Hi Mark!
I wish all the pharma-companies would make their experiments
on themselves :-) Anyway, it was a rather dangerous experiment
(admittedly I also tend to do things like than occasionally, such
as not eating for 3 days etc). Amazing that it worked out well
for you. I did not expect that it works also for food allergies.
There must be some more effects at works beyond straightening and
widening the bronchi and invigorating the breathing system.
    Or maybe it is still the same - food allergy still might cause
some constriction of airways and mucus evolution,
but as they become wider and stronger, it does not cause much discomfort.

As for blues...everybody has them. It is natural.
We are self-learning systems, so we need a negative feedback.
Otherwise how will we know if we are doing well or not?
As we are much more complex information processing systems then
amoeba, the feedback also goes much more deep than just pain/pleasure,
it occures on system level and is experienced as "overal feeling"
good or bad. Thinking and analysing what in particular is causing
it and executing the conclusions is the way to turn the feed-back to
positive eventually.
    It is only recently and with strong encouragement of pharma
companies that such conditions started being treated with medications.
I don't think this is right. The world where everybody is perpetualy
happy can be easily implemented by providing everybody with
daily dose of cocaine. But this would will die out very fast, as
we will become blind without positive/negative feedback to our actions
and thoughts. It is easy to fall over the cliff wandering around blind...
   I am not saying that we should try to feel bad, or focus on bad
feelings. I would say to focus on the objective facts and analysis
of solutions. Once problem is solved, mood will improve automatically.

     But another thing I keep reminding myself is that
"thinking" itself is a physical process that requires energy and
good bodily functions (that is where exercise actually helps).
It is no point to think about complex problem
when tired. So I use "Scarlet" method in this case - "I will not think
about this today, I can think about it tomorrow" when tired or when
some problem is notoriously not converging. Maybe you don't have
enough data to find solution, or maybe you need some random insight
that did not come today, it might come tomorrow and will for
sure come eventually...

Regards,
Evgenij

--- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, mclaym1@... wrote:
>
> Hello Evgenij,
>
> Yes, breathing exercises will not win the biggest loser contest.
However,
> nobody is asking them to win one.
>
> I just conducted one experiment recently. I have eaten and drank
everything
> that used to cause an allergy attack in the past: coffee almost
every day,
> citrus fruits, and even nuts. I have done it for my own
experimentation
> purposes. There was no allergy attack, but there were some symptoms
of allergy  that
> were quickly eliminated by breathing exercises. Therefore, breathing
> exercises get an A mark in my book.
>
> I wish they were just as effective for other conditions I have. I
assume I
> need patience to reach results. I started to have many blues (bad
moods)
> lately due to having business difficulties and current inability to
  make progress.
> I do not know how you deal with them. The effect of  exercises on
them is
> only short-lived in my case.
>
> Best Regards,
>
>
> Mark
>
>
>
>
>
> ************************************** See what's new at
http://www.aol.com
>

Thank you for sharing your results.

I suspect Strelnikova is really not going to win anybody
the "biggest looser" title. It would have a more subtle effect
of gently pushing overall lifestile towards being more healthy
and more active, and as side result would reduce weight over years period.
Advantage of that slow but sure approach is that changes are permanent
rather than fast but temporary effect of different diets.
    However, I think gradually you will end up with some more
energy intensive excersize in addition to Strelnikova
if significant weight loss is preferred. Research into
groups of people that lost a lot of weight and (!) maintained the
loss over 5 years show that they all have significant
work-out load (at least 30 min a day average).

I think situation with blood pressure is also not instantaneous
(effect can be expected in several month period rather then weeks) but
more promising because this exercises is know to straighten
chest and lungs areas that are critical for blood pressure.
I think it would be useful to re-visit this measurements after
half a year or so.
Interesting that you observe changes in your hearth rate.
I never heard about this effect so it might be some new discovery.

Regards,
Evgenij

--- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, mclaym1@... wrote:
>
> Evgenij,
>
> I am glad that you did not use any steroids with your daughter. I
believe
> that her high achievements in school can be attributed to two factors:
> continuous, increased supply of oxygen to her brain that probably
activates all  brain
> centers as Shetinin speculates in his book and her good genetics
that she
> probably inherited from her father.
>
> As you know I began these exercises because of my allergies and
because I
> tried to find some exercises that would provide physical benefits of
work out
> along with healing some health "problems" that I have. Of course, I
have been
> doing these exercises for a short time. Nevertheless, the results
are stated
> below:
>
> 1) Allergy- these exercises relieved allergy symptoms. The relief was
> "short-lived." However, I did not have to use medication, except for
3 or 4  times.
> Before, I used them every day.
>
> 2) Blood pressure- No changes. It still stays around 135/95.
However, my
> pulse rate does seem to go down and stay down after these exercises
from 82 to
> 68. It tells me that these exercises provided me with some fitness
benefits.
> In sportsmen, the pulse rate is usually lower than it is in  average
people.
>
> 3) Anxiety- these exercises are "able" to relieve stress and even
fears.
> However, this relief is rather "short-lived."
>
> 4) Mood elevation- the same effect as described above. Again, it is  a
> short-lived effect in my case.
>
> 5) Fitness benefits- there are some. I did notice my endurance did
increase.
> In another words, I am as tired anymore after any activity as I used
  to be.
>
> 6) Weight- Did not notice any effects in terms of weight
stabilization or
> decrease in body size.
>
> It is a good thing that these exercises "help" you to fight off cold
> viruses. Much like many exercises probably, they have a
strengthening  effect on
> one's immune system.
>
> Best Regards,
>
>
> Mark
>
>
>
> ************************************** See what's new at
http://www.aol.com
>

Recently I received a question from a person who is starting
with the exercise that I thought applies quite often:
"What do I do if my nose is blocked? Can I do Strelnikova exercise
by breathing by mouth?".

