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The Oxygen Advantage: The Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing

Techniques for a Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter You

Article  in  Cranio: the journal of craniomandibular practice · March 2016

DOI: 10.1080/08869634.2016.1140366

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 CRANIO®
The Journal of Craniomandibular & Sleep Practice

ISSN: 0886-9634 (Print) 2151-0903 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ycra20

The Oxygen Advantage: The Simple, Scientifically

Proven Breathing Techniques for a Healthier,
Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter You

Dan Jenkins

To cite this article: Dan Jenkins (2016) The Oxygen Advantage: The Simple, Scientifically Proven
Breathing Techniques for a Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter You, CRANIO®, 34:2, 139-140,
DOI: 10.1080/08869634.2016.1140366

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Published online: 11 Apr 2016.

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Book Reviews
The Oxygen Advantage: The Simple, Scientifically
Proven Breathing Techniques for a Healthier,
Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter You by Patrick McKeown,
Harper Collins Publishers, New York, NY, USA, 2015,
352 pages, $26.99, hardcover, isbn 9780062349453;
e-book, isbn 9780062349484
A well-known comedian told of how in college he had
dated a fellow student who was a lot more intellectual
than he was as a physical education major. She would ask
rhetorical questions such as, “Why is there air?” He said
he knew why there was air – it was to inflate footballs
and basketballs!
As health care professionals concerned with temporo-
mandibular and sleep disorders, we may answer that air
is needed to supply oxygen to the whole body to continue
its physiological function. In sleep disorders, we aim to
keep the patient’s blood oxygen level at an optimal level.
Usually, we think the higher the level, the better. Through
reading this book, I’ve had to adjust my thinking about
aiming for that elusive 99% O2 level, and now I’m thank-
ful I’ve failed!
At the beginning of The Oxygen Advantage, Mr.
McKeown re-introduced me to the physiologic process
called the Bohr effect. In this process, (as you may already
remember), blood carbon dioxide is necessary for the oxy-
gen to be delivered to the muscles from the hemoglobin.
Thus, if blood oxygen were 99%, not as much oxygen
would be taken into the muscles and they would not have
their optimum strength or endurance.
To accomplish the optimum strength and endurance of
the muscles through the appropriate levels of oxygen and
carbon dioxide, the author proposes breathing techniques
that consist of breathing only through the nose and at
times ceasing breaths. There are guidelines in the book
on the timing, length of periods of breathing and cessation
of breathing, and repetitions.
A test to evaluate your own physiological fitness is
called the “Blood Oxygen Level Test” or BOLT.
(1) Take a normal breath in through your nose and exhale
through your nose normally.
(2) Hold your nose with your fingers to prevent air from
entering your lungs.
Email: danjenkinsdds@yahoo.com
© 2016 Taylor & Francis CRANIO® : The Journal of Craniomandibular & Sleep Practice   2016  VOL. 34   NO.
DOI 10.1080/08869634.2016.1140366
(3) Time the number of seconds until you feel the first defi-
nite desire to breathe. (This is not a test to see how long
you can hold your breath but rather when your CO2 level
will call for a breath.)
(4) Release your nose and stop the timer.
If your BOLT score is less than 20 s, you may expe-
rience a blocked nose, coughing, wheezing, disrupted
sleep, snoring, fatigue, and excessive breathlessness
during exercise. The ideal BOLT score is considered
40 s. The exercises in the book are intended to help
you improve your BOLT score and improve your overall
health due to a more efficient oxygen transfer throughout
your body.
The author discusses the physiology involved with the
oxygenation of muscles and the role of the carbon diox-
ide level regarding blood pH levels. The main emphasis
is the advantage of nasal breathing. The advantages of
nasal breathing affecting blood nitric acid levels are also
addressed.
While the author does address the craniofacial devel-
opment advantages of children being taught to breathe
through their mouths and mentions malocclusion and
sleep disorders, he does not mention temporomandibular
disorders (TMD) directly. I think this is due to his own
lack of education involving TMD. He does mention a
correlation between nasal breathing and sleep disorders
but does not address if one is caused by the other.
Mr. McKeown, from Ireland, was initially trained
under Dr. Konstantin Buteyko in Russia. He has built
upon Dr. Buteyko’s work and presented this material to
over 5,000 people over the last 13 years.
As I read this book, I was looking for ways to uti-
lize this material for TMD and sleep disorder therapies. I
wondered if the use of the BOLT score would give some
insight into the physiological condition of the muscles of
mastication as well as the amount of inflammation in the
airway muscles. In TMD cases with a recent history of
trauma, such as whiplash, the amount of blood acidosis
from the inflammation involved in the healing process
could be reduced — according to the author.
I found the review of physiology in the book was
slow reading at first. However, after a few chapters
I found it interesting and found myself paying more
attention as to how I was breathing while reading. I’ll
be interested to see if any of the CRANIO readers who
purchase this book can think of studies to do involving
2 139
Book Review  The Journal of Craniomandibular & Sleep Practice
these breathing exercises. I do recommend reading this
book for your own personal health considerations and
enjoyment.
Dan Jenkins, DDS, FIAPA, AADEJ-CDE
Riverside, CA, USA
Email:danjenkinsdds@yahoo.com
Freedom from CPAP: Sleep Apnea Hurts, the Cure
Doesn’t Have To by David Dillard and Mayoor Patel,
Lulu Publishing Services, U.S., 2015, 172 pages,
$15.99, Paperback, isbn-10: 1483423832; isbn-13: 978-
148342838
Sleep Apnea Hurts, the Cure Doesn’t Have To is a unique,
comprehensive overview of sleep apnea from both a den-
tal and ENT perspective. The book is composed of two
major sections: Part 1: Diagnosis, and Part 2: Treatment.
Part 1 explores the common sense medicine that
applies for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). It helps iden-
tify a pervasive ignorance of the impact of sleep apnea
on lifestyle and even on life itself. Also, included in Part
1 is information for patients who have sought treatment
for OSA but are discouraged and frustrated because the
solution to their problem is either not working or is too
cumbersome and not a good fit for their lifestyle.
140 CRANIO® : The Journal of Craniomandibular & Sleep Practice   2016  VOL. 34   NO.
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The chapters in Part 2 outline the various treatments
available to keep this silent killer, OSA, at bay. Both surgi-
cal and non-surgical techniques are presented for the treat-
ment of OSA, including oral appliance therapy (OAT).
There is a brief description of a few of the more than 40
current appliances available on the market, which outlines
some of their advantages and limitations. Combination
therapy is also included in the book. Examples of com-
bined OAT and surgical procedures are cited as well as
OAT and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
combinations.
Uniquely, this book presents a chapter for self-help,
discussing over-the-counter products and home remedies
that might be used by patients.
I think you will find this book very helpful and encour-
aging for your patients in understanding OSA, and it will
help us, as practitioners, to understand their path. Patients
may have become frustrated with solutions that are often
ineffective, painful, and/or impractical. As doctors, we
have pledged our oath to “first, do no harm.” Indeed, this
takes on an added significance when dealing with the
diagnosis and treatment of OSA, as we learn from Sleep
Apnea Hurts, the Cure Doesn’t Have To. I would definitely
encourage you to add this book to your lending library for
patients, staff, and colleagues.
Angela G. Lunn, D.D.S.
Chattanooga, TN, USA
Email: angelalunn@comcast.net
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