Greensboro's African American Community Newspaper since 1967
One of the seemingly simple acts that you perform each and every day, each and every minute and second, is the act of breathing. An act that your body automatically performs for you. No request needed, no thought process required. Breathing brings the life-giving oxygen to each and every cell of the body.
There is a specialized area of the brain, the pre-Botzinger complex. It is a group of cells that act almost like a pacemaker for your breathing. It counts down about 12 times a minute, and this triggers your body, without a conscious thought, to just breathe.
New research into this field has discovered new information about the so-called act of breathing. First, each and every one of us has our own unique pattern of breathing. It is akin to a fingerprint. Research has determined, with the help of computer modeling, that the patterns of how one breathes can actually identify the person to which that pattern belongs. This unique pattern is durable, and computers can still identify the human this pattern belongs to two years later.
Respiratory patterns are interesting. A person who is larger will inhale more air than a smaller person. So, different aspects of a physical being will affect these breathing patterns.
Studies have also shown that these breathing patterns can detect whether a person is depressed or anxious. If one is depressed, they breathe faster. In looking at anxiety, a subtle change or a pause in breathing will indicate high or low anxiety.
The way a person with autism breathes is detected again by a particular type of pause in the breathing sequence.
So, your breathing patterns can now be used to detect your mood and your cognition. Remember, this is not a conscious act. Your brain controls breathing.
This research is evolving, but it is thought that it will be immensely helpful in diagnosing a variety of conditions in a non-invasive manner. By analyzing your breathing, so much information could be gleaned.
So, did the gurus and yogis have it right? Have the exercises in breath control been the answer all along? Have those of us who practice different forms of meditation been on the right track as we thought?
Well, as we get new research results, we will learn more about the correlation between the way in which one breathes and one’s health. Look for new studies and data on the horizon and just breathe.
Dr. Veita Bland is a board-certified Greensboro physician and hypertension specialist. Dr. Bland’s radio show, “It’s a Matter of Your Health,” can be heard live on Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. on N.C. A&T State University’s WNAA, 90.1 FM. Listeners may call in and ask questions. The show is replayed on Sirius 142 at 5 p.m. on Wed. Email Dr. Bland at ideas@blandclinicpa.com.
