Barriers in Adoption of Deep Breathing

The nature and increasing complexity of disease over the years has forced medicine to advance alongside technology in order to better population health. With new research and discovery, people tend to forget about and believe less in the natural practices that kept populations healthy before the invention of pharmaceuticals and medical technology. Physicians and patients fail to understand the qualitative health benefits of alternative medicine when it is shown against the quantitative success of drugs. When sick or unhealthy, elder generations would use herbal medication or make changes to their diet based on the natural healing properties of produce. Many would also turn to mindful breathing and meditation to seek relief from their illness. A common stress-related issue is the occurrence of inflammation, in forms such as arthritis. Even to this day, there are no specific medications on the market that relieve arthritis resulting from elevated cortisol levels. However, deep diaphragmatic breathing has been shown to minimize stress and aid in returning cortisol levels to normal, thereby decreasing the discomfort and inflammation associated with arthritis. Both deep breathing and anti-inflammatory diets are cheaper and safer means of treatment than prescription medication, posing mindful breathing to be successful alternative medication. Depression and anxiety are two illnesses that physicians are quick to prescribe medication for, but can also be treated using mindful breathing and meditation. Deep breathing itself is exercising control over one’s unconscious mind, which is typically the origin of depressive and worrying thoughts. By learning the mechanics of deep breathing, an individual can develop the skills required to stop or suppress those debilitating thoughts.