| Physiological state of terminally ill cancer patients is | | | | are: 60 beats per min for pulse; 8 breaths per min |
| characterised by dozens of parameters that are | | | | for frequency; 6.5% CO2 in the alveoli; 4 s for |
| outside of the normal range. Among the simplest | | | | automatic pause during unconscious breathing and |
| cardio-respiratory parameters used by modern | | | | 60 s of oxygen in the body. Such parameters |
| oncologists are pulse and respiratory rate at rest | | | | were normal for many ordinary people about |
| or during sleep (Chiang et al, 2009; de Miguel | | | | 100-120 years ago. Modern people breathe faster |
| Sanchez et al, 2006; Groeger et al, 1998). They | | | | and deeper, CO2 is less, heart rate is higher, and |
| predict survival of cancer patients. After | | | | body oxygenation is less than 30 s. The most |
| investigating several parameters and | | | | severe or last stage of the disease (5th stage of |
| characteristics in 100 terminally ill cancer patients, | | | | the disease) corresponds to critically and terminally |
| Dudgeon and Lertzman (1998) concluded that | | | | ill patients. |
| "spirometry was abnormal in 93% of patients". | | | | Terminal cancer patients, according to the Table, |
| While most formulas, which could predict survival | | | | should have less than 10 s CP, when the immune |
| of cancer patients, involve blood analysis and | | | | system offer no resistance to pathogenic |
| other complicated procedures, a group of Spanish | | | | bacteria, viruses, and malignant cells even in the |
| doctors suggested only 3 simple parameters | | | | blood due to severe tissue hypoxia and |
| reflected in the title of their study: "Palliative | | | | suppressed immune system. At this stage, they |
| Performance Status, Heart Rate and Respiratory | | | | are likely to be bed-ridden, unable to work, have |
| Rate as Predictive Factors of Survival Time in | | | | problems with self-care, etc. With around 3-5 s |
| Terminally Ill Cancer Patients" (de Miguel Sanchez | | | | for body oxygenation, these people may need to |
| et al, 2006). Ninety-eight patients were studied, | | | | be fed and can loose consciousness. These were |
| whose median survival was 32 days. In abstract | | | | the observations of Dr. Buteyko and his |
| these doctors noted, that following ranges of | | | | colleagues, who studied breathing parameters of |
| these 3 parameters predict poor chances to | | | | terminally ill heart and asthma patients in the |
| survive: Palliative Performance Score of 50 or | | | | 1960s before these patients were able to learn |
| under, heart rate of 100/minute or more, and | | | | the Buteyko breathing retraining method. |
| respiratory rate of 24/minute or more. | | | | Hence, the Palliative Performance Status at 3-10 s |
| In the 1960s, when Doctor Konstantin Buteyko | | | | CP would be very low because it includes 5 |
| was the head of the classified respiratory project | | | | characteristics (Ambulation; Activity Level |
| for first Soviet spaceship missions (Soviets | | | | Evidence of Disease; Self-Care ability; Food |
| wanted to define ideal air composition in a space | | | | Intake; Level of Consciousness). |
| rocket and ideal respiratory parameters of | | | | In order to find the exact numbers, let us |
| astronauts for their maximum performance and | | | | consider the last row of this Table (for 10 s CP or |
| body oxygenation), he analyzed results of | | | | the terminal stage of disease). It corresponds to |
| thousands of healthy and sick people (mostly with | | | | the heart rate of 90 and the breathing frequency |
| heart disease and asthma) and suggested the | | | | of 26 breaths per minute. Hence, less than 10 s |
| Buteyko Table of health zones. Several books | | | | CP (body oxygenation) means over 90 beats per |
| (e.g., Buteyko & Buteyko, 2005) and | | | | minute for pulse and over 26 for respiratory |
| websites have this table. It links together several | | | | frequency. Spanish doctors (de Miguel Sanchez et |
| fundamental physiological characteristics of the | | | | al, 2006) found the pulse over 100 and respiratory |
| human body, including heart rate, respiratory | | | | rate over 24 are very poor predictors of survival |
| frequency, CO2 concentration in the alveoli of the | | | | and these parameters are close to Buteyko |
| lungs, automatic pause (a natural pause of total | | | | observations, considering huge deviations from |
| rest or no breathing after their usual exhalation), | | | | the norms (about 2 times). Therefore, there is a |
| and the Control Pause (or body oxygenation | | | | little difference, from the cardio-respiratory |
| index). The CP is the breath holding time | | | | viewpoint and body oxygenation state, between |
| measured after usual exhalation, but only until the | | | | these seemingly different conditions: heart |
| signs of initial discomfort or stress. | | | | disease, asthma, and cancer. |
| The normal parameters, according to this table, | | | | |