Respiratory Patterning in Brain-Injured Children

The Brain’s Oxygen Requirements

The components of Atmospheric Air:

Nitrogen 78.10%

Oxygen 20.90%

Argon 00.90%

Carbon Dioxide 00.03%

Other Gases 00.02%

A human being will die of starvation in 55-65 days.

A human being will die of absolute thirst in one day to two weeks.

A human being will die of total oxygen deprivation in seconds to minutes.

Malnutrition, dehydration and hypoxia have multiple severe results, including brain-injury.

Anoxia means no oxygen.

Hypoxia means a shortage of oxygen.

Acute malnutrition
Acute dehydration brain dysfunction brain injury death
Acute hypoxia

Chronic malnutrition
Chronic dehydration brain dysfunction brain injury
Chronic hypoxia

The Relationship of Temperature and the Need for Oxygen

The need for oxygen arises in this order:

1. Sub-freezing
2. Freezing
3. Above freezing
4. Above average temperatures
5. Great heat

What are We Capable of Breathing?

Thirty times per minute; two and a half quarts of air each breath.
The lungs contain three quarts of air.
During quiet times we breathe about one pint of air with each breath.

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We breathe fifteen times per minute during quiet times.
Oxygen and the Brain

By age five the brain is close to its mature size.

The percentage of total body weight of the brain is one fifteenth, or 66.6%
The brain may use up to 50% of the body’s total oxygen.
The human adult brain weighs slightly more than three pounds.
The human adult brain uses about 20% of the body’s total oxygen.
A human being placed in an airless environment such as pure nitrogen would lose consciousness in
twenty seconds, or after four breaths.
It takes ten seconds to use up all the stored oxygen that is contained in the brain.

Factors Determining How Much Oxygen is Required.

I. Physical activity
II. Intellectual activity
III. Ambient temperature
a. Internal
b. External

1. Physical Activity:
The need for oxygen increases in this order:

lying
sitting
standing
walking
running

2. Intellectual Activity:
The need for oxygen increases in this order:

sleeping
day dreaming
thinking routine thoughts
thinking excited thoughts
thinking of a highly demanding nature
thinking when in danger

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 Chest Growth Statistics

In a total of 987 children:

88% were under the 50th percentile (888)

70% were under the 10th percentile (698)
42% were under the 3rd percentile (422)

**Average chest growth was 156% compared to well children.

Head Growth Statistics

In a total of 987 children:

79% were under the 50th percentile (785)

48% were under the 10th percentile (485)
43% were under the 3rd percentile (436)

**Average head growth was 167% compared to well children.

Programs to Improve the Brain’s Oxygen Requirements

a. Respiratory Patterning
a. Positive Manual Respiratory Patterning
b. Positive Respiratory Patterning Device
c. Negative Respiratory Patterning Device
Results:
 Deep breathing
 More regular breathing
 More mature breathing
 Improved swallowing
 Improved chewing
 Improved sleep
 Increased chest circumference
 Decreased seizures
 Decreased upper respiratory infections
 General improvement in all functions

b. Oxygen Enrichment Program

a. The Reflex Mask: This increases the CO2 from 0.03% to 5%
b. The Closed Mask
c. The Resistive Mask

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Results:
 Deep breathing
 More regular breathing
 More mature breathing
 Increased chest circumference
 Decreased seizures
 Decreased upper respiratory infections

d. O2-CO2 Inhalations: Increases the mixture from 0.03% to 20%

Results:
 Decreased rigidity
 Improved convergence
 Increased mobility
 Increased intelligence
 Deeper breathing
 Decreased seizures
 Decreased upper respiratory infections
 Neurochemical transmitters move toward normal

3. Active Respiratory Programs

a. Crawling
b. Creeping
c. Walking
d. Running
i. Sprint
ii. Marathon
e. Brachiation
f. Swimming
g. Cycling
h. Gymnastics

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