Breathing Properly Could Help Your Eczema!

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine called me up, insisting I listen to a podcast by Patrick McKeown. He is what you call a "breathing practitioner." What on God's green earth is that?? I hear you all scream! Essentially, he teaches breathing to athletes and children with chronic respiratory conditions. Well, being a chronic asthmatic/atopic dermatitis sufferer all my life -  this has been an absolute life-changer for me. This isn't some new fad breathing exercise routine. You know the sort, where people just want your money to go on a month's course or whatever. This is fully backed by science. I will leave a link here so you can check it out for yourselves.

Breathing through our mouths

All my life, I have been a mouth breather. This was my Modus Operandi. Breathing through your mouth is not ideal. Looking back, this had a hugely detrimental impact on my asthma and eczema. It prevented me from partaking consistently in sports for a start. When we breathe through our mouths, the air we take in is full of pathogens. It's also not filtered and warmed air.

Breathing through our noses

Our noses are amazing. They're not just for smelling and sniffing! When we breathe through our noses, the air is pressurized, filtered, and moistened. This means that our breathing is regulated more effectively, and our bodies become more oxygenated. It also means that our bodies retain more water. This where I believe it can help us atopic dermatitis sufferers because your sleep will improve. If the quality of your sleep improves, this will help your body to heal quicker. And it can help with several other conditions too.

Making the shift

I've tried this for a week now, and the results are astonishing. I must say, however, it's not going to be an easy thing to continue to do. I have a deviated septum, which basically means the middle wall of my nose is over to one side more than the other. This means I always have a stuffy nose, so trying to unblock it can be a bit time-consuming. McKeown gives techniques on how you can unblock your nose if you have trouble doing so. Anyway, I bought some nasal sprays and went to work with these breathing techniques. I'm not kidding; within a few days of breathing through my nose, I noticed the whites of my eyes had become brighter. My asthma improved AND my eczema too!!! My sleeping has been deeper, and I have been waking up feeling alert and raring to go!

How has breathing impacted my skin?

My skin is looking clear and healthy. I vacuum my bed most mornings, and since I've been breathing through my nose, there has been less dead skin to vacuum. This is the one thing that tells me that it is not the placebo effect. It's tangible evidence that I can see and feel, and I am totally buzzing. I hope to continue with this, and I really wanted to share this with the atopic dermatitis community as it could be a game-changer for some, if not all!