Clearing the Air and the Airways

Part of the package of being an a highly sensitive person can include the ability to sense and feel more irritants, toxins, allergens, and even emotions than others.  According to the research of Dr. Peter D'Adamo, author of the Blood and GenoType Diet books, the A blood type's bodily systems, in particular, are naturally very sensitive and can be prone to high levels of cortisol and high anxiety.  I have witnessed in many of my A Blood Type voice students and others, including myself, for whom, in addition to their sensitivity and high cortisol can have the tendency to overreact to many stimuli, sometimes with tremendous anxiety, which may set up a spastic muscle chain-reaction in the bronchial tubes and diaphragm. Asthma researchers call this reaction, when it occurs in the airways, the "twitchy airway". The article below from a Harvard Medical School Guide explains this syndrome:

http://asthma.partners.org/NewFiles/HMSTakingControlOfAsthmaChapter1.html

Panic and asthma can also sometimes be closely connected to hyperventilation.  And panic driven, gasping mouth breathing which leads to hyperventilation can cause imbalances of O2 and CO2 in the blood, which may, in turn, affect digestion in some people.  Often serious asthma attacks are accompanied by indigestion, high heart rate, high  blood pressure and other complex symptoms, which some researchers attribute to extreme hyperventilation.  The Russian Buteyko Method breathing technique addresses the anxiety-asthma-hyperventilation connection by teaching how to slow down respiratory overreactions to stimuli.  No wonder Yogi masters recommend taking fewer breaths!

So, when you feel panic and/or asthma coming on, stop and let your breath go out of your lungs.  Relax your muscles, especially in your torso....... And, after deeply inhaling and exhaling through the NOSE,--slowly this time, allow your lungs to remain empty for a few seconds before slowly inhaling, again through the NOSE--and then repeat.  Begin to lengthen the number of seconds between breaths a little more each time.  I have read we should only need 8 breaths per minute.  I think that's a lofty goal and perhaps too difficult for most people in our high stress western culture.  But stress/asthma reactions can potentially be nipped in the bud or, at the very least,  mitigated by learning to slow our respiration andin particular,  by spacing out our breaths.

And then there's crying... I highly recommend it!  Holding strong emotions like anger, resentment and sadness inside can cause them to build up in the body and wreak havoc on our immune systems and our ability to breathe in a relaxed manner. Crying is both healing and restorative and is highly underrated for overall wellness.  Don't PANIC! ;)  I'm not suggesting that we live in a constant state of hysteria.  However, I've learned that a good, old fashioned cry every so often when feeling stressed, overwhelmed or exasperated can do wonders for our health and clear both the air and the airways!