Tori; 45 year old moderate asthmatic
One of Tori's greatest regrets about being an asthmatic was that he could no longer play "Golden Oldie" rugby. A very fit man, he had been a Physical Education teacher for many years after a playing representative rugby in his younger days. When his doctor diagnosed him as asthmatic ten years ago, he was told it was a hereditary problem as many others in his family suffered from it as well.
Tori was able to control the asthma with Ventolin and Becloforte, but it became progressively worse as time went on. His life slowed down and he resigned himself to being an asthmatic. The condition restricted him in his job as PE instructor at the local boy's High School; he could no longer run very far with the students or exert himself, and he now felt more sympathy towards other asthmatics.
Concerned at the deterioration in her husband's health, Tori's wife saw a newspaper advertisement for a Buteyko introductory seminar and persuaded him to go. After the theory of the technique was explained, Tori didn't hesitate to enrol in the next course. He has never regretted it.
"I noticed a change almost immediately, and was off all reliever medication within a week. I felt very confident with this technique; I used to have to check that I always had a reliever puffer with me, but after this course I tended to forget I had asthma. For the next year I didn't take any medication at all, and felt I could conquer the world! This was really great - I felt human again."
Tori admits that he isn't as conscientious with the exercises as he should be, and often forgets them as his asthma no longer seems a threat. When he now feels tightness in his chest, he is quick to get back on to them, and his asthma is controlled after 2-3 days. "I caught the flu once in the three years I've been using Buteyko. Before that I would have to have a week off work two or three times a year because of it and the asthma that went with it.
"I believe this should be taught in schools; it would help so many kids cut down on asthma drugs, or stop them needing them altogether. I've told my doctor all about it and think it should be made available by the health department to everyone who wants to help themselves."
As a physiotherapist Karen knew all about exercises for asthma relief; she had taught them for years. Yet there seemed little she could do to help herself overcome the asthma that had plagued her since the age of three.
In her late teens and early twenties Karen seemed exceptionally sensitive to everyday substances that would trigger her asthma; cigarette smoke, alcohol, animal fur, dust. She would never allow her condition to get in her way but was relying on increasing amounts of Ventolin to give relief from it; she would have to take several puffs morning and night to be able to live a normal life. As she got older the asthma became worse.
Karen emigrated to New Zealand from her home in England. She saw an advertisement in the paper for a Buteyko course and decided to try it. She was really pleased with the results. Karen's husband has also noticed her improvement and believes it is the Buteyko method that has helped her.
"If I do ten minutes of the Buteyko exercises each day, I don't need any Ventolin," she says. "If I do take it, I feel a noticeable difference straight away; my heart-rate increases, and I feel slightly dizzy, and unsteady. I seem to have become extremely sensitive to its effects. The Buteyko course was very worthwhile - you cannot put a price on your health. All the other breathing exercises that I had learned and taught for years previously - diaphragmatic and deep breathing - now seem a complete waste of time."
"I wish more people were able to learn it, because as a professional I know how much help it provides in controlling asthma with the minimum use of medication."
Con Barrell was well-known as a rugby player for the Canterbury Crusaders but what many rugby fans may not realise is that Con is also a chronic asthmatic.
"I would train hard and be rearing to go to the next big game for the Canterbury Crusaders, only to be knocked back by asthma after catching a slight cold", he says. "It was heart-breaking. My family and friends would ask, 'Why are you doing this to yourself?’ because I had to take so much medication to get through a game. It worried me as well, and I seriously thought of giving the whole thing away."
His rugby success is a tribute to his outstanding dedication and drive. He's overcome a condition that would prevent many from even considering a sporting career. Suffering from it as long as he can remember, he was determined that it shouldn't stop him from doing what he loved.
"In my late teens the rugby became serious, and I had to take preventers to be able to continue. Asthma made a huge impact on my overall performance; it could set me back without any warning, and I would miss games for which I had been training successfully. I was an inconsistent player because of it."
Con's big break from asthma came a matter of days before he was due to play in Orange Free State with the Crusaders in May 1997. His mother-in-law had heard about Buteyko and persuaded Con's wife to ask for further information.
"I contacted tutor Russell Stark and told him I was due to leave the country in four days; could he do anything to help? He was in Christchurch at the time and he gave me the best asthma education course I have ever had. I learned more about the condition and how medication works in the first half-hour than I had found out in the rest of my life. When I first read about the technique it seemed strange, a bit unbelievable. But during Russell's course it all made real sense."
