Kath reverses 20 years of sinus pain, irritability and fatigue
Kath was 3 weeks into an ear infection brought on by a swine flu jab when she bumped into Martha Roe at a natural health centre.
At 38 Kath was tired of feeling constantly sick. She had been in sinus pain since getting brittle asthma when she was 17. And from her early 30s she could feel her condition deteriorating. Acupuncture, light exercise, meditation and a vegetable-based diet all helped a bit. But nothing really cleared the underlying inflammation.
More intensive version of Buteyko gets results
Kath was impressed by Martha’s calmness and her results reversing her own ME. But she was reluctant to fork out on Buteyko because she’d tried it before in London and was left feeling cynical.
“The teacher gave a good presentation. He was a good salesman,” says Kath ”But I felt awkward ringing him up after the workshop. And when I got a cold, the pauses did nothing to help so I gave up on it.”
Martha explained how LearnButeyko teaches the Classical Buteyko Method, and students must do their maximum pauses in sets 4 times a day – to give the body high doses of carbon dioxide. Intensive support is crucial, she said, for most people to recover from chronic hyperventilation.
Lesson 1: breathing relaxed and clearer head
In her first lesson in December 2009, Kath’s control pause was 10-12 seconds. Doing the pauses, she felt her breathing relax into her belly as her ribcage dropped.
“I felt clear headed and light in my sinuses. My back muscles started to relax. I smiled as I thought – God this thing works!,” says Kath.
Martha says relaxing Kath’s breathing has enabled her mind to and body to relax too.
“Kath’s breathing was up in her chest. This caused her a lot of mental agitation resulted in sore ribs and back muscles, ” says Martha. “Now she’s much more at ease.”
Within a few weeks of starting the exercises the constant sinus spasm above her left eye that had been bothering her for at least 4-5 years had cleared. Kath also reported that the maddening itching she had had in her ears mostly had gone too.
Daily support kept Kath going
Kath was worried when she started that she wouldn’t have the discipline to keep practising. But it was easy with Martha phoning her every day in the first month.
“Knowing Martha would be checking up on me inspired me to keep going do my best in my practice sessions,” says Kath
Within her first 4 months of practice, Kath got her control pause up to 20-35.
Work is easier
The biggest change has been mental agility – Kath used to spend 4-5 hours resting and drinking tea before she got the energy to get dressed and go into work, often about 2pm. Since doing Buteyko she wakes after 6-7 hours sleep and can start work in the morning.
When she was first doing the method, working on her laptop brought on symptoms including mental agitation, and she had to do practice every hour to bring her control pause back up. Now laptop work is easy and comfortable.
“The biggest difference is in my mind. I’m clearer-headed. I don’t worry about what other people think,” says Kath. “I know what matters to me, and the rest of it will work itself out. I’m more accepting of myself and other people. My brother has said how I’ve calmed down a lot. My friends tell me how clear my eyes and skin look.”
Big cleanses clearing out deep infection
From August 2010 onwards Martha supported Kath through the first of 3 big cleanses, clearing out deep infection in her lungs, ears and sinuses. Kath managed these through pauses, and advanced techniques including sauna and mind exercises. And Kath took several courses of oral prednisolone afterwards to support her adrenal glands.
Since January 2011 her control pause is now back in the 20-30 second range, and it’s back on the rise. The next step is to get her control pause up, and finish the repair work and hopefully reverse out her psoriasis, which she’s had since age 9.
“I plan to be feeling great in time for my 40th birthday. Good health is the best present you can have so I’ll be dancing on those tables,” she says.
