1. The Purpose of the Invention
The significance of K.P. Buteyko's invention resides in the fact that at deep respiration, an excessive removal of CO2 takes place from an organism, resulting in the change of homeostasis which is partially neutralised by various compensating mechanisms. The developing disruption of homeostasis, accumulating for a long time (in fetus through mother's respiration) brings about the disruption of the above-mentioned biosynthetic and other processes. The state of health of people who suffer from shortage of carbon dioxide is impaired by defensive reactions of the organism displayed in the form of disruption of the processes of respiration and hemodynamics. However, it should be noted that if these defensive reactions which aggravate the health state of sick persons had not existed, these people would perish much faster.
2. The First Statement of the Theory
The deep respiration during which the rate of CO2 exhalation from the organism somewhat exceeds the rate of its accumulation in the tissues, develops into a respiratory alkalosis characterised by the decrease in CO2 and the increase in pH.
The respiratory alkalosis is accompanied, as a rule, by the state of oxygen deficiency which develops as a result of the inhibition of Verigo-Bohr effect, this brings about an occurrence of surplus of incompletely oxidised products of metabolism in the blood and therefore a development of the metabolic acidosis, which somehow compensates the deviations of pH caused by the respiratory alkalosis. However, it should be noted that this compensation is not fully adequate. As a result of these processes in the organism the following changes develop:
- a shift occurs in the electrolytic composition of the extracellular fluid;
- a shift occurs in pH of the extracellular fluid;
- a shift of pH occurs in the cells as a consequence of the participation of cells in the reaction of pH normalisation of the extracellular fluid;
- as a result of the renal activity in the elimination of HCO3. which is connected with a tendency of the organism to normalise the ph, a depletion of the buffer capacity occurs in plasma;
- owing to the change in ratio HCO3- cell/HCO3- plasma the diffusion rate of HCO3- changes from cell to blood plasma;
- efficiency of the process is disrupted
H2O + CO2 <====> H2CO3 <====> H+ HCO3-
HbO2 + H+ <====> HbH+ + O2
because there is little CO2 and no other acid can act similarly to H2CO3 in the metabolic reactions of oxygen;
- disruption of the processes of synthesis: amino acids, nitrogenous bases, fats and carbohydrates.
The effect of all these changes is as follows:
- a disruption of the formation: of proteins and peptides, of nucleic acids, lipids and carbohydrates;
- a disruption in the work of enzymes originating as a result of the change in pH, a change in the carboxylation intensity;
- a disruption in the metabolizable energy of the organism (a decrease in the formation of ATP).
Because of the above-mentioned disruptions the changes originate in various systems of an organism. At the decrease in dCO2 and [H+] which develop as a consequence of deep respiration, the respiratory centre adapts to these concentrations with the result that an accommodation of deep respiration occurs. Later when CO2 concentration becomes sufficiently low, the organism will feel acute shortage of O2 and will start to react, not on the excess CO2, but on the shortage of O2 by depressing the respiration. As a result of this process, a positive reverse bond originates which will bring about an increase in the intensity of work of the system and in our case will even more depress the respiration up to the advance of an untimely catastrophe.
It is quite natural to assume the presence of certain defensive mechanisms which prevent excessive exhalation of CO2 from the organism. Such mechanisms can be : stenosis of blood vessels, change in heart activity and constriction of respiratory pathways.
It is assumed that a choice of the defence method depends on the individual characteristics of the organism as well as on the intensity and breadth of processes leading to the depression of respiration. Because of this in a number of cases the constriction of lumen of vessels in a certain organ preferably takes place against the background of less noticeable constrictions of lumen of the remaining vessels and respiratory pathways of the organism, and in a number of cases a radical change in the respiration and (or) circulation takes place.
3. Comparison of Theoretical Conclusions with the Experimental Material
Let us consider how these conclusions of Buteyko's agree with the facts. In the book: " Introduction to Clinical Biochemistry " edited by Prof. I.I.Ivanov, Corresponding member of the- Academy of Medical Sci. of the U.S.S.R. (1969), it is quoted that patients having mitral defects of the heart show a clear relationship between the degree of development of the pathological process and the state of myocardial metabolism. During IV - V stages of the disease (according to the classification by Bakulaev) a decrease in the use of oxygen and succinatede-hydrogenase activity is observed in the muscle of auricular of the left atrium and the concentration of creatine phosphate decreases; additionally the intensity of glycolysis rises and the content of inorganic phosphate increases.
Also there is indicated that in 1963 Karsanov found a decrease in the total amount of actomyosin in the extracts from myocardium of persons who had died from chronically congested heart deficiency which originated as a result of defects, hypertony in systemic and pulmonary blood circulation and cardiosclerosis. The greater the decrease in the content of actomyosin in the extracts from from various heart sections, the higher the deficiency of the heart contracting function. In particular, in the composite mitral defect the actomyosin decreases preferably in the extracts from the atrium, right ventricle and right atrium. In the heart diseases resulting mainly in the deficiency of left ventricle, the decrease in content of actomyosin in the extracts from the left ventricle prevailed over its decrease in the extracts from the right ventricle.
F.Z.Meerson and T.Ya Zeyats (1960) assume that the disruption of constricting function of myocardium during chronic heart deficiency can be connected with the deterioration of protein synthesis in the myocardium and the exhaustion of plastic reserve of cells.
In rabbits with stenosis of the aorta, F.Z. Meerson and G.P. Ramenskaya (1960) observed a considerable decrease in DNA content in myocardium.
