Who Should Not Do Diaphragmatic Breathing?
Care must be taken when doing slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing if you have IDDM (insulin dependent diabetes mellitus) and with anyone with diabetes who is susceptible to ketoacidosis. To compensate for a tendency towards acidosis, the person may need to breathe more rapidly. Diaphragmatic breathing may actually change insulin levels (1). Therapists, if this applies to your client, consult your client’s physician (of course, with your client’s consent) before changes in breathing patterns are attempted.