Con was able to master the method well enough to make an enormous difference to his game in South Africa. It was usual for him to take 20-30 puffs of Ventolin during play; he carried a puffer tucked inside his sock. He had been known to empty one in a game. This time however, he used Ventolin once, and felt incredibly well even though he was playing at high altitude opposite the formidable South African Os du Randt. He was delighted to be able to play a whole game rather then come off the field at half-time, and to avoid inconvenient stops while he took his medication.
“I still take a preventer but simply do not need so much reliever. I have not had Prednisone since learning Buteyko. I sleep better, my pulse-rate has dropped 10-12 beats on a regular basis, and I feel well. This has been a big help to me, as a professional and personally. I recommend asthmatics try it - things can only get better."
"Before Buteyko, I couldn't walk to get the paper out of the box. Now I walk 40k’s a week and more. Asthmatics can't afford not to do Buteyko. The money-back guarantee gave me the confidence to try it because I had nothing to lose. I think it has been great; I'll be using it for the rest of my life. It has no side effects and I now need less medication.
“I was taking the maximum dose of inhaled steroids twice a day and a course of oral steroids perhaps every six weeks. Yet after the first week of the Buteyko course I no longer needed my Berotec inhaler. I remained drug-free for 2.5 years. I stopped monitoring my asthma and gradually my condition worsened and I had to use my inhaler again. I repeated the course at no extra cost and it brought my asthma back under control and I am medication-free now. I try to do one Buteyko exercise every day. I think it’s brilliant and would recommend it to anyone.”
After 20 years of asthma making her life almost unbearable, Joan wants to tell everyone about how Buteyko helped her.
"Most summers were spent in misery. I would long for the change of season, so I could feel better. In the summer I would need nebulisers 3-4 times a week and felt I couldn't do anything, which was no good with us living on a farm.
"I had read about the Buteyko method and saw an item on a current affairs show that cause me to enrol in a course.
"It was the best money I have ever spent. I had instant good results. I was able to cut out the nebulisers and no longer needed all the reliever I had been taking. I have reduced my preventive medication by half. I usually do the Buteyko exercises once a day, and asthma is no longer a problem. I can walk over the hills on my property which was out of the question before.
"When I talk to people about it, one of the first questions they usually ask is, 'How much does it cost?’ Then they say, ‘Oh, that's a lot.'
"I say, hold on. How much do you pay in doctor's fees and prescription charges for your asthma over a year? Or how much does a year's subscription to the golf club cost? Then they have to agree that a life-time Buteyko fee is not really expensive.
"I paid for my course over a six month period, because I don't have a large income. Paying that way was no trouble, and it was well worth it."
Clare is a chronic, fragile asthmatic. That means she could have a life-threatening asthma attack at any time, without warning. This happened to her in the spring of 1997, while she was walking across her university campus. Within the ten minutes of the first symptoms of the attack to the time that office staff called an ambulance, Clare and those around her thought she was dying.
Five years ago Clare had been very active and involved in various sports. Then asthma began to affect her more and more seriously. She had moved to the city from her rural home, and within a short time she was having to take increasing doses of steroids to control the condition. She was hospitalised several times; on one occasion she had stopped breathing altogether and had to be resuscitated.
Unable to go anywhere where she could not take her nebuliser, Clare had to give up many activities such as the bush tramping she had once enjoyed. Simple tasks like a brief grocery shopping trip were extremely difficult. Going to a mall was frightening for her because they were so big; it would take her too long to get out if she felt an asthma attack coming on. Her mother took her Christmas shopping in a wheelchair.
"After learning Buteyko I noticed straight away that I was sleeping much better at night. I started walking again; it was a big thrill to be able to walk down to the river without feeling any discomfort, and that's about a kilometre away. Just being able to go shopping and walk from the car to the buildings is a major achievement for me. Before the course when I was unwell, I couldn’t walk upstairs to my bedroom. Buteyko has meant that even with a recent chest-infection, I am still able to move around normally."
Since attending a Buteyko course, she has travelled to the USA to be bridesmaid at a friend's wedding, something she would not have contemplated before. She sees her condition improving as her practice of the Buteyko exercises continues over time.
Clare still takes preventive medication, but uses a fraction of the relievers she once relied on. Instead of needing a nebuliser every four to six hours, Clare might use one two or three times a week if she is sick. "If I couldn't find my Ventolin inhaler I would panic, but not any more," she says. "I don't use it very often now."
"When I was at school, I used to hear other kids talking about their asthma, almost showing off their inhalers as though they were something trendy. Half of them didn't know what real asthma was; its certainly not something I felt good about. It was embarrassing. These kids need to learn its not cool to use a puffer if you don't really need one."
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