No, breathing through the mouth would not work because
opening is so big that there is no internal pressure
build up during breath in. Part of reason why exercise works
is that when you forcefully sniff, air has a hard time to enter
through narrow passage of the nose so internal pressure builds
up and gradually increases diameter of the bronchs.

One thing we are doing when my daughters nose is closed is
a nice little acupuncture massage that allows to open it and start the
Strelnikova exercise.
The points that have to be massaged are around the nose.
I made a picture outlining the points:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/strelnikova_exercise/files/accupuncture.jpg

To find the exact location of the point, try to find
a little "deep" in its approximate location. It should hurt
a little when you press on it.
Use both of your index finger to apply firm pressure of
both of the points that are on the same level simultaneously,
doing a rotating moves. Do 40 rotations for each level.
Start from the top point, than go to the level below.

Once you finished all points, you will feel a noticeable
clearing of the nose passages. You might be able to sniff
well enough after than in most cases.

This massage can be also done without relation to
Strelnikova exercise, just to feel much better with severely
congested nose. It is supposed to accelerate getting
better with your running nose condition by improving
circulation and removal of fluids if you do it every
hour or so.
Source of it is lost in our family history (I think it came
from some health magazine that my grandma read).
It was working well for us ever since.

Regards,
Evgenij

Mark,
to your question about results of our 3 years doing the exercise.

First, we started because my daughter was getting asthma attacks
in the night and doctor prescribed using an albuterol inhalator
machine and twice a day steroids. During the aggravated time
(typically caused by allergy to some plants and by any colds) she
could barely run.

In search of alternatives to continious steroids which I distrusted
knowing about side effects, I found the exercise,
and we started doing it twice a day.

We tried to do exercise _during_ the attack too, as
it is supposed to stop it. In fact it always worked for
us. It took usually 2 rounds of "pump", "hugs" and "pump and hugs"
to make her feel better enough to sleep.

After about 2 weeks attacks were gone. We did not start with steroids
actually, and we no longer had to use inhaler.
Gradually we went to one time a day exercise, usually evening.
Attacks did not come back.
She would occasionally (once or twice a year) become congested that
gives you a feeling that attack might come, but we made sure we
intensify exercise in such cases, do it twice a day. Attacks did not
come anymore.

Now she is quite sporty, playing basketball for a teem already 2
years, dancing with a professional performing group and generally very
active. No restriction for activity either outside or inside.
     One thing worth noting is that she is doing very well mentally
too. Learned to read page-wise text with 3.5 years old and now in
second grade finishing 4th grade math-book. I am not sure exercise
helps directly, but trust and closeness that parent develops while
doing exercise every day helps to do other systematic things together
such as teaching stuff.

For myself, I think I have reduced accidence of colds (to which I
am normally prone) about twice. I did not miss a single day
of work for last 5 years because of a cold (mind you that just
before we started an exercise I was so bad that I got a pneumonia
and had to use inhaler for 2 weeks).
    Weight -- well, I never had problems with it before, but than
5 years ago I came to USA with its double-cheeseburgers, and it
started to show in gaining 10 pounds or so. Maybe without Strelnikova
it would be worse. Anyway, I got it back down by intensifying my
other exercises (staff) by trying to do it about 3 times a week.
    Pressure - it is staying very well so far. Hard to say what
is helping there.


Regards,
Evgenij

New research shows that Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
has great results with Obstructive Sleep Apnea,
which in turn helps with a lot of other illnesses:
http://www.physorg.com/news110190609.html

Here is some more details on CPAP:
http://www.entnet.org/healthinfo/snoring/cpap.cfm

Due to applied pressure during short powerful sniffs,
Strelnikova exercise is in fact an "intensive, short-period"
version of CPAP, with added advantages of being a work-out.

So we can expect to have the same benefits as CPAP and more.

Regards,
Evgenij

Hello Mark!

>  There is one thing I found to be particularly motivating to do with
  these
> exercises. As you probably have noticed many Strelnikova exercises
consist  of
> various dance-like movements. For instance, the exercise that is
called  Rock
> n' Roll is actually a dance. Perhaps, the same can be said for
exercises,
> such as Ears, Step, Back Step, and probably many others. In  fact,
when I am
> doing these exercises, I feel like I am dancing. As you know,
dancing to silence
> is not interesting. Therefore, I listen to my favorite songs,  and I
"dance"
> to them. Each time, I do my exercise routine, I listen and  dance to
different
> songs. Moreover, these exercises (the sniffs, I  mean) can be
synchronized
> with different song beats. I found some trance  and new age music
can be suitable
> for it. Your child and you probably like to  dance as well. You all
have
> favorite music. Listening to it and dancing to it  might provide a
long term
> motivation for both of you. It is just my suggestion  for keeping
everything
> interesting.

