Classic methods for curing chronic hyperventilation

There are a number of classic methods for curing chronic hyperventilation. In addition to the prescription of medication, many treatments focus on the incorrect breathing of the patients. Because of chronic hyperventilation, people often have thoracic breathing. The reason for this is this type of respiration facilitates a higher breathing frequency. It helps the patient to vent more carbon dioxide with every breath. People suffering from chronic hyperventilation tend to change their respiration type unconsciously.

The treatment then focuses on improving breathing technique and replacing thoracic breathing with abdominal breathing. This form of treatment yields reasonable results. But it often turns out to be inadequate to permanently cure the patients.

Using a bag

Many doctors advise their patients to temporarily breathe in a bag when they suffer from hyperventilation. The idea behind this is to reduce the loss of carbon dioxide. Because the air that the patient re-inhales is rich in carbon dioxide. But it is rare for patients to use such a bag effectively. Usually one experiences this as a means worse than the disease. In addition, this form of treatment gives only a very temporary relief. That is because it does not change the setting of the respiratory center.

The HyperFree breathing cassette

Similar to breathing in a bag is the use of the HyperFree breathing cassette. This product can be purchased fairly cheaply almost everywhere. But the operation has the same effects as the bag mentioned above and thus it also has the same disadvantage. It does not provide a lasting solution. Therefore, breathing in a bag and the HyperFree is not suitable as methods to cure chronic hyperventilation. Such a cassette can be used effectively to counter a hyperventilation attack though.

Wrong references

There are a number of symptoms in chronic hyperventilation, which are often wrongly assessed by both doctors and patients. The underlying problem is then not recognized and resolved. Often the patient is referred to a specialist in the field to which the symptom seems to point. The patient is thus treated for a condition that he / she does not actually have.

Ultimately, it becomes clear that this treatment has not helped either. And then the patient returns to the doctor. The house doctor often regrettably has to conclude that he can not help the patient any further. But the patient still experiences the symptoms. And that is a very frustrating situation for both parties. The patient ends up in a kind of ‘medical vacuum’ and is forced to continue to live on with the symptoms. Usually without understanding what is going on.

The patient often ends up in social isolation

The impact on the lives of these patients can be enormous. This is due to the large range of symptoms that cause hyperventilation. Often the patient can not exercise his daily activities (or not fully). This often ends up in a social isolation. And that in turn produces stress that can aggravate hyperventilation.

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