It has been the first time that a group of Buteyko Practitioners exhibited at the New Zealand Respiratory Conference (NZRC) and I’m very excited that I was part of it. People visiting our stand - Breathing Clinics NZ - were treated to a free capnography mini session. We all enjoyed explaining the Buteyko breathing programme and the benefits of healthy breathing to our visitors.

The conference was packed with the latest research information on asthma, allergies and COPD. The importance of vitamin D in children was discussed and we got introduced to the new asthma guidelines. 

I was deeply moved by a workshop with the title “Real life story – I hate you! I wish you were dead!” It highlighted the daily struggle and emotional rollercoaster with endless ups and downs of a family and their teenage daughter living with brittle asthma, bronchiectasis and a brain injury. The mother shared their story to bring a greater awareness and understanding of the many challenges, hurdles and struggles people have to face when living with a chronic illness. 

On a brighter note and to everyone’s delight Chris Lam Sam – Master of Ceremonies and entertainer was brilliantly introducing speakers throughout the day. He made sure that we all got up from time to time to have a stretch and even gave our neighbour a hug. Chris was not shy to impress with his colourful wardrobe and he was making sure that we all had a good laugh during the two days.
Chris is well known for Sailor the Pufferfish, an asthma education programme for kids.
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#NZRC, #Asthma, #COPD, #Buteyko Breathing Courses

Asthma and respiratory diseases are a leading course of sickness in New Zealand and shouldn’t be taken lightly. They rank number three as a cause of death in the country. It might all start with a mild symptom of being a little bit wheezy which can suddenly turn around and develop into some serious condition.

The Asthma Foundation published alarming numbers showing every 7th child is diagnosed with asthma and every 6th person has a respiratory disease. Conditions come with a price tag of $5.5 billion each year. 

If we are not breathing correctly, our body is not supplied with the optimum amount of oxygen. Failing to top up oxygen and keeping the levels to the required standard our brain as well as other vital organs will start to suffer over time. 

In fact, a certain level of carbon dioxide is also important for our body to function properly. Again, disturbed levels can lead to a variety of health issues.

Wrong breathing can make us feel stressed, anxious, drained and can even affect our sleep pattern.

March 18th is World Sleep Day which is a global annually event. This year’s slogan is “Good sleep is a reachable dream”. How true!

We like to remind everyone how vital it is for our health and wellbeing that we get a good night sleep. The quality of our sleep during the night will reflect in the quality of our day.

​A restful sleep will leave us refreshed and ready for the day ahead of us but if we struggle through the night we will be feeling exhausted, tired and be in a bad mood.

If you don’t sleep well, you can’t perform well.  As a result you might have trouble concentrating at work, mistakes are creeping in, memory loss shows or you make bad decisions when driving the car.

When was the last time you serviced your car?
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When was the last time you serviced your breathing?

During the month of March we run a special promotion for you to get your breathing checked. Have you noticed that your breathing is becoming noisy (snoring), gets interrupted by sighing and yawning or do you have frequent toilet pit stops during the night? Sleeping might be restless, fatigue is creeping in during the day or the nose is chronically blocked.