Good point. In almost 3 years that we are doing the exercise,
we tried pretty much every entertainment imaginable,
including doing it with music. It is one of the good choices.
     One disadvantage specific to having music in a background
  with a kid (or beginner) is that you can not hear the sniffs
so you can not evaluate if they are doing it right. But once the
person is experienced and does not need a reminder to sniff loudly,
music is great, specially if the beat is not too fast or too slow
compared to your usual exercise frequency.

> I think it is great you found other exercises that will keep you in
a good
> shape. Running felt uncomfortable for me. The stick did not yield
good results
> in my case.

You actually tried it? I thought I was the only person that was
into this idea... Anyway it is working for me on and off for almost 15
years. I like it because it is more entertaining than just running
(and more useful as it involves upper body and hands, and not only
legs).  It is almost like having a partner for the exercise, as the
stick has its own will and own dynamics, you need to fight it
as opposite to an exercise machine. Of cause there is a learning
curve until you get enough tricks that you can do confidently enough
that you can fill 30-40 minutes with them. On a downside, it is to be
used with caution (the stick IS heavy), as even after 15 years I am
occasionally getting hit although it was never anything serious.


>However, I do Strelnikova exercises twice a day (30 minutes each
> time). In the morning, it gives me a good work out. In the evening,
it gives
> me  a boost of energy.
Yes, twice a day is much better than once. In the morning it wakes
you up, in the evening it gets you sufficiently tired to sleep.
Due to morning being too busy time with a kid - school, getting ready
for work etc, we mostly do it once a day except the times when
I feel she might be catching a cold or allergy, than we do it twice.


>I just do not like the names Norbekov gives to his
> books.
Yes, he is a bit over the top. But some ideas are not bad,
such as not taking yourself and what you are doing to gravely.
Indeed, all our problems are fleeting in the great scheme of things
so why not work on solving them with a smile :-)


>
> I have noticed it too. It definitely acts like a cup of a  good
> tea, wakes you up. I guess it is due to elevation of oxygen
> level in  blood, which interestingly occurs without significant
> drop in CO2 levels  which makes it unique for preventing asthma
> attacks (maybe absence of a  strong exhale helps with this?).
>
> I think the explanation why these breathing exercises work is simple.
> Shetinin talks about it himself in his book. As oxygen goes into our
bodies, it
> revitalizes and invigorates all organs and systems. They begin to
work more
> efficiently. The contraction of chest with various movements makes
oxygen  go
> deeper and everywhere in our bodies, so each organ and system can be
reached.


Interesting explanation. Of cause a lot of it have not been physically
tested - for example how do you test how deep increased oxygen
concentration reaches? I know there have been some studies, but they
were measuring the oxigination level in one place not in different
organs. With new ways of testing such as MRI I am sure we will learn
more about what is really going on.

>The
> same can be said for ancient Chinese practice called chi kung and
even yoga.
> However, in chi kung, you do not take as much oxygen in as with
Strelnikova
> exercises. Also, oxygen does not go too far and everywhere. As a
result, the
> healing with Chi Kung might take years. With Strelnikova exercises,
  it might
> take months. Also, Chi Kung is basically a meditation practice  even
though
> some slow movements are allowed. Strelnikova exercises are mainly an
  active
> work out. In any event, Chi Kung and Yoga can be pretty boring. On
the  other
> hand, Strelnikova exercises are not.


Somehow I never tried yoga, but chinese exercises appear to focus
more on plasticity than on breathing although the do favour
shalow breathing which makes them compatible with Strelnikova. Than
again, china is big so you could bet there is an exercise for everything.
    I wonder why in the past there was so much focus on things that
people do themselves to improve their health, while now everything
is supposed to be done "to you". This is some of the things where
state should step in and finance research and education. Obviously
medical community and farma companies are financially interested
in people statistically not being healthy which is partly
counter-balanced by competition that requires to demonstrate
individual results better than a competitor. So what we are getting
is a mixed picture with some localized great victories (widely
hyped) and and the same time the entire areas of health-care
statistics sinking through the cracks. 10% all kids have asthma and
need continious medications?? 10% of all kids are autistic and need
continuous medications??
     Something is wrong with this picture... If we are doing
much better than the ancestors with infections, we
should be doing better with asthma and diabetis and all other
areas. As it apparently does not work with the same approach
(medications), than scientific method should turn to other approaches.

> Also, Strelnikova exercises are "able" to relieve  anxiety. They can
also
> reduce one's fear or fears of something  even though the effect is
rather
> short-lived. They boost confidence.  For anxiety relief, I do only a
few exercises
> (one set of 32 sniffs each).

I also have noticed that it really only takes a few exercises
to feel the effect on the mood.
That is certainly much better than swallowing antidepressants.


> >The down side of all exercises is
> > the more I exercise.  the more I tend to eat.
> Is that also true for Strelnikova exercise?
> For me  I don't notice much hunger in this case (too
> little energy spent per one  session), but for
> intensive workout that is definitely true.
>
> In my case, everything might stimulate hunger. I also love sweets and
> chocolates. It would have been nice if these exercises could reduce
cravings for
> such foods. After all, they have the ability to help somebody with
>smoking.

