FAQ – Misha Sakharoff

Athletic performance

Cycling – I am out of shape, and to reach respectable average speed, I was gasping for air on every little hill. Should I be trying to force myself to inhale through the nose?
Yes, the best would be switch totally away from the “winning attitude” and shift gradually to the lowest gear instead. Slowly but steady uphill – with closed nose, definitely. If you can not do it, then “bite you pride with your strong foreteeth” and walk uphill – with closed mouth. After a week of doing so you will see a HUGE development in your aerobic capacity!
Cycling – I’m with a group and these are rollers. It’s hard to have a slower pace to practice correct breathing.

Two possibilities here:
1. Bite your pride and shift gradually to lower gear keeping your mouth shut. Then evaluate your aerobic capacity after 1 or 2 weeks of doing so.
2. Shift to mouth breathing only when possible (not uphill) – but my qualified guess is that it will take much longer time.

Lifting weights – Should I still breath on each repetition?

Yes I would do it on each repetition to start with. But ALWAYS with closed mouth – also on exhale. You are making a lot more CO2 during the big physical strain as weightlifting. Don’t bother about hyperventilation there – as long as you are working with closed mouth. Better find a good rhythm – not too fast. I’m working with kettlebells myself, since my days in Russian airforces in the mid-eighties where I lerned the techniques. That time I used exhalation through pursed lips. Now after awhile with breathing optimization I find it better for both building up resilience and concentration.

Why is it so important to rise CO2 levels by breathing optimisation?

Breathing pure oxygen kills you because it destroys the normal gas balance with CO2 (carbon dioxide) in the lungs required for effective oxygenation on the cellular level. That’s why the most modern lifesaving techniques use Carbogen instead of pure Oxygen. Carbogen is a 95:5 mixture of O2 and CO2.

When the level of CO2 in the lung’s alveoli and the arterial blood drops from normal 5.5%-6.5% down to 3% the oxygenation of muscle fibers of the heart stops and we die.

3% CO2 corresponds to the partial pressure (PCO2) of 20 mmHg. We need higher percentage (partial pressure) of carbon dioxide to let the haemoglobin (Hgb) molecules release the oxygen (O2) molecules to all of our body cells – from brain cells to internal organ and the muscle cells. These Hgb and O2 molecules are traveling in the bloodstream inside the red blood cells (RBC). Haemoglobin and oxygen molecules are attracted to each other, which is called affinity. When the affinity is strong the oxygen is not allowed to slip to the cell. When the affinity is diminishing, haemoglobin allows oxygen to slip to the cell. These very basics of cellular respiration are one of the laws of human health, described in the physiology books as Bohr effect. Danish physiologist Christian Bohr was father to famous physicist Niels Bohr, that received Nobel Prize for explaining atomic structure and quantum physics.

Normal ratio between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs and alveolar blood as cited in the modern physiology books is 21% O2 to  5.5% CO2 (40 mmHg). When we are sick or have any lifestyle disease or conditions as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, neuro-degenerative disease or cancer, the CO2 percentage is abnormally low. The life-giving rate of cellular oxygenation is diminished.

One interesting fact here is that the normality, according to physiological books 100 years ago was established at 6.5% CO2. This level corresponds to normal blood pH between 7.35-7.45. The newer physiological books say the normal level is 5.5% CO2. So the span between life and death is slowly diminishing for us humans, a kind of degenerative development. For hundred years ago the CO2 span was between 3.5%-6.5%. Nowadays the span is between 3.5%-5.5%. This very narrow range of one of the strongest descriptors of human health is diminished by 30% during the last 100 years. This happens because of prevalence of chronic hyperventilation (CHVS syndrome) which is very common condition in Western world. The scientific studies show that about 85% of the Western population suffer from different degrees of chronic hyperventilation. This explains the epidemic (actually close to pandemic rates) of lifestyle disease galloping all over the world in the last 50 years. Because CHVS triggers ventilatory alkalosis (abnormally high blood pH) which in turn tend to shift the tissue cells to metabolic acidosis (abnormally low tissue cell pH).

The next question is – what triggers chronic hyperventilation (CHVS)? The answer is – chronic stress, both mental/social, nutritional, environmental and physical/immune (impaired movement patterns, wrong exercise).

Now back to breathing. The automatical breathing patterns are regulated by Medulla Oblongata, the breathing center of the brain. Interesting aspect here is that the breathing is not controlled by oxygen levels – but by levels of carbon dioxide. The brain is about 10 times more sensitive to changes in CO2 compared to O2.

Our breathing center in the brain can actually be retrained to tolerate higher levels of CO2. This method is established and described by groundbreaking research of Russian physiologist MD Konstantin Buteyko. There is a strong body of evidence proving that when we acquire the ability to tolerate higher levels of CO2 from 5.5% to 7.5% (super endurance) chronic hyperventilation CHVS stops and the lifestyle disease disappears. Buteyko breathing normalisation techniques are used to optimise breathing effectiveness of soviet astronauts and and top athletes, among them several olympic gold winners. Optimisation of automatic breathing patterns let the top performers achieve high levels of physical and mental resilience.

