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Breathing Lessons for ALS
I know I have no control over how quickly or slowly my ALS progresses, but I can try to hold off the negative effects that come from long periods of sitting and shallow breathing.
Because most people with ALS experience breathing difficulties somewhere along the course of their disease, a spirometry test is among the battery of tests given to patients at an ALS clinic. This test measures how much air you can inhale and exhale, along with how fast you can empty the air out of your lungs.
Over the past nine years that I have been living with ALS, my forced-vital-capacity scores remain at 98%. Maybe I’m lucky or just have good genes. I prefer to give credit to the fact that I make proper breathing and associated exercises a priority each and every day.
In this recent column I shared a few of the resources that helped me to learn how to keep my spirometry scores high:
https://alsnewstoday.com/2018/05/29/als-breathe-well-balloons-bubbles/
Just last week I came across this blog from Z-Health that demonstrates a simple, yet powerful breathing technique. I’ve since added it to my “breathing toolkit” and recommend you do the same.
Let us know if you’ve tried any of my suggestions and if they helped you feel better, breathe better and – – kept those spirometry scores high. What else do you do to maintain good and healthy breathing?
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