Introduction of the ketogenic diet by Misha Sakharoff
Ketogenic diet is the latest and greatest innovation in breathing retraining. It was suggested by Misha Sakharoff (who teaches Buteyko method near Copenhagen, Denmark) during last months of 2014.
Not only for breathing retraining in specific, but also in history of known to us research, courses, and studies related to better digestion or improving digestive health, the NormalBreathing course was first to suggest and introduce the idea that absence of soiling (or no fecal residues after bowel movements) is a simple and important sign of ideal digestion and absence of biofilms on the surface of the gut.
Currently, ketogenic diet is taught as a part of the NormalBreathing Buteyko course.
In this video, Dr. Artour Rakhimov summarizes these ideas about diet for breathing retraining and Buteyko method.