Hope Pursed Lip Breathing is basically exhaling through your mouth, not your nose. When you exhale put your lips together so that you have to force your breath out past your pursed lips. When you have to force the air out somewhat past your lips this casues a positive pressure in your lungs, when you have positive pressure in your lungs it forces more oxygen into your blood stream. When you are short of breath (SOB) this technique helps you get some more O2 into your blood stream and helps you catch your breath.

To purse your lips put your lips together like you are blowing up a balloon, when done right you will have to use a bit of effort to exhale the air past your lips. You shouldn't have to work too hard to do this and you can try different levels of effort to find what you can tolerate and what simply works for you

I use this technique ocassionally to counter the feelng of air starvation that comes from SOB.

I hope this helps.

Joe

Thank you so much!

Three patients with chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and myasthenia gravis whose pulmonary symptoms were worsened by therapy with cholinesterase inhibitors were improved by inhaled ipratropium bromide. Two had increases in FEV1 (19 percent, 35 percent) and specific conductance (106 percent, 81 percent) and reductions in dyspnea. The third had no change in airflow with ipratropium, but improved due to decreased bronchial secretions which had limited the use of cholinesterase inhibitors. In contrast, beta agonist bronchodilators had no effect in any of these patients. This experience suggests that ipratropium may be the bronchodilator drug of choice in patients with obstructive lung disease aggravated by cholinesterase inhibitors

The above study was published by the Respiratory Division Jewish Hospital, Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis.