How to Breath in a Paper Bag

Paper bag re-breathing increases the amount of carbon dioxide circulating in the blood stream. Doctors once prescribed this technique as a treatment for hyperventilation, a condition in which the bloodstream carries too much oxygen