Read more here:
Scientific research: Breathing retraining for Cancer – Scientific research and Pilot trials
Case 1: Buteyko breathing normalisation with Ketogenic nutrition
Case 2: Buteyko and Ketogenic natural cancer healing, leukemia

Breathing Optimisation

Why is it so important to rise CO2 levels by breathing optimisation?

Breathing pure oxygen kills you because it destroys the normal gas balance with CO2 (carbon dioxide) in the lungs required for effective oxygenation on the cellular level. That’s why the most modern lifesaving techniques use Carbogen instead of pure Oxygen. Carbogen is a 95:5 mixture of O2 and CO2.

When the level of CO2 in the lung’s alveoli and the arterial blood drops from normal 5.5%-6.5% down to 3% the oxygenation of muscle fibers of the heart stops and we die.

3% CO2 corresponds to the partial pressure (PCO2) of 20 mmHg. We need higher percentage (partial pressure) of carbon dioxide to let the haemoglobin (Hgb) molecules release the oxygen (O2) molecules to all of our body cells – from brain cells to internal organ and the muscle cells. These Hgb and O2 molecules are traveling in the bloodstream inside the red blood cells (RBC). Haemoglobin and oxygen molecules are attracted to each other, which is called affinity. When the affinity is strong the oxygen is not allowed to slip to the cell. When the affinity is diminishing, haemoglobin allows oxygen to slip to the cell. These very basics of cellular respiration are one of the laws of human health, described in the physiology books as Bohr effect. Danish physiologist Christian Bohr was father to famous physicist Niels Bohr, that received Nobel Prize for explaining atomic structure and quantum physics.

Normal ratio between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs and alveolar blood as cited in the modern physiology books is 21% O2 to  5.5% CO2 (40 mmHg). When we are sick or have any lifestyle disease or conditions as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, neuro-degenerative disease or cancer, the CO2 percentage is abnormally low. The life-giving rate of cellular oxygenation is diminished.

One interesting fact here is that the normality, according to physiological books 100 years ago was established at 6.5% CO2. This level corresponds to normal blood pH between 7.35-7.45. The newer physiological books say the normal level is 5.5% CO2. So the span between life and death is slowly diminishing for us humans, a kind of degenerative development. For hundred years ago the CO2 span was between 3.5%-6.5%. Nowadays the span is between 3.5%-5.5%. This very narrow range of one of the strongest descriptors of human health is diminished by 30% during the last 100 years. This happens because of prevalence of chronic hyperventilation (CHVS syndrome) which is very common condition in Western world. The scientific studies show that about 85% of the Western population suffer from different degrees of chronic hyperventilation. This explains the epidemic (actually close to pandemic rates) of lifestyle disease galloping all over the world in the last 50 years. Because CHVS triggers ventilatory alkalosis (abnormally high blood pH) which in turn tend to shift the tissue cells to metabolic acidosis (abnormally low tissue cell pH).

The next question is – what triggers chronic hyperventilation (CHVS)? The answer is – chronic stress, both mental/social, nutritional, environmental and physical/immune (impaired movement patterns, wrong exercise).

Now back to breathing. The automatical breathing patterns are regulated by Medulla Oblongata, the breathing center of the brain. Interesting aspect here is that the breathing is not controlled by oxygen levels – but by levels of carbon dioxide. The brain is about 10 times more sensitive to changes in CO2 compared to O2.

Our breathing center in the brain can actually be retrained to tolerate higher levels of CO2. This method is established and described by groundbreaking research of Russian physiologist MD Konstantin Buteyko. There is a strong body of evidence proving that when we acquire the ability to tolerate higher levels of CO2 from 5.5% to 7.5% (super endurance) chronic hyperventilation CHVS stops and the lifestyle disease disappears. Buteyko breathing normalisation techniques are used to optimise breathing effectiveness of soviet astronauts and and top athletes, among them several olympic gold winners. Optimisation of automatic breathing patterns let the top performers achieve high levels of physical and mental resilience.

Read more here:
Scientific research: Breathing retraining for Cancer – Scientific research and Pilot trials
Case 1: Buteyko breathing normalisation with Ketogenic nutrition
Case 2: Buteyko and Ketogenic natural cancer healing, leukemia

Course Practical

Are spiritual practices involved?

No angels. Pure physiology and process.

Are there any hidden extra cost?

We do use some training equipment like balance board or fitness ball. But you don’t need to join a fitness club or pay for extra classes as a part of this course.

Can I chat with someone before I subscribe to the online course?

Yes, we have an Live Online Chat facility, where you can get answer to questions that are not in this FAQ.

Do I have to consult my doctor before I do the course?

If you have a medical condition, we advise that you clear it with your doctor. You will learn about human physiology, but we are not offering medical advise in this course – purely lifestyle change recommendations.

Do I have to follow everything in the course?

Yes this course has been carefully designed. So each component contributes to the whole.

Do I have to take supplements?

This course is designed with absolutely no dependence on any form of dietary supplementation. We do recommend organic food to optimise uptake of natural micronutrients contained in food.

Is pain and hardship involved in this course?