There is at least one way how it does certainly help. As it
improves mood, and people sometimes eat a treat or two to "cheer
themselves up", it clearly provides an alternative way to cheer up.
It also does take away some of the free time that people otherwise
might be using to grab a snack :-)

> Shetinin recommends to do three sessions each day for people who are
> overweight. However, it might not be realistic because of time
issues and  possible
> boredom. I found it funny to read various posts on Russian forums
about  these
> exercises. People are willing to discuss them for a short period of
time
> because nobody can really add anything to discussion. Why is it the
case? Very
> few people are actually doing them. They site their lack of time and
other
> family/work commitments as the reasons for not following through.
Obviously, you
> cannot get results for sitting on your butt in the front of TV when
you are
> tired each evening. If it was possible to do, I would not have had
health
> concerns.

On the bright side, they can do this exercise even in front of the
TV, and feeling of being tired usually disapears after the first
exercise. So no excuses really. Of cause in the forums people often
just want to talk, the subject is less important :-)


> I found that counting the sniffs is a big problem for me.
Eventually, in  the
> middle of exercise, my concentration might drift away. Sometimes, I no
> longer remember if I have done a full set of each exercise or not.
Shetinin
> recommends using matches, as I remember, for counting and looking at
different
> corners of your room when a full set of exercise has been done.
However, his
> method is not for me. I do not like changing places and looking at
different
> things during my exercise routine. Do you have problems with
counting how many
> sets of exercises you have done?

Specially with a kid counting is very useful because it gives
a measure of a progress. If you are half-through, and 3/2 through,
the whole motivation goes up.
    We figured out what I think is a perfect method, which is to
count each 8 sniffs as ONE bend finger. As you have 10 fingers, it
results in 80 sniffs per exercise which is somewhat less than 12x8
recommended but for that you will never lose count and have a visual
(!) indication of the progress.
     This method can have a lot of entertaining
variations, for example the kid can count the 8ths and than snap
with fingers or give a clap, and than partner bends the finger.
Then you switch turns.
    While devised for the kid, it became so automatic that I am
counting with fingers even if I do it by myself, just because
it eliminates the need to think about it.

> Yes, it is a good thing because during this allergy season, I did
not need
> to use much medicine. I still was fighting allergy symptoms, but
this fight was
>  almost without allergy medicine. Now, my hope is that these
exercises will
> lower  my blood pressure. Shetinin stated it will take about one
month. Well,
> in a few  days, it will be one month of doing these exercises
correctly and two
> months of  doing them altogether.

Good luck with your measurements. As they usually fluctuate
depending on the time of the day etc it would make sense
to collect the statistics of many measurements each day
and actually plot them so that you can see the tendency
despite fluctuations.

> As you know it was either doing these exercises this season or
Benadryl
> every day for me. I had chosen to do these exercises. The allergy
season is
> almost over.

I noticed that it helps we to reduce the number and severity of colds
that I am getting. So here is an additional motivation for you - the
cold season is starting...


>For now, I get my motivation from reading  that these exercises can
> lower one's blood pressure and do tons  of other good things when it
comes to
> one's health. Let's hope all of this is  true and the results will
"show up"
> fast.

Good luck with that! As with any results having a baseline
of multiple measurements a day over some period of time before
and after would allow to say clearly if you have an effect or
not.

Regards,
Yevgen

Hello Mark!
Apparently you have looked deep into this exercise and have
quite a bit of experience. It is very encouraging to have
a conversation with a fellow "researcher" of this exercise, as
so far I had to find most of things out by myself or from reading
russian sources. See some more comments below:

--- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, mclaym1@... wrote:
>
> Hello Evgeni,
>
> Great explanation of science beyond these breathing exercises!
>
> Actually, I was looking for a set of effective exercises for a long
time. I
> did not want these exercises just to be physical in nature. I want
them to be
> able to address my health concerns as well. I did try various aerobic
> exercises,  weight lifting, jump roping, chi kung, and kick boxing
routines only to
> be  disappointed with all of them towards the end. As someone said:
"The best
> exercises are not those that have potential of bringing great
results, but
> those  you can stick to for the rest of your life!" It is very true.
>
> Aerobics and weigh lifting are great. However, one needs energy and
time to
> perform them. If you are very tired after work, it is highly
unlikely that you
>  will stick to your weight lifting routine for a long time. Chi kung
is good.
>  However, it needs to be learnt from the instructor. It takes a long
time and
>  requires one making life changes to see the results. Also, it lacks
the
> physical  benefits Strelinikova's exercises give us. Jump roping and
kick boxing
> are great  as they burn calories. However, they have a high impact
on one's
> body and put it  under undue strain. Also, they are physical in
nature, and they
> do not have the  ability to heal a person. For most part, Strelnikova's
> exercises do not  have these limitations. Since they are low impact,
one can do them
> even if he is  very tired. I want my ideal exercise program to have
a healing
> effect on me and  to bring physical/mental benefits at the same time.
> Strelnikova's exercises  fulfill my wants.

