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Mysterious shortness of breath: What has helped you?
Lung Health | Last Active: 4 days ago | Replies (3422)Comment receiving replies
@haleynicole1223 , it’s definitely worth a try to do the breathing exercises daily. As part of the method, I learned to breathe only through my nose most of the time and exercise while nose breathing. This helped me improve quite a bit in the beginning.
What sorts of tests have you had done so far, if any?
I too have been taking PPIs for a long time and even though it helps with the heartburn, it didn’t improve the breathing issue. But I have this inkling in the back of my head that GERD could still contribute because PPIs just deal with the heartburn symptom
and not the underlying problem. So I’m exploring dietary options and trying to improve gut health.
Replies to "@haleynicole1223 , it’s definitely worth a try to do the breathing exercises daily. As part of..."
I’ve also started looking into adult onset asthma, it’s actually pretty common. It’s interesting that the breathing methods work for you which is also a common breathing method for asthmatics. Also with being a night shifter, I am more at risk. You can also have acid reflux which causes asthma which could also be our issue with the GI problems many of us are facing.
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Hello All- At the beginning of my lung cancer, COPD, and emphysema journey I had no idea that there were so many ways to breathe! I always thought that one inhaled and then exhaled. Of course, I knew about asthma but I never gave it much thought. Well, was I missing out! There seem to be as many ways to breathe as there are imaginations! Have you heard of lion's breath? Humming bird breath? Sitali breath? Yup, these are real and used to help with breathing.
There are also breathing techniques that help relieve or manage difficult breathing caused by some sort of medical insult: Heart disease, lung illnesses, anxiety disorders, asthma. pulmonary embolism, etc. Sometimes it's very difficult to find a solution to being short of breath. Aside from the difficulty of diagnosing SOB there is also the trick of finding a correct breathing exercise, along with medications, treatments, and sometimes surgery.
My way of doing things is to go to the best source for information. I have been fortunate to have had two excellent Pulmonologists. My first pulmonologist sent me to the cardiac and pulmonary rehab center in our local hospital to learn Pursed Lip breathing. The program also included whole-body exercises, weights, and nutrition. It helped me to move in ways I hadn't been able to, I even ran for a while.
Be patient, as this might take several attempts to find the right fit for you.
https://www.healthline.com/health/breathing-exercise#deep-breathing
https://www.webmd.com/lung/shortness-breath-dyspnea#2
But, each person is different and one exercise program is not for all. There are millions of youtube videos about breathing. But before you teach your chest muscles new exercises make sure you are doing the correct ones. Go to your doctor. Start with him and ask for programs that can guide you to the right and helpful place. Does this sound like a good way to go?