Breathe away the stress

Headaches, pain, tension in the neck, desk rage and problems sleeping are all signs of stress says Tania Clifton-Smith, an expert in breathing pattern disorders.

She quotes the World Health Organisation's prediction that by 2020 the most deadly diseases will be those that are induced by lifestyle.

WHO says in a report called Health Transition that lifestyle and behaviour are linked to 20 to 25 per cent of global disease and that noncommunicable illnesses - such as depression and heart disease, as well as road traffic deaths - are fast replacing the traditional enemies, such as infectious diseases and malnutrition, as the leading causes of disability and premature death.

In 15 years noncommunicable diseases are expected to account for seven out of 10 deaths in the developing regions, compared with less than half that today.

The WHO report says the burden of mental illnesses such as depression, alcohol dependence and schizophrenia, has been seriously underestimated by traditional approaches that take account only of deaths and not disability.

Treating stress is a big industry with all manner of solutions available, from self-help books to one-on-one consultations with people such as psychiatrists and management gurus to learn how to manage stress.

But physiotherapist, Clifton-Smith says that although the causes of stress can be established, the problems they cause to mind and body can continue if left unchecked, to the extent that people can continue to feel unwell even after the causes of stress have been addressed.

Clifton-Smith worked at Middlemore Hospital developing pain and stress management programmes and set up the hyperventilation syndrome/breathing pattern disorders outpatient service at the hospital in 1992.

She now has a private practice where she treats people with disordered breathing, occupational overuse syndrome and stress problems.

Clifton-Smith says many of the problems result from people not breathing correctly, and her new book - Breathe, Stretch & Move, written with business partner Dinah Bradley - puts readers on track to breathe the way nature intended.

"When people hold their breath there are receptors in the chest wall that send a message to the brain to say, 'Get me ready for action'.

"The muscles tense, adrenalin is released ... it goes right back to primitive man - take that breath in and prepare for battle.

"Western man has got into that, especially computer users who sit there and hold their breath [while concentrating].

"Research shows that when breathing goes wrong it sets off a chain reaction that leads to fatigue, sleep disorders and exhaustion. That leads to decreased performance. The physiological balance goes out."

She tells the story of John, who thought he had a problem with his heart. His GP said his heart was fine - the problem was his breathing.

Clifton-Smith says that when John breathed, his tummy was held in and his chest was up, so his breath was forced into his upper chest.

"Fearing middle-aged spread he had kept his tummy in, which prevented belly-breathing - the best way to breathe.

"Added to this was a couple of busy weeks where he took no breaks and developed bad breathing habits. We see that type of person every day."

Clifton-Smith says stress is a word that's been around for a mere 50 years.

"Prior to that most of the studies were on soldiers in the world wars. Stress was termed 'soldier's heart, effort syndrome' and 'exhaustion'," she says.

"Today, it's 'post-traumatic stress disorder, Gulf war syndrome', perhaps even 'terror syndrome'.

"When you go over a certain level of working too hard, too long and too much, your body starts to say, 'Hey, listen to me'. Western man has adopted this crazy lifestyle where we squeeze everything into the timelime we've got.

"The book is not trying to turn people into Eastern gurus, and as Westerners we need that little bit of adrenalin. But we have lost the ability to find base-line calm again.

"One good exhale sends a message to the brain to say, 'I'm fine'. It relaxes the muscles, decreases the heart rate, decreases the load and releases good chemicals."

Clifton-Smith says that severe cases may lead to burnout and recovery can take as long as three years.

She says it is often men who won't listen to their body and there comes a day when they can't even pick up the telephone when it rings.

"They physically become inert and that's it - you are out of the office to let the body recover.

"The most important thing is to breathe out," Clifton-Smith says. "When in doubt, breathe out - it is the exhalation that is all about calm. When you exhale it decreases the load on the heart. As people we are not complicated, it helps to adopt the best breathing practices.

"Breathing is the first step to health and recovery.

"If you can't breathe right you are just not going to get there.

"So breathe out and relax those legs."

* Breathe, Stretch & Move, by Dinah Bradley and Tania Clifton-Smith, published by Random House, costs $29.95.