Very interesting analysis. I guess the choice depends a lot
on a person in question. For kids to be used regularly exercise
has to be somewhat entertaining (apart from unique terapeutic
effect that Strelnikova exercise has on asthma). I had to make up a
lot of different stuff such as having sword-fights after each
exercise, or during back-rolls or inventing new moves to keep my
daughter interested when we were starting.
      Young people in the active breeding age
would probably want an exercises that shapes their body.
They also are more willing to spend the time and have the energy
needed for heavy workout. Middle-aged people like myself focus more on
health benefits and energy and good feeling that exercise gives
although shape and coordination improvements also matters.

   The good thing is, we do not have to decide on just one particular
exercise, as they are not necessarily exclusive as long as at
least one exercise is done regularly. Strelnikova
is great as a regular exercise that can be done anywhere
anytime and I would do it sometimes more then once if I feel like
getting a cold or need an energy burst.
     It can be combined with some occasional flexibility exercise to
avoid back pain on other joints issues (I like the
Norbekov exercise for that, btw I am not a fan of his other
ideas but this one particular flexibility exercise works great) and
occasional heavier work-out. Of cause the entertaining exercises such
as tennis, basketball or swimming are great too. For myself I don't
like weights or machines (bores me) but I find it important to do a
regular running and exercising with a heavy stick in the morning to
stay in good shape.

>
> They are some other benefits that I noticed as well. Mood elevation,
higher
> concentration and focus, mental clarity, greater ability to solve
problems are
>  some of those benefits. Some of these benefits are cognitive in
nature.

I have noticed it too. It definitely acts like a cup of a good
tea, wakes you up. I guess it is due to elevation of oxygen
level in blood, which interestingly occurs without significant
drop in CO2 levels which makes it unique for preventing asthma
attacks (maybe absence of a strong exhale helps with this?).

As
> most  physical exercises, Strelnikova's exercises give us more
energy and have
> a  positive impact on one's mood. When it comes to calories, I found
the
> following  discovery to be surprising as well. For a person who
weighs way over 200
>  pounds, it is easy to burn 300 calories in one session with
Strelnikova's
> exercises. I counted with heart rate monitor. In two sessions, it is
600
> calories. In one week, it is easy to burn 4200 calories. It can
amount to about
> 4-5 pounds of weight loss a month. Let's take some high impact
exercise that can
>  burn about 800 calories per session. If a person does it 4 times a
week, it
> will  amount to 3,200 calories. It all means that both types of
exercises have
> the  same ability to burn great deal of calories because the
frequency of
> Strelnikova's exercises is higher than the frequency of any other
high impact
> exercise. Of course, if the frequency of both types of exercises is
equal, any
> high impact, intensive exercise will "win."

Very interesting observation. I never thought about Strelnikova
exercise ability to burn calories, but you are very right - it is
after all about 20-30 minutes worth of activity with elevated
hearth rate, and can be easily done every day (even during business
trips, vacation etc) as no equipment is needed. This regularity
will beat other more intensive exercise that is done rarely.


>The down side of all exercises is
>  the more I exercise. the more I tend to eat.
Is that also true for Strelnikova exercise?
For me I don't notice much hunger in this case (too
little energy spent per one session), but for
intensive workout that is definitely true.

>
> I read Shetinin in his book talks about Strelnikova' exercises
having  effect
> on "food center" in one's brain (hypothalamus, I presume). Also,
Shetinin
> states that these exercise burn fat cells and do not produce new
ones.  I want
> to experience these effects.

I have no idea about the effect on food center, but as we do
notice an effect on brain activity, it might be possible.
As for fat cells effect, I highly doubt the exercise has an
instantaneous effect, as it is supposed to be controlled by hormonal
mechanism which are usually slow. Overal energy balance would rather
have an effect (burned calories through regular sessions).


> There are two problems with these exercises as with most of these
exercises.
> Some people do not get results because they are not doing them
correctly.

I suspect there is a degree of variation that can be allowed,
as long as the main principles are followed.
1) short loud sniff
2) part of the move that compresses the muscles coincides with the sniff
3) breath out is natural and unforced (as evidenced by absence of
audible sound).

Of cause it should be also done long enough to have an effect.
The overall duration of exercises as measured in sniffs should be
around 1000 sniffs per session. (e.g. 8 sniffs x 10 for one move, and
12 different moves gets you to this number). I guess it could be
done by time too (20-30 min) but counting sniffs for each exercise by
itself an exercise and keeps you focused.

We are of cause trying to follow Shetinin's description of each
exercise as close as possible.

> I
> managed to get results even when I did not perform them  correctly.
> However, I
> believe you still have to do them correctly for more  serious
conditions.

I guess any exercise when done regularly can be beneficial.
But specially for asthma cases, having a wrong breath-in (too long,
too deep) could actually cause an attack. Anyway good that in your
case that was not a problem.

> Secondly, time investment is big even though these exercise  are
doable and low
> impact in nature. Many people are lazy. They will not invest  time
even if they
> have it.

That is true. I have a strong driving force because I have to do it
with my kid and it has a priority over other stuff. By myself I might
also get lazy. Sometimes we do exercise while watching TV, specially
during advertisement breaks after muting the sound. Perfect win-win
situation.

