The Buteyko Breathing Method Improves Ventilator Outcomes

We are currently seeing historic levels of ventilator use and intubation in the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why is COVID-19 killing so many of us, who are getting the best modern technology? We know a high number of patients have pre-existing medical conditions, where lung resiliency is diminished. But this new disease is encountering a powerful technology — one that is now being deployed, for the first time, on a mass scale.

Mechanical ventilation uses precise, controlled delivery to get more oxygen into the lungs, then into the blood, then into the cells to reverse hypoxemia, or low oxygen blood levels.

However, doctors are reporting that mechanical ventilators are being overused with COVID-19 patients. Perhaps unsurprisingly, alternative ventilator treatments are inching into the mainstream. As new data emerges that managing ventilators differently, or using nasal cannula alternatives, could significantly reduce the COVID-19 death rate, are we ready to openly discuss the limitations of traditional ventilator management — and consider viable alternatives?

Lung Hyperventilation

Respiratory therapists have been propelled onto the front lines in the COVID-19 battle. In New York City, Fred Brown (RRT) confirms that less is more when it comes to ventilator management. His work in the Intensive Care Unit means caring for multiple ventilator patients each day, where he is applying a…