It is well known that one of the most characteristic pathological processes in the nervous tissue which develop as a primary damage or are accompanying other functional disorders of the nervous system, is the demyelinisation process. The nature of this process consists in the disintegration of structural, well-regulated on the molecular level, protein-lipid complex which forms myelin sheaths of grey matter nerves. It is thought that the demyelinisation process is connected with the change in the enzymic activity of lipid metabolism.
R.N.Phil'kevich in the article "Change of Protein Metabolism in Patients with Dermatosis" (Collection of Sci. Reports of the Central Committee Viral Institute, MZ U.S.S.R., 1978, No.22) indicates the presence of disproteinaceous shifts during the investigations of the protein fractions of blood serum using electrophoresis.
V.S.Shchelkunov et al. in the article "The Effect of Unloading Diet Therapy on the Protein Metabolism, Dynamics of the Exchange of Circulating Blood and Extracellular Fluid in Acute Pancreatitis" (Acute Pancreatitis. Biochemical Aspects. Leningrad, 1978) showed that considerable protein-volemic disruptions developed in patients with the edematose form of acute pancreatitis.
There is a great amount of data on the disruptions of protein metabolism in ulcer disease and atherosclerosis, etc.
There is little need to mention the enormous amount of literature published in connection with the metabolic change of fatty acids and the decrease in absorption of O2 in the heart during ischemia.
I think, it is worth noting the article by I.I.Zhuravasky et al. "The Effect of the Change in Carbon Dioxide (HCO3- and CO2) Level in the Blood on the Biosynthesis of Antibodies in Chickens" (Reports of the U.S.S.R- Academy of Sci., 1981, NoB), in which particularly it is confirmed that the origination of metabolic acidosis in chickens inhibits the formation of antibodies by 12.7 - 32.6% in comparison with the control.
In the article "Cromolin and Bronchial Spasm Induced by Deep Respiration", Pneumonologie, 1975, 153 (1), Messerlich et al. write about the development of bronchial spasm caused by the deep respiration. Kilham H. et al. in the article "Running, Walking, Hyperventilation Causing Asthma in Children" draw a conclusion that the hyperventilation brings about asthma in children.
Finally, in order to have a full picture, I would like to mention the article of Chr. Marinov "The Change and Some Mechanisms of the Disruption in Acid-Alkaline Equilibrium in Acquired Heart Defects", where it is, noted that in the study of 76 patients with the acquired heart defects and heart deficiency of various degree, the presence of respiratory alkalosis accompanied by metabolic acidosis was established.
It can be said that the obtained data are in full agreement with the conclusions made on the basis of Buteyko's theory. Namely, in various diseases both the changes in pH just in the direction predicted by the theory, and the changes in biosynthesis of polymers as well as in the absorption of oxygen by tissues have been noted.
Thus, the theory being developed on the basis of the internal logic, results in a number of deductions which do not contradict the independently obtained experimental data. This means that the developed theory has the right to be considered suitable for the explanation and structuring of the existing experimental material in reference to the process of origin of the diseases.
4. The Second Statement of the Theory
According to the first statement of Buteyko's theory two components can be indicated in the concept "disease":
- a disease as the change of functions in the organism owing to the deficiency in CO2;
- a disease as the defensive reaction of the organism to the removal CO2.
Because the second component follows from the first component, according to Buteyko's opinion, it is sufficient to eliminate the disease connected with the deficiency of CO2. The effect of this will be the elimination of the disease connected with the defensive reaction of the organism to the removal of CO2.
The reverse process of the reaction is possible because all the discussed biochemical ways are reversible, if not directly, then via the stages.
Thus, Buteyko's discovery makes it possible at least to stop the course of the disease and improve a patient's state of health by intensifying various metabolic reactions and other processes and thus to reverse the course of the disease up to its complete regression, restoring the initial status of the organism.
It should be noted that at the present time in a majority of cases the main efforts of doctors are directed to treat a disease connected with the defensive reaction of the organism to the deficiency of CO2 (this represents a search and use of all available spasmolytics, activators of heart activity,, etc.) . According to Buteyko's idea this makes the basic disease connected with the deficiency of CO2 worse, and never leads to curing the second disease, since the symptoms of the basic disease being Just somehow suppressed in one place can start developing in another place.
5. The Method for Intentional Cessation of Deep Respiration
For elimination of the basic disease K.P Buteyko offered the method for intentional cessation of deep respiration (ICDR).
On decrease of deep respiration less oxygen enters the lungs, CO2 is accumulated and the respiratory centre becomes adapted to its high concentrations. As a consequence of intensified Verigo-Bohr effect the oxygen from the blood enters more actively into the tissues, this leads to better oxidation of the substrates and therefore to the decrease in the concentration of incompletely oxidised products. The increase, in [H+] caused by ICDR method is eliminated by the function of kidneys, which, on the one hand, intensify the removal of H+ ions and on the other hand, slow down the removal of HCO3-. As a result of this process, the concentration of non-volatile acids decreases and the buffer capacity of plasma increases. This together with the restoration of all above mentioned processes culminates in the destruction of the basic disease.
6. Conclusion
The main statements of Buteyko's theory are based on the enormous amount of experimental material on the role of carbon dioxide in the processes of an organism activity and on the concepts of reversibility of biochemical processes, involving the regressive changes in the development of diseases, which were repeatedly verified during the approbations in Moscow and Leningrad.