Regards,
Evgenij

>
> Best Regards,
>
>
> Mark
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ************************************** See what's new at
http://www.aol.com
>

Hi there!
Welcome to the group.

--- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "clymrk" <mclaym1@...> wrote:
>
> I just wanted to say "hello" to everyone here since I am a new member
> of this group.
>
> I began doing exercises this summer to relieve allergy symptoms (I am
> allergic to pollen). I did not do them correctly initially. My
> breathing was rather forceful, and my breaths were long.
Nevertheless,
> I have to report I used allergy medicine 3 or 4 times this season
> instead of using it every day like I did in the past.

This is quite encouraging. I suspect one of the reasons of positive
effect on asthma is actually reduction of allergens access to the
bronchs. That is due to development of a very strong and automatic
habit of nasal breathing even under condition of physical load.
After doing excercies for about a month I noticed that I am breathing
with the nose even when I run, but without any thinking about it.
Obviously air that is filtered through the nose has less allergens.

     Second effect might be that excercise keeps the metabolism
in the lung and upper chest area higher resulting in higher
temperatures and more effective immune response for long time after
the exercise. This is detrimental for any kind of life parts in the
intake with the air, which are the most allergenic. There is recent
research indicating that chronic infections such as mycoplasma and
chlamydia can be responsible for large percentage of all asthma cases:
http://www.asthmastory.com/

     Third effect, more long term, is increase of the diameter of
larger bronchi (effect that was documented in clinical study at
childrens hospital). This results in less blockage of airways and less
discomfort even if inflammation does develop as
result of allergic reaction.

Anyway, regardless of the reasons, it is good to hear that it
is working for you.


>
> I am doing exercises correctly since the end of August. I hope that it
> will lower my blood pressure, regulate my weight, etc.

Shetinin book does point out a lot of different positive effects
of this exercise apart for asthma, specifically the cardio-vascular.
I don't have anything to report on that as my pressure was OK as it
is and my daughter is 7 years old so again no issues.
Weight reduction might be benefited just because you can be more
physically active when you are free from allergies and breathing
problems. This exercise itself does not burn a lot of calories, but it
invigorates you and activate the muscles in the chest and lungs area
which once activate keep burning calories all day. It would be
interesting to hear your experiences with the weight once enough time
passes.

>
> Here, I did read about astma relief. Are there any other positive
> experiences the other members had with these exercises?
>

Yes, it would be interesting to hear.

Regards,
Evgenij

I just wanted to say "hello" to everyone here since I am a new member
of this group.

I began doing exercises this summer to relieve allergy symptoms (I am
allergic to pollen). I did not do them correctly initially. My
breathing was rather forceful, and my breaths were long. Nevertheless,
I have to report I used allergy medicine 3 or 4 times this season
instead of using it every day like I did in the past.

I am doing exercises correctly since the end of August. I hope that it
will lower my blood pressure, regulate my weight, etc.

Here, I did read about astma relief. Are there any other positive
experiences the other members had with these exercises?

Terry,
I already translated parts of it, but to do the whole book
would be quite an undertaking - besides it would probably
violate copyright if I put it openly on the web. I did think about
contacting Shetinin about it, if he agrees I will try to contact some
publisher and find a translator.
     One thing about the book, it has quite a bit of "russian-specific"
details that might make little sense to the westerners. However,
this russian flavour might turn out to be a part of its appeal.

I will keep you posted on what Shetinin will answer.

Regards,
Yevgen

--- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "peart702000"
<terry.pearson@...> wrote:
>
> Hello Evgenij,
>
> I hope this finds you well.
>
> Do you know whether there are any plans to translate Shentinin's book
> into English ?
>
> Cheers
>
> Terry
>

Hello Evgenij,

I hope this finds you well.

Do you know whether there are any plans to translate Shentinin's book
into English ?

Cheers

Terry

I recently received some complaints that the tripod web-site
where strelnikova information was stored was sending too many
pop-up advertizements. Note that I myself never put any adds,
it was just the web-hosting service that was adding them.

      While it is not a problem with modern
web-browsers that can block pop-ups, it can still by annoying
to some users. So I placed the same materials also here:

http://strelnikova.freehostia.com/

This web-host does not add any advertisements so
the site loads faster.

Regards,
Evgenij

I have received many requests to describe stopping an ongoing
asthma attack, and while I have done it myself with 3 different kids
with relatively mild cases and have seen it working,
I thought I will give you word out of the horses mouth by the
practitioner with much more experience, who is also an M.D., Michael
Shetining.

This is my translation from an excerpt of Michael Shetining's book
about Strelnikova exercise, original (Russian) is here:
http://moldovacc.md/vasangela/Breathing.htm

How to stop an Asthma attack (Shetinin method):

Sit straight, press the palms against the knees and do similar to the
exercise "push down (also called "pump")" (exercise 3), but do it
while sitting instead of standing. Do 2 or 4 loud short sniffs. Do not
get completely straight and by no means lean backwards.

