Background

Mrs H presented to me as a 37 year old. At that time she was a health professional, working part-time and was raising a young family in regional Victoria. She had always been fit and healthy and enjoyed regular exercise as well as many outdoor hobbies like gardening, bushwalking and kayaking. Mrs H had never really suffered from any major medical conditions or illnesses.

Mrs H had suffered some hayfever as a child and her hayfever had returned significantly in the 10 years prior to her working with me, since she had relocated to regional Australia from the city. Initially this hayfever was mild, however in the prior 3 years, it had become severe.

Symptoms

Mrs H reported severe hayfever symptoms - sneezing, wheezing / breathlessness, itchy eyes and a blocked nose that typically commenced in late Sept/Oct and persisted through summer until April. Each year, the symptoms seemed to be getting more severe and Mrs H was no longer able to exercise outdoors for much of the year. Mrs H had also found that she had begun to notice that some foods and wine were also starting to trigger her allergies - something that had not happened before. Regularly, Mrs H woke at least once a night, sneezing up to 12 times, disturbing both her and her partner’s sleep. Overall Mrs H found her hayfever was really limiting her activities and restricting her desired life. She found it difficult to concentrate in the later part of the day and was exhausted from her symptoms and the sleep disturbances it created.

Management

During spring and summer, Mrs H resorted to daily hayfever medication (often double the prescribed dose) and Ventolin. These medications however never resolved her symptoms, just reduced them. Mrs H had trialled steroid injections as a preventer with minimal effect. Mrs H was unable to hang washing outside during these months due to the reaction when she used the clothing/bedding that had been hung outside,  and was unable to sleep with doors/windows open.

The BreatheWell Program

Mrs H was desperate for a solution to her hayfever that didn’t involve medications. She was uncomfortable with the amount of medication that she was taking and that it seemed to be a little more each year. She was a committed client, who was motivated and invested to change the way her hayfever was impacting her life and restricting her activities. Mrs H wanted again to feel positive, energised and upbeat about life - to live her life to the full and enjoy the great outdoors, every, single day!

Mrs H was able to complete the program while she worked and cared for her family.

She was able to incorporate the practice into her daily routine easily and we adapted her program to fit in around her existing commitments. At one point in the porogram, Mrs H needed to take a break due to a family illness, but was able to pick up again after 2 weeks and carry on.

The Results - Mrs H's View

The changes in Mrs H’s life as she worked through The BreatheWell Program were astounding. From the very first session, there was positive change and overall, her symptoms reduced by more than 95% by the time she completed the program. 

The final assessment included:

• No hayfever medication
• No Ventolin
• Occasional itchy eyes
• No sneezing
• No wheezing
• Full exercise capacity indoors and outdoors
• Excellent sleep quality with windows open

The Results - My View

Confirming Mrs H’s report are my key measurements - When Mrs H commenced the program, she was taking 20 breaths every minute, she was breathing through her mouth most of the time, and sighed and yawned regularly. At the completion of the program, Mrs H was taking only 8 breaths / minute (the ideal human breathing rate), was breathing through her nose at all times, quietly and evenly and no longer yawned or sighed. Mrs H was able to run comfortably for 8km+ breathing through her nose only and completed a half marathon 2 months after completing the course where she breathed through her nose for the entire 21km. Mrs H was able to master the art of breathing through her nose while swimming as well!

When Mrs H commenced the program, her resting HR was 82 bpm, at the end it was 50, overnight Mrs H’s HR usually drops to around 40bpm. 

Mrs H is now 4 years down the track, and is most definitely living life to the full - she is free from the hayfever and allergies that had started to really restrict her life. Since completing the program, Mrs H has NEVER needed hayfever or asthma medication again, despite living in regional Australia and spending the majority of her days enjoying outdoor activities. Mrs H most definitely achieved You, As New by completing the BreatheWell program.