Humming Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Let us strengthen our lungs and improve our health!
This video explains how deep breathing exercises such as pranayama add strength to your lungs, which is crucial during the current worldwide health crisis caused by the novel Coronavirus. The main reason why any COVID-19 patient (less than 5% of the infected) gets admitted to a hospital is that their lungs are not strong enough to handle the COVID-19 infection. When we strengthen our lungs by regular pranayama, it is highly probable that we will recover from the infection faster and with less or no complication. The excessive Nitric Oxide that is released by the sinus cavities because of Bhramari pranayama has the potential to suppress the replication of the Coronavirus.
Pranayama during normal times:
Even if one is not infected, regular pranayama practice reduces blood pressure and heart rate. It relaxes one and makes the mind calm and peaceful. Research has shown that gene expression can be modified positively by just 2 hours of pranayama practice. It promotes wound healing. The brain too works better.
Pranayama after you recover from Covid infection:
Many people feel tiredness for a long time even after they recover from the infection and are declared negative. In such cases, regular pranayama helps you recover your energy faster. It also helps recover faster after many surgeries.
For more information on the physiological, neural, and endocrine mechanisms behind the effectiveness of pranayama, and the Nitrix Oxide connection to pranayama and COVID-19, listen to my talk given through the National Institute of Mental Health And NeuroSciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore in June 2020:
Pranayama can change your destiny: https://youtu.be/pQV-FMvnCNo
Also, you may read the following book chapters and research papers:
1. A G Ramakrishnan, “Cardiorespiratory and endocrine mechanisms behind the effectiveness of pranayama”, in the book “Evidence-based Perspectives on the Psychophysiology of Yoga and Its Applications,” published by IGI Global, edited by Dr. Shirley Telles, Sept. 2020.
2. Lundberg J. O. (2008). Nitric oxide and the paranasal sinuses. Anatomical Record (Hoboken, N.J.: 2007), 291, 1479-1484.
3. Lundberg, J. O., Farkas-Szallasi, T., Weitzberg, E., Rinder, J., Lidholm, J., Änggåard, A., Hökfelt, T., Lundberg, J. M., Alving, K. (1995). High nitric oxide production in human paranasal sinuses. Nature medicine, 1, 370-373.
4. Qu, S., Olafsrud, S. M., Meza-Zepeda, L. A., & Saatcioglu, F. (2013). Rapid gene expression changes in peripheral blood lymphocytes upon practice of a comprehensive yoga program. PloS one, 8, e61910.
5. Ramakrishnan, A. G. (2019). Physiological mechanisms behind the effectiveness of pranayama. OSF Preprint: https://osf.io/eufqp/
6. Weitzberg, E., & Lundberg, J. O. (2002). Humming greatly increases nasal nitric oxide. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 166, 144-145.
7. Westerdahl, E., Lindmark, B., Eriksson, T., Hedenstierna, G., & Tenling, A. (2005). Deep-breathing exercises reduce atelectasis and improve pulmonary function after coronary artery bypass surgery. Chest, 128(5), 3482-3488.