Bend slightly forward (head lowered, hands are bend in elbows) – loud
short sniff (like a clap with hands). Then slightly straighten up, but
do not get completely straight (hands are still on the knees, elbows
are also slightly straightening) – breath out through either nose and
mouth, it should not be audible or conscious. Again immediately
slightly bend forward with lowered head – do sharp loud sniff. Again
slightly straighten out – breath out went away through the nose or
mouth completely passive. After doing 2 sniffs-moves,
have a rest of a few seconds (3-5-7, but not more), and than do 2
sniff-moves or 4-sniff-moves (bends) in a row. And again have rest
after each 2 or 4 sniff-moves.

You do not need to count how many sniffs you made. Count mentally only
each 2 or 4 sniffs. Have a rest after every 2 or 4 sniffs up to 10
seconds. Sniff like this during 10 – 15 minutes – until the attach
stops and you will feel relief.

If you feels so bad that even the sniff while bending forward does not
help, sit straight, slightly bending forward, head is freely bend down
(looking towards the floor), elbows
are freely laying on the knees, back is round. Without any movements
just do loud and short sniffs 2 times and rest few seconds after each
2 sniffs (without movements). Remember that breath out should go away
after each sniff unnoticed, without your help. Send your sniff
mentally towards your back, your waist – up to the maximal volume of
the lungs. Strictly assure that your shoulders do not raise and do not
jerk during each sniff.

Good attack stopping effect gives the exercise "push downs" (exercise
3). I recommend before staring doing this exercise, wear a wide belt
on the waist. It should be strictly on the waist, but not on the hips.
You can alternatively wear long scarf or a towel around your waist.
Wear it tight (so that it does not dangle) but not too tight so it
does not press. And when you do the loud sniff (while sitting with the
head lowered down), press with the waist against the belt, feel it,
sending the sniff towards the back until the maximal dept of the lungs.

The breathing will certainly become easier.

You can also stop the asthma attack by doing exercise "hug the
shoulders" (5) and "head turns" (6). Both exercises should be done
while sitting. All exercises should be done 2 or 4 sniff-moves in a
row, without stopping. Than rest of up to 10 minutes and again 2 or 4
shiff-moves. And do so until you will feel relief.

Try first to do "the pump" (3). If you feel there is no improvement,
than do "hug the shoulders" and after that "head turns". If nothing
helps, than of cause, use inhalator or take some other medicine. This
means that your sickness is too advanced.

It does not mean however that it can not be helped with our breathing
exercise! If you could not stop the attack now – certainly try it
again next time. Try, fight the sickness! "You need to attack the
sickness and not defend yourself!" as A.N.Strelnikova was saying. The
day will come when you will be able to stop the attack with the exercise.

One of my lady patients told my this story. She was in a hurry to me
for an exercise practice, and so that she would not miss the bus, she
had to run a little. And after running, when she got into the bus, he
got an asthma attack. Without much thinking, she started doing one of
the exercises right there in the bus, in front of all the public.
After a few minutes the wheezing stopped.

"And what exercise did you do?" – I asked her. "Hug the shoulders",
Michael Nikolaevich! said the women, excited by her success.

You should try Strelnikova exercise (with or without other treatments)
as it is sure to not harm either your kid or your pocket. That could
not be said about some expensive medications which are not FDA
approved for asthma treatment. Being "natural" is not a guaranty for
not being harmful. The most powerful poisons are natural (think
mushrooms, spiders, snakes, poison ivy, poison dart frogs etc).

Could you also elaborate about the price per day of this treatment,
and what is the mechanism of how it works?

Regards,
Evgenij

--- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "rachel_barrientos"
<rachel_barrientos@...> wrote:
>
> I have a daughter of five years she has bronchial asthma, she has a
> persistent cough with phlegm and besides she has a problem with her
> hearth that is why I leaver her to use the inhalator that produces her
> tachycardia. I tried for every where to save her o I decided to use
> natural products  ASTEXPECT and those have excellent results since she
> started the treatment with asteracea's  flour she seems to be better
> and it is notable now she can sleep better and quiet her behavior is
> better like a normal girl she runs with her other friends and she
> feels better.
>

I have a daughter of five years she has bronchial asthma, she has a
persistent cough with phlegm and besides she has a problem with her
hearth that is why I leaver her to use the inhalator that produces her
tachycardia. I tried for every where to save her o I decided to use
natural products  ASTEXPECT and those have excellent results since she
started the treatment with asteracea's  flour she seems to be better
and it is notable now she can sleep better and quiet her behavior is
better like a normal girl she runs with her other friends and she
feels better.

Last summer I had an experience with my niece that supported
Shetining claim that you can stop an ongoing asthma attack
with this exercise. I did it before with my daughter too, but this
is another data-point.
Basically we were visiting our grand-parents in the village,
and my nice (10 years old) is allergic to something out there.
We never figured out what it is, but effect is very strong.
  Remarkably, she does not get otherwise any asthma attacks, but in
that place she got massively congested and wheezy already in the
evening we arrived. In the night it developed into full-blown attack
with continious wheezing, panic and not getting enough air.

As we were in the middle of nowhere without any medications
there was nothing else to do but to try Strelnikova exercies.
Notably my niece never did it before. I was basically showing
her what to do and she was following my example doing push-downs
(pump, exercise 3), hug the shoulders (exercise 5) and push-and-hugs
(exercise 7). That is what Shetining recommended to stop the attack.
We were doing each exercise 80 sniffs, and than going to the next.
After going through each of thw 3 exercises twice, audible wheezing
stopped and breathing improved enough that she could sleep.
I was very relieved to see how well it worked.

