Oxygen Advantage

Instructor Training Examination

Please download this document and save to your computer. After you are satisfied with your answers, please Email directly to . The purpose of the test is to determine how well you know the background to the OxygenAdvantage. Where possible, keep your answers to one or two lines. A suggestion might be to complete each section soon after you study each module.

Practical 1

  1. What are the typical traits of overbreathing/dysfunctional breathing?
  1. Describe normal breathing or what is considered optimal breathing.
  1. List and briefly describe each breathing exercise.
  1. How much of an air shortage is ideal during Breathe Light exercise?
  1. What do you tell your client if his/her diaphragm/tummy gets hard, start to jump, starts to jerk, getting tense during Breathing Light exercise?
  1. What instruction might you give to your client while practising Breathing Light. For example, you might ask the client to slow down and quieten his/her breathing. What else might you say?
  1. What do you do if client gets panicky while doing Breathing Light?
  1. What do you suggest if your client is unable to follow their breathing?
  1. What do you suggest if client is unable to create an air shortage?
  1. Where are the four places where the breath can be felt coming into the body?
  1. How can you be sure that you client has an air shortage? Remember clients will often tell you what you want to hear.
  1. Contra indications: What/Whom do you need to pay special attention to? For example, high blood pressure.
  1. Which are the typical symptoms during a cleansing reaction?
  1. The client asks you whether the air shortage is due to a decrease of oxygen. How do you respond?
  1. What is the best approach with a person who has severe asthma?
  1. Who was Christian Bohr?
  1. Briefly describe the Bohr effect.
  1. List some of the functions of carbon dioxide?
  1. What is the primary stimulus to breathe- oxygen or carbon dioxide?

Practical 2

  1. What exercises do you give to a person with anxiety during their first week?
  1. Why do you need to be very careful with clients who have diabetes type 1?
  1. If a client presents with persistent chest pain, and has not been to their doctor what do you do?
  1. If a client has persistent chest pain, and tests show normal cardiovascular health, can you help the client?
  1. A client asks you the following question. If I change the number of breaths per minute surely that will correct my breathing? How do you respond?
  1. Describe a true deep breath.
  1. How do you motivate a client who finds it very difficult to set time aside to do exercises?
  1. A client tells you that their yoga teacher encourages them to take big breaths.

How do you respond?

  1. A client explains to you that they feel a constant need for air throughout the day, even when they are not doing the breathing exercises. How do you respond?
  1. My friend does not have asthma, yet his BOLT is only 15 seconds. Why?
  1. A client asks you the following. Can I deprive my body of oxygen by breathing too little?

How do you respond?

  1. A client asks you the following. Do I need to reduce my breathing all day? How do you respond?
  1. What are the most common mistakes made during Breathe Light exercise?
  1. Which exercises and advice do you give to a person with high blood pressure?
  1. What happens to the heart rate if breath holds are not suitable?
  1. If a person with anxiety or panic attack totally dislikes doing Breathe Light, what do you advise?
  1. What advice do you give to someone taking medication for diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular complaints and overactive thyroid?
  1. What considerations are there during pregnancy?
  1. If after one week of practising the breathing exercises, your client is making no progress, what questions should you ask? What do you suggest?
  1. Which factors would hold a clients progress back? (Example: if they are constantly exposed to triggers)
  1. What is the minimum amount of practise of breathing exercises each day for an adult?

Rhinitis/Hay Fever

  1. How would you know if a referral to an ear nose and throat surgeon was necessary?
  1. If an individual has severe nasal obstruction, what might you advise to help them during sleep to prevent their nose becoming congested?
  1. What do you advise if a client is taking tape off their mouth at night due to a feeling of panic or suffocation?
  1. Nasal obstruction takes place as long as the steps are less than x and BOLT less than x. What is x?
  1. The client tells you that they have a deviated septum, and that this is why they cannot breathe through their nose. What do you advise?
  1. List some of the symptoms of hay fever.
  1. Explain how the nose unblocking exercise works. In other words, what gases are involved to help decongest the nose?
  1. It is said that rhinitis is a cormobidity disorder. What other symptoms and conditions arise from nasal obstruction?

