The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-04-28

DR.. Clendening will answer
questions of general interest
only, and then only through
his column.
vocal teachers and their pupils.
He was impressed with TIE breath
ing capacity and chest expansion
which their occupation had in
duced in them, and furthermore,
that they were comparatively free
from the respiratory difficulties
and heart inefficiencies of others.
Applying this TO general prac-
tice his experience showed that II
he could teach patients with heart
trouble to take deep breaths sys-
tematically a great deal Of the
discomfort they had would go
away. Much Of this discomfort is
due 10 gaseous distention of the
bowels which limited the action Of
the lungs and had TO be deliberately
overcome by forced deep breathing.
Patients with angina pectoris
can often overcome a threatened
attack by taking deep forced
breaths and continuing the eXer-
cises for several minutes. Even
fainting attacks can be prevented
by this prolonged breathing. Many
patients Of this sort who had been
taking remedies without benefit
were made quite comfortable and
free from attacks after course
of forced breathing exercises.
Benefits of Deep Breathing
The subject has certainly been
neglected by the medical profess
sion all over the world. One or
two observers have written about
it, but there has been no general
trial of their recommendations.
DR.. Lothian Gottleib Tirala, Of
Munich, several years before the
war, advocated breathing exer-
cises for relief Of high and low
blood pressure.
In 1926 he wrote: "The me-
chano-physiological procedure Of
deep and prolonged breathing for
high blood pressure is explained
by more blood being taken up in
the large veins Of the chest; more
blood passes into the right cavities
Of the heart. Deep breathing in
creases vital capacity more than
ordinary tidal breathing. Ordin-
arily a person Of fair lung capac-
ity is able to hold his breath after
deep inhalation about twenty sec
onds, but one who has high blood
pressure is unable to do so longer
than six seconds
The procedure is so simple that
It is worth q trial, even i; e.
Tirala's claims about the relief Of
high blood pressure seem some
what exaggerated. The habit of
systematic daily deep breathing
exercises morning and evening
might well be undertaken by all
of US over thirty TO help out our
heart and circulation. They can
eve be taken in bed by invalids.
Deep Breathing Exercises
81 impress upon my patients"
writes DR.. Schaefer. 1.-THE impor-
lance Of exhalation with the mouth
open, not through the nose, and to
sound the vowel ~" thus enabling
them to bring on the deepest effort
Of expiration. Furthermore have
the patients use this method three
or four times a day and continue
for five or six minutes duration.
The first week they may lie down,
then sit up, finally stand up, al
ways breathing fresh air by an
open window or in the open air.
Even during the first few days one
can determine how the patient re-
acts to this breathing therapy. 1t
can be noticed that the dilated
heart of apprehension becomes
smaller, which may be determined
by X-ray exposure.
There is a well-known profess
sional class, the singers, for whom
deep breathing is essential in their
vocation. For this reason l had
one Of my assistants examine
opera singers in Muenchen. Among
100 singers there was not one Of
either sex who had high blood pres
sure. Although these people, as a
rule, are subject to the vicissitudes
Of life in a large city, retiring
late at night and always under a
nervous strain it was apparent
that they were on low border Of
blood pressure.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
W. L. Mare the major kid
ney diseases Il have diabetes and
Bright's disease in mind detected
definitely in the urine,
Answer: Yes. in 80 case. out OF
100. Should be checked by q blood
test.