New Breathing Treatment Program Effective Against Hyperventilation

"A new treatment program teaches people who suffer from panic disorder how to reduce the terrorizing symptoms by normalizing their breathing."

According to a recent study by panic disorder expert Alicia E. Meuret, this method - called Capnometry-Assisted Respiratory Training, or CART - has proved better than traditional cognitive therapy at reducing both symptoms of panic and hyperventilation.

"CART helps patients learn to breathe in such a way as to reverse hyperventilation, a highly uncomfortable state where the blood stream operates with abnormally low levels of carbon dioxide.

CART: Breathing exercises twice a day:

The goal of these exercises is to reduce chronic and acute hyperventilation and associated physical symptoms. This is achieved by breathing slower but most importantly more shallowly. Contrary to popular belief, taking deep breaths actually worsens hyperventilation and symptoms.

"Most panic-disorder patients report they are terrified of physical symptoms such as shortness of breath or dizziness," Meuret said. "In our study, cognitive therapy didn't change respiratory physiology, but CART did effectively reduce hyperventilation. CART was proved an effective and powerful treatment that reduces the panic by means of normalizing respiratory physiology."

CART breathing a proven biological therapy:

The study pitted CART against a conventional cognitive therapy treatment, or CT.

Both treatment programs were equally effective in reducing symptoms. But CART was the only treatment to physiologically alter panic symptoms by actively reversing hyperventilation in the patients."

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