Asthma

  1. How do you respond to the following questions from your clients?
  1. Athlete did your course 6 months ago. Recently he had a severe attack. He was doing very well until then.
  1. Surely everybody is overdosed on preventer medication and therefore they would be able to reduce it without adverse affects, hence trial results?
  1. I have changed my diet considerably, I eat when I’m hungry, I don’t eat dairy, I eat little meat and no sugars, yet my asthma is still prevalent.
  1. Why should I stay on my steroids for asthma? Surely they have significant side effects.
  1. Name a number of common asthma triggers.
  1. Does mouth breathing contribute to asthma? If so, why?
  1. How might over breathing during physical exercise cause exercise induced asthma?
  1. List common symptoms of asthma.
  1. If a client is taking many puffs of reliever medication for his asthma, but is not getting much relief- what do you advise?
  1. What should the BOLT be in order for main asthma symptoms to have disappeared?
  1. Does stress contribute to asthma? If so, why?
  1. How many seconds per week would you expect a client with asthma BOLT to increase?
  1. Is it common for people with asthma to also experience sleep disorders or nasal symptoms?
  1. Is swimming beneficial for asthma? If so, why?

Sleep disorders

  1. Can athletes suffer from obstructive sleep apnea?
  1. What exercises, how many times per day and for how long would you encourage your client to do if they have sleep apnea or insomnia?
  1. Describe how breathing volume might contribute to snoring.
  1. What is sleep apnea
  1. List a number of sleep apnea symptoms?
  1. How does breathing volume or mode contribute to obstructive sleep apnea?
  1. Is there a link between rhinitis and sleep disordered breathing?
  1. Briefly list the exercises to help with sleep apnea?
  1. Why is sleeping on the back not recommended for someone with obstructive sleep apnea?

Sports Performance

  1. Why address dysfunctional breathing patterns in sports?
  1. How do you know if the athlete is making progress from doing the exercises?
  1. What are the benefits of nose breathing for sports?
  1. What are the disadvantages of mouth breathing during childhood in terms of respiratory strength?
  1. Why breath hold after a normal exhalation rather than breath hold after an inhalation?
  1. Does breath holding increase or decrease nitric oxide in the nasal cavity?
  1. Why breathe both in and out of the nose?
  1. During breath holding, how high might carbon dioxide accumulate to?
  1. During breath holding, how low might blood oxygen saturation lower to?
  1. What is normal blood oxygen saturation during rest?
  1. During breath holding, blood oxygen saturation should be lowered to what percent approx.?
  1. List some of the benefits of Breathing Light and Simulate High Altitude Training for sports.
  1. In terms of changes to red blood cell count, what happens when one holds the breath to lower SaO2 below 90%?
  1. If blood oxygen saturation is lowered to SpO2 85%, what altitude with normal breathing during rest would be required to generate this effect?In other words, how high might the person be?
  1. What is hematocrit?
  1. What is haemoglobin?
  1. Based on a number of studies at Mid Sweden University, how many maximum duration breath holds are required to expect a change in hematocrit?
  1. What affects take place in the body from breath holding?
  1. How does holding the breath delay the onset of lactic acid and fatigue?
  1. How does breath holding after an exhalation trigger lactic acid?
  1. How does exposing the body to increased acidosis force the body to adopt, thereby delaying the onset of fatigue?
  1. Does nose breathing contribute to chest or diaphragmatic breathing?
  1. What feedback does BOLT time provide?
  1. How do you improve BOLT?
  1. Do I need to stop playing sport while correcting my breathing?
  1. Is an athlete likely to interrupt their training routine during competition? In other words, might an athlete introduce a new training regime during their training season?
  1. Should an elite athlete nose breathe 100% of the time during physical exercise?
  1. Should a recreational athlete nose breathe 100% of the time during physical exercise?
  1. What are the benefits of nose breathing during physical exercise?
  1. What BOLT/BOLT is an athlete expected to achieve?
  1. What is a typical exercise intensity with the mouth closed when the BOLT is
  2. 10 seconds
  3. 20 seconds
  4. 30 seconds
  5. 40 seconds.
  1. Does everyday breathing influence sports performance?
  1. My friend is fit, yet his BOLT is only 15 seconds. Why?
  1. What is one of the roles of EPO?
  1. What change takes place in the spleen during a maximum intensity breath hold?
  1. What is oxidative stress?
  1. Is it possible to reduce oxidative stress through breathing exercises?
  1. Can oxidative stress be reduced by breathing in a particular way to recover following intense physical exercise?
  1. What way can simulation of high altitude training influence VO2 max?
  1. There is an oxygen cost with very high rates of ventilation. Can a higher BOLT influence this and how?
  1. For how long is an ideal warm up?
  1. Are the benefits of breath holding for the short term or long term?
  1. Is there an oxygen cost associated with supporting the respiratory muscles during high intensity exercise?
  1. Are the breathing muscles prone to fatigue?
  1. What occurs when the breathing muscles fatigue?
  1. Which breathing muscles fatigue?
  1. How might breath holding strengthen the breathing muscles?
  1. What are the main benefits associated with applying the Oxygen Advantage program for sports?