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Writer's pictureKim Atherton

Diaphragmatic Breathing for Good Detoxification

Updated: Dec 12, 2023

Our breathing is one of the key things we can do to detoxify well. Diaphragmatic breathing for good detoxification is crucial. In other words, how we breathe is critical. A lot of us sit for long periods of time and we shallow breathe meaning our body doesn't really move and we only fill the top part of our lungs. To breathe properly we need to use diaphragmatic breathing. This is breathing in deeply through our nose and our belly should go OUT in this process. Then when we breathe out through our mouth, our belly should then shrink back IN. If you don't do this properly you will hyperventilate and become short of breath.


The Process of Diaphragmatic Breathing for Good Detoxification


Slowly breathe IN through your nostrils, belly OUT; then slowly breathe OUT through your mouth, and belly falls IN.

Picture showing correct method of breathing

Have you ever walked up stairs or a hill or incline and wondered why you were out of breath? You are not necessarily unfit, but may be actually breathing incorrectly. Try ensuring that several times throughout the day you do deep, slow, diaphragmatic breathing to get good oxygen into your lungs. The added benefit is that our diaphragm under our lungs pushes downwards on our abdominal organs (liver, gall bladder, small intestines) and in doing so massages them. This helps the other organs in the body do their jobs better as well.


The encouragement for diaphragmatic breathing is where exercise comes into play. It does not need to be intense exercise, but rather gentle exercise that just encourages you to breathe a little deeper like walking. This ensures we move oxygen to our tissues and organs that need them.


When we breathe in through our nose, the hairs inside our nostrils filter out potential toxins that we can breathe in like fumes, smoke, allergens etc. When we breathe out through our mouth we also expel toxins out of our body like carbon dioxide. This process prevents our blood becoming acidic.


An added benefit of diaphragmatic breathing is it takes us out of a sympathetic nervous system response (think stress), and turns us into parasympathetic response (think happy relaxing thoughts). So sitting for too long isn't good on so many fronts, but we can help by reminding ourselves to breathe correctly via diaphragmatic breathing.


We also need to ensure we are breathing in clean, fresh air from as clean an environment as possible, by reducing exposure to fumes, smoke, and toxins.


Symptoms from poor breathing technique

  • Shortness of breath on exertion

  • Stress

  • Feelings of coldness

  • Brain fog, inability to concentrate

  • Sore, aching body, and more...

If you would like help to understand this concept further, please don't hesitate to make an appointment.



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References:

Weaver L, (2018), Exhausted to Energised, Little Green Frog Publishing


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The information provided in this blog/article/handout is for your personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. It should not be considered as medical or professional advice. We recommend you consult with a GP or other healthcare professional before taking or omitting to take any action based on this blog/article/handout. While the author uses best endeavours to provide accurate and true content, the author makes no guarantees or promises and assumes no liability regarding the accuracy, reliability or completeness of the information presented. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this blog/article/handout are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this blog/article/handout is done at your own risk. Any third-party materials or content of any third-party site referenced in this blog/article/handout do not necessarily reflect the author’s opinion, standards or policies and the author does not assume any liability for them whatsoever.

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