At this stage of my life and with all the jobs I’ve had, challenges I have overcome, mentors I have learned from, and patients who have taught me the real purpose of life, I think I have a fair amount wisdom and knowledge to share. At least enough to create a podcast and think people will want to listen. I mean, The AUDACITY right!? But really, this has been my gift all my life, young and old alike, didn’t matter my age, I was always a keeper of secrets, the holder of sacred space, the one who comforts, the one with diplomacy, the one you went to when you needed someone. And today I want you to know - you and I aren’t just someone…we are some of the one. We are all part of this bigger experience in life. We are co-creating our realities together. Everything you want in life is already yours, it’s just a matter of focusing your energy, like tuning a radio to your perfect frequency and station. You are a receiver, getting crystal clear reception helps bring in to your life what is meant for you.
I will keep coming back to this and I will say again energy is everything. I am learning more and more to “tune in” to this atomic vibrational energy, to be a well tuned receiver, and have better regulation over my emotions, my nervous system, my clarity, and what I want to bring into my life. Before I dive off the metaphysical cliff, I want to remind my science friends and all of you that everything on this earth vibrates at the atomic level. Atoms are the smallest particles of matter made of protons, neutrons, and electrons all spinning around each other like a tiny little solar system. Atoms make up every form of matter in this universe, vibrate. Some slow, some fast, depends on the state of matter - solid, liquid, gas. You way not be able to perceive it, but it’s happening. One of the most random things I remember from medical school is the bond angle of water, it’s 104.5 degrees. Within the water molecule are quantum mechanics or vibrational energy in the electrons of the hydrogen and oxygen atoms that create frequencies attracting and repelling other atoms within the molecule. (Permission to pause and Google search if you like) When you add energy in the form of heat, atoms within the molecules vibrate faster. When molecules vibrate faster, they change their state. This is how we can take water from ice cube to steam. With the right kind of energy you can separate atoms from one molecule to create a different molecule. Your breathing or the process of cellular respiration is the body’s ability to oxidize food and produce energy. I’ll keep it short, but you must know, I totally geek out about this stuff.
C6H12O6 + 6O2 —> 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy (ATP)
Glucose is oxidized, so one sugar molecule and 6 oxygen molecules are combined to create carbon dioxide, water, and energy (a molecular form of energy called ATP). ATP is the energy source for all the cellular processes in your body, your mitochondria, your metabolism. Your lungs help you exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide in your environment. This is why I always tell my patients - “breathing is your only obligation” once you chose to fuel your body properly. Your body becomes more acidic or more alkaline depending on the levels of CO2 or O2 in the body. Too much of either is deadly. The pH scale is zero to 10, with 7 considered neutral. The decrease of pH less than 7 is acidic, the increase of pH above 7 is basic or alkaline. Your bodily functions are optimal if your blood is slightly alkaline, somewhere between 7.35 -7.45, on an average of 7.4. There are acidic and alkaline limits that are incompatible with life. You don’t want to reach either of these.
In the presence of oxidative stress and free radicals, the blood becomes acidic and the tissues are not being well oxygenated. So, the body starts using its molecular energy (ATP) to break down and borrow ionic minerals from the bones, organs, and tissues to attempt to neutralize the acid. As a result, you feel tired, inflamed, bloated, moody, can’t sleep, can’t lose weight. All of the molecular energy your organs need to function is being diverted to maintain a neutral or slightly alkaline pH. I should mention, some risk factors for pH imbalance are obesity, sedentary lifestyle, alcohol use, diabetes, Liver or Kidney dysfunction, smoking and respiratory dysfunctions, as well as certain medications.
Good news is, there are some things you have control over that can influence your blood pH for the better. Perhaps I can do a separate episode explaining all of this in more detail, but briefly - hydrate (aim for 1/2 BW in oz), exercise (movement clears the body of metabolic waste and improves oxygenation), Nutrition (eat fruits, veg, and whole grains; avoid sugar, alcohol, processed products, caffeine, and excessive animal protein), Stress reduction (decrease cortisol levels and the formation of free radicals), Sleep (rest is when tissues and neurons repair, must be sure minimize apnea), and probably most importantly - BREATHING!!