Of cause it is better to prevent attacks altogether but doing
the full exercise every day (as we do with my daughter), but I think
it is useful to know what do if attack comes and you have no
bronchodilator handy.

Regards,
Evgenij

Yes, it appears that quite a few people are going to
make use of it. 70 views in 3 days, and counting.
Thanks for the idea to put it on youtube. I knew about
the service, but I did not think about it as a way to
just store an arbitrary video.

Regards,
Yevgen

--- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "peart702000"
<terry.pearson@...> wrote:
>
>
> Evgenij,
>
> Thanks for posting the video - I am sure this will be a great
> resource for those wishing to learn Strelnikova.
>
> Cheers
>
> Terry
>
>
> --- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "Evgenij Barsukov"
> <evgenij_b@> wrote:
> >
> > Terry,
> > finally the video is ready and uploaded to YouTube!
> > It took longer than I expected, with all the travel
> > I had to do recently. Anyway, here it is:
> >
> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZYsmPE9dHc
> >
> > Regards,
> > Evgenij
> >
> > --- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "peart702000"
> > <terry.pearson@> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > Evgenij,
> > >
> > > Would it be possible for you to upload a demonstration of the
> methos
> > > onto the Youtube website ?
> > >
> > > Cheers
> > >
> > > terry
> > >
> >
>

Evgenij,

Thanks for posting the video - I am sure this will be a great
resource for those wishing to learn Strelnikova.

Cheers

Terry


--- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "Evgenij Barsukov"
<evgenij_b@...> wrote:
>
> Terry,
> finally the video is ready and uploaded to YouTube!
> It took longer than I expected, with all the travel
> I had to do recently. Anyway, here it is:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZYsmPE9dHc
>
> Regards,
> Evgenij
>
> --- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "peart702000"
> <terry.pearson@> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Evgenij,
> >
> > Would it be possible for you to upload a demonstration of the
methos
> > onto the Youtube website ?
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > terry
> >
>

Good luck! Doing it every day is the key. Now we found
a spot in a day when we are watching TV in the evening,
we just do exercise during that. If action is too interesting,
than we stop and continue during commercials.

Regards,
Yevgen



--- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "gambitodama"
<gambitodama@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> I have had asthma for the past 15 years. I have to use two
> Inhalers a day. one bronchodilator and one steroids.
> I saw the video and started doing the exercisers yesterday.
> I will post results.
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> --- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "Evgenij Barsukov"
> <evgenij_b@> wrote:
> >
> > Hey there!
> > Welcome to the group!
> > So, what issues do you have with asthma?
> >
> > Regards,
> > Evgenij
> >
>

I have had asthma for the past 15 years. I have to use two
Inhalers a day. one bronchodilator and one steroids.
I saw the video and started doing the exercisers yesterday.
I will post results.

Thanks.


--- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "Evgenij Barsukov"
<evgenij_b@...> wrote:
>
> Hey there!
> Welcome to the group!
> So, what issues do you have with asthma?
>
> Regards,
> Evgenij
>

Hey there!
Welcome to the group!
So, what issues do you have with asthma?

Regards,
Evgenij

Terry,
finally the video is ready and uploaded to YouTube!
It took longer than I expected, with all the travel
I had to do recently. Anyway, here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZYsmPE9dHc

Regards,
Evgenij

--- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "peart702000"
<terry.pearson@...> wrote:
>
>
> Evgenij,
>
> Would it be possible for you to upload a demonstration of the methos
> onto the Youtube website ?
>
> Cheers
>
> terry
>

Regarding the issue of Strelnikova's longevity
- I recently received some additional info on that
from "lilliankihl":

"
  fact Mrs.Srelnikova died in terrible road accident-she was run
over by motorcyclist while
crossing the road. I'm sure that otherwise she would remain
alive,healthy and active,for much
longer.
"

Regards,
Evgenij

--- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "Evgenij Barsukov"
<evgenij_b@...> wrote:
>
> --- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "peart702000" > 2) Is
> Strelnikova still alive ? - if not did he\she complete the
> > exercises daily and to what age did he\she live to ?
>
> Just came across a web-site
> http://www.harbor.ru/ozdorovl/strves.htm
> that says that Strelnikova lived until age 77 remaining
> healthy and active until the end (that would make cause of
> death probably some heart condition).
> Yes, she did make her exercises daily which apparently
> allowed her to keep sportly looks (she was wearing dresses
> and high-healed shoes with 77).
>
> Regards,
> Evgenij
>

Good idea, that solves the problem "how to distribute".
I will be all over it this weekend.

Regards,
Evgenij

--- In strelnikova_exercise@yahoogroups.com, "peart702000"
<terry.pearson@...> wrote:
>
>
> Evgenij,
>
> Would it be possible for you to upload a demonstration of the methos
> onto the Youtube website ?
>
> Cheers
>
> terry
>

Evgenij,

Would it be possible for you to upload a demonstration of the methos
onto the Youtube website ?

Cheers

terry