O2 and Breathing

Oxygen. Quite simply it’s the most important nutrient to give your body. So… what’s the most helpful piece of medical advice that I can tell you to do? Quite simply, it’s to keep breathing as long as possible :) I say that kiddingly because it’s so obvious. I say that seriously because it’s not just that you breathe, it’s that you breathe properly. This even goes just a tick above learning to think properly. We breathe every minute of every day of our lives. As important as thinking right is, you can’t think if you don’t breathe for long. Breathing right is important. A few deep breaths can calm us like a shot of valium. Oxygenating well offers a fountain of youth.

Breathing well brings more oxygen to cells. Oxygen is life. Life is oxygen. Oxygen elevates mood. Oxygenating well increases mental clarity. It detoxifies your body.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that YOU (yes, you) DO NOT BREATHE RIGHT. And for those of you who do breathe right, you only do it right some of the time.

Breathing is both a conscious and unconscious body function.

We must learn to breathe properly and do it consistently to live optimally.

Improper: So, take a deep breath in and hold it. If you notice that your shoulders are tense, and your chest is out with your stomach mostly sucked in, then your breathing is not right.

Proper inhalation: Breathe from your belly (when inhaling, make your belly button go as far away from the spine as possible) and pretend that your abs, glutes, and back are doing the breathing for you. Take the chest out of it to begin with. Babies breathe with their stomach, not their chest. Be more baby-like in your breathing :)

Proper breathing: Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds (using your abs, glutes, and your back), hold for 4 seconds, exhale out through your mouth for 4 seconds, hold exhalation for 4 seconds, and then repeat that cycle.

The right way: This is not the only right way to breathe. There are many techniques and timings that one can play with, but this is a simple version to do and I encourage you to spend just 1 minute each hour of your day to do this (that’s only 4 cycles of breathing each hour). It’ll lower your stress hormones, balance your neurotransmitters and just make a healthier you.

Breathing Boost: If you want to get extravagant and live on the edge, then you may place the tip of your tongue gently against the roof of your mouth just behind the upper teeth while you do your breathing exercise.

It's interesting that a simple way to test your longevity as it currently stands is to simply hold your breath for as long as you can (without passing out please). If you cannot hold it longer than 1 minute, then breathing exercises are a must for your longevity’s sake. If you cannot hold it longer than 2 minutes, then breathing exercises are still a great idea from a longevity standpoint.

Now I’m just going to boast a little and say that a few years ago, I held my breath for 4:16. That was in the pool with my head under water, so, yes, that time is truth.

Also, interesting is the fact that as of a couple years ago, my wife literally could not exhale for more than a few seconds despite her being a phenomenal athlete her entire life. She has learned since then through doing similar calming breathing exercises how to control her inhalations and exhalations and this has helped her in life in multiple ways. Very neat.

Enjoy the video below, and as always, free to pass it along!

Medical Disclaimer: Information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. The information is a result of years of practice and experience by Yoshi Rahm, DO. However, this information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other health care professional, or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. 

Do not use the information provided in this article for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other health care professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read in this article.

Information provided in this article and the use of any products or services related to this article by you DOES NOT create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Yoshi Rahm, DO or any other physician featured in this article. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Movember

I was lazy last week and didn’t shave (not an unusual occurrence, much to my wife’s dismay), then I realized that we were a good week into November, so after confirming that I last shaved on October 31^st, I figured this would be a good first time for me to honor the Movember movement.

For those that don’t know, Movember, or “mustache November”, is a movement to raise awareness regarding men’s health issues, so I’ll specifically focus on prostate health.

Men’s prostates naturally get larger as they age.  This is called BPH (Benign Prostate Hypertrophy).  Because the prostate wraps around the urethra just below the bladder, when the prostate does get larger, it can cause common symptoms that include weaker urination stream, difficulty starting and/or stopping urination, more frequent urination, and dribbling at the end of urination.  BPH is not cancer, but it is annoying and can eventually lead to more serious conditions like recurrent kidney infections.

How about prostate cancer?  There’s a general rule of thumb that 60% of men aged 60 will have trace amounts of cancer cells in their prostates.  The vast majority of those who have prostate cancer cells do not ever even know they have prostate cancer.  However, prostate health should be taken seriously, since almost a quarter million men in the U.S. are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year and around 10% of them will die from it.  According to www.cancer.org, 1 man out of every 38 will die from prostate cancer.  Not good.

I’m all about prevention, and plenty of research suggests that dietary and lifestyle changes may help maintain and influence healthy prostate cells.  Of course, more research is needed, but some simple guidelines for overall prostate wellness are below.

Strategies to Support Prostate Health

• Reduce Stress: Reducing stress balances stress hormones and equilibrates neurotransmitters ultimately causing less DNA damage and less cancer overall improving prostate health.
• Eat a Low-Glycemic Diet: Insulin may exacerbate prostatic disease. Eating a low-glycemic diet with minimal processed carbohydrates does good for your prostate health.
• Ample Veggies and Fruit: Veggies and Fruit give antioxidants and phytonutrients to your body and many phytonutrients have been implicated in prostate health.
• Cook protein at Lower Temperatures and do not eat burning/charred foods: Cooking meat and charring any food increases the presence of harmful carcinogenic compounds that may negatively affect prostate health.
• Exercise CONSISTENLY: Even if its moderate amounts each time and low-intensity, exercise still benefits prostate health.  Exercise aids the hormone balance, specifically the estrogen-testosterone relationship thereby aiding in prostate health.
• Supplements: There is a growing body of research exploring the role of supplements in prostate health.  It’s likely that some extra concentrated doses of certain phytonutrients can benefit prostate health.  There are many prostate supplement options on the open market.  Just make sure you get a good quality brand and then monitor for changes in urination.  If you notice urination changes for the better, then the supplement might be worth continuing.  If you do not notice any changes, then it’s probably not worth your money to keep taking it.

Medical Disclaimer: Information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. The information is a result of years of practice and experience by Yoshi Rahm, DO. However, this information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other health care professional, or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. 

Do not use the information provided in this article for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other health care professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read in this article.

Information provided in this article and the use of any products or services related to this article by you DOES NOT create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Yoshi Rahm, DO or any other physician featured in this article. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.