I’ll spend a little more time explaining this one - because breathing is the quickest way to change your pH and guess what!?…It’s FREE! My fellow physicians are well versed in using ventilators, BIPAP, and CPAP machines to assist with the physiology of breathing, but also the resulting effect on blood pH. In the hospital setting, if a patient’s pH is too low or too high we can use machines to change the volume and rate of breathing to achieve a more neutral pH. AND YOU CAN TOO! By becoming aware of how you are breathing, you can learn to use your abdomen/diaphragm, and chest, to change the depth or volume of your breath as well as the frequency or rate of breathing. Sometimes we want to slow our breathing as this can slow the heart rate and bring us out of a sympathetic or “fight/flight” state and regulate our nervous system. But if we are wanting the therapeutic benefit of shifting our pH to be more alkaline, then we want to breathe more quickly to remove CO2 from our bodies.
This is why free divers TRAIN to hyperventilate on the surface of the water before deep dives with long breath holds, because their movement and metabolism will create CO2 in the tissue which they cannot exchange under water. The respiratory mechanics of free diving are fascinating, but I prefer to stay under longer, so the Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (or SCUBA) is for me! I’ll remind you, when it comes to O2 and CO2 not enough or too much can be deadly. So DO NOT go hyperventilating on the surface of the ocean or breathing from a compressed air tank without proper training!
To summarize, hyperventilation is breathing in excess of the metabolic rate and eliminating more CO2 than is produced. This results in respiratory alkalosis and the increase in blood pH. Now, I promise we didn’t go down that rabbit hole for nothing. Let me come back to the energetic and vibrational components I started this episode with.
Lately, I have turned to a number of energetic and spiritual practices, if for no other reason than to add some color and texture to my life. But mostly to explore which things help me tune in and raise my frequency or vibration to it’s highest so that I am able to be clear about what I want and bring it into my life. This exploration takes the form of journaling, yoga, meditation, mantra, affirmation, visualization, cold plunges, sound baths, grounding, and yes - Breathwork. Not all of them everyday, but something every day!
This brings me to the Woo-Woo Workout - for yes, the physiologic and the psychosomatic but also the changes in consciousness that happen with breath work (pranayama). There are many types of breath work practices and I use both slow and rapid breathing techniques for myself and my patients; but today I want to mention those that increase the rate of breathing. I mentioned before that rapid breathing is a natural result of the triggered sympathetic nervous system, the fight or flight mechanism that is biologically meant to heighten all your senses and motor skills to keep you alive. You can imagine this is good for survival in the heat of the moment, but not sustainable or compatible with a calm and balanced life. So why then would I recommend this type of breath only workout that increases your respiratory rate? It’s so you can train your breath, body, and brain like an Olympic Athlete. So you can take yourself into a physiologic state similar to that of sympathetic tone in a safe environment. In this safe and controlled method you are able to experience and process stuck emotions that need to be released, you can understand and process any physical discomfort that may come from sympathetic tone, and build a better understanding of your ability to regulate those emotions and sensations outside of your breath work, in your everyday life. Probably the thing I like most about rapid breathing workouts are the changes in my thinking and consciousness. When the blood pH changes, the brain chemistry changes, and there is an increase in neuronal activity. You break your habitual thought patterns and you can think in different ways, which can help you process trauma, anxiety, and depression. With increased neuronal activity, you are using more of your brain’s capacity and you can perceive with heightened senses. For the moment you unlock your super powers. Breath work makes me feel supernatural. At the end of a session, I am in a state of calm and bliss. I am my most receptive, my most creative, my most content, most intuitive, and my most regulated when I use the power of my breath.
In the past couple of years breath work as well as other Eastern and Shamanic practices have helped me be more present and satisfied with my Self. I am not perfect, as much as my inner child strives to be. But through practice, this wounded healer is becoming a stronger and more wise medicine woman with each new day. Come with me, I can show you the way.
Stay tuned for upcoming episodes! I will have some fabulous breath work facilitators on the podcast with me to share their experiences and techniques with you.
