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When Eric was told by his doctor that he had only 30% of his lung capacity left, he was determined to help himself live his life to the fullest. Although he knew he had emphysema, there was no explanation for the actual lung damage that he had sustained - tests had proved that he was free from the diseases usually associated with it. The drugs he was taking stabilised his condition but would never improve it; Eric decided he would try some alternative treatments.
He found acupuncture to give some temporary relief to his feelings of breathlessness and tiredness, but they were not long lasting effects. The acupuncturist told him about the Buteyko method, and Eric decided to try it.
"When I first attended the course, I found I scored really low in the exercises ," he remembers. "But I am a very stubborn chap, and soon I was able to reach very high scores indeed. The tutor Russell told me I was working myself too hard!" Eric's' determination paid off, because after three months of using the Buteyko method his lung capacity had actually improved, which is uncommon for sufferers of emphysema.
"There is no question that it helped," Eric comments. "After three or four weeks I clearly noticed an improvement - quite a big difference. I felt I had extra lung-power; I started walking again and soon I was able to walk up to five kilometres in under an hour. That may not seem very fast, but compared to how I felt previous to learning Buteyko, I think its wonderful. The method did me a world of good."
Eric is now on antibiotic medication that helps control his lung condition, but still dedicates part of each day to Buteyko exercises. "I am not prepared to experiment by cutting that time down, " he smiles. "Buteyko has helped me - there is no question of that. I am not going to do anything that may reduce its benefits."
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