InterCure Ltd., The Geophysical Institute Building, 6 Haba'al Shem-Tov Street, Northern Industrial Area, Lod, Israel.
Biol Psychol. 2010 Apr;84(1):150-6. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2010.02.013. Epub 2010 Mar 1.
Routine practice of slow breathing is a major component of a variety of behavioral treatments of chronic conditions. The present paper addresses the challenge of using device-guided breathing (DGB) as a self-treatment tool in the home setting. The breathing patterns of hypertensive patients treated using DGB over 8 weeks in 15-min daily sessions were analyzed using minute-by-minute stored data. The relationship of breathing pattern with office blood pressure changes over the treatment period was evaluated. The treatment device operated to reduce breathing rate effortlessly while prolonging exhalation: patients were requested to synchronize breathing with the guiding tones, generated in response to the monitored breathing pattern. Breathing modification was highly individualized, repeatable over sessions, and unrelated to clinical or demographic characteristics; it also seemed to reflect behavioral aspects of device-patient interaction. Quality of breathing synchronization with the guiding tones and time spent in slow breathing displayed a relationship with the clinical outcomes. Different DGB methods are believed to share similar features. A possible physiological mechanism underlying the beneficial effect of slow and effortless breathing in chronic conditions is discussed in relation to restoring autonomic balance via lung reflexes.
常规的缓慢呼吸练习是各种慢性疾病行为治疗的主要组成部分。本文探讨了将设备引导呼吸（DGB）作为家庭环境中的自我治疗工具的挑战。使用 DGB 对高血压患者进行 8 周、每天 15 分钟的治疗后，对其每分钟存储的数据进行了呼吸模式分析。评估了治疗期间呼吸模式与办公血压变化的关系。治疗设备能够毫不费力地降低呼吸频率，同时延长呼气：要求患者根据监测到的呼吸模式与引导音同步呼吸，引导音是响应监测到的呼吸模式生成的。呼吸的改变具有高度的个体差异，在各次治疗中可重复，与临床或人口统计学特征无关；它似乎还反映了设备与患者之间相互作用的行为方面。与指导音同步呼吸的质量和花在缓慢呼吸上的时间与临床结果相关。不同的 DGB 方法被认为具有相似的特征。讨论了在慢性疾病中缓慢而轻松的呼吸有益效果的可能生理机制，这与通过肺反射恢复自主平衡有关。