No. Our process of life change is very easy going and does not involve any strenuous exercise or starvation diet.

This sounds too difficult for me. I don’t think I can do it…

We have structured the course so you feel encouraged 3 times a week. It creates a nudging effect that can help you to stay and actually make the slow change.

When will I start seeing results?

It depends on your starting point. But if you are willing to put in the effort, you will start experiencing changes within the first few weeks.

Why 50 weeks? Why not shorter?

Embed it into your life style. Not another new year resulution. Several months to establish a strong process towards sustainable life style. Slow learning for better results. Small steps – Kaizen.

Will this affect my family and work relationships?

No. Because of slow learning it will not create friction with your environment. At work you will find more energy.

Lifestyle Change

How do you define lifestyle disease?

Any disease that is a result of the way we live. Such as: lack of balanced exercise, lack of movement, faulty nutrition, dysfunctional breathing, chronic psychological and environmental stress. In total it creates and promotes chronic disfunction and systemic inflammation. But all lifestyle disease can be reversed by systematic and structured lifestyle change.

Nutrition and Gut Inflammation

Do I have to take supplements?

This course is designed with absolutely no dependence on any form of dietary supplementation. We do recommend organic food to optimise uptake of natural micronutrients contained in food.

How to deal with the toxins in the nutrion? Can we avoid them?

We can not avoid. Diminish the intake by bio/eco. Enable strong daily detox.

Physical and Movement

Are there any hidden extra cost?

We do use some training equipment like balance board or fitness ball. But you don’t need to join a fitness club or pay for extra classes as a part of this course.

Procrastination & Process

How to beat procrastination and start and a productive life each day?

Procrastination is hard to beat. And laziness is a psychosomatic symptom of a healthy mechanism. It is about intuitive recognition of the meaninglessness of work, generated over the years of evolution…

Ok, now I’m serious 🙂 I can give you a couple of practical solutions to beat procrastination.

The first practical solution starts with accepting the simple fact of your mind is trying to force you to do something that you deep inside is not willing to. Don’t try to apply brute force here! Instead break your big targets into VERY small and highly doable tasks. It’s called Kaizen process philosophy.

Example. If you know that you need to work with your finances/economy but you really hate this idea, do the following:
Day 1 – collect the bills.. Ummm nice, highly doable. Now do something you love 🙂
Day 2 – collect the invoices. Go for a walk 🙂
Day 3 – put it in the sheets. Get a nice bulltproof coffee <3
Day 4 – make the calculation. Play guitar!!!!
Day 5 – send it to the tax office. Hug your girlfriend + more..

I work with 1-pointed attention with roots from Samurai tradition in order to get strong centering. This gives procrastination deadly knock-down..

Read more:
Ki-Kaizen – How to use a breathing muscle to beat procrastination – Misha Sakharoff
50-weeks Lifesaver course – to ensure your procrastination patterns never come back

Sleep Optimisation

What is the optimal duration of sleep?

Well first – It’s not about quantity – it’s about quality. Our sleep, as humans, can be described by 4 different stages sorted by depth of sleep plus an extra stage that is called REM sleep, which stands for rapid eye movement. On the cellular level we are regenerating only at the third and the fourth stage of sleep. The last occurrence of either of those two stages is at approximately 4:30 AM. After that the biorhythms up-regulate breathing and heart rate, so most of us start hyperventilating there. And if your breathing is already impaired and that applies to approximately 80 to 90% of the Western population (according to scientific studies), then you can be in trouble. Because if your breathing is impaired to a great degree, then this little difference in lung minute-ventilation can cause the cells of the heart muscle fibres to receive too little oxygen.

The physiological mechanism when you hyperventilate is as follows: the amount of carbon dioxide in the lungs and in your arterial blood goes down and it diminishes the affinity of haemoglobin with oxygen molecules allowing oxygen molecules to come to the cell. If the partial pressure of carbon dioxide goes down below 24 mmHg you die. The physiological norm nowadays is 40 mmHg. 100 years ago it was 46 mmHg – is the human race degenerating from all this stress???. You can measure the partial pressure roughly by taking a breath-holding test (CP-control pause).

To make a long story short, that’s why if you start working with sleep hacking you have to optimize both breathing habits, eating habits (when you eat the day’s last meal, how you drink related to food intake, what is your nutritional window etc) and the amount and the quality of exercise during the day. Then your sleep need will start diminishing naturally, and I find that the optimal amount of hours is about five. But it is certainly can vary from person to person. I use it for helping my cancer clients to heal themselves. And the results are promising.

I myself sleep 4 1/2 hours hours, going to bed at 11-12pm and rising at 4:30am every day. The energy is never a problem during the day. if you want to know more then read my article below: Sleep Hacking Helps Healing Cancer Naturally

Weight loss

I understand that i will be able to achieve weight loss. But will I be able to sustain this weight loss?

Yes. By following the dietary advice in this course you will be able to maintain stable lower weight. Why? Because by stabilising insulin levels you will allow for breakdown of abdominal adipose fat. Plus you will not feel hungry anymore and have desire to consume empty calories. Sugar dependencies will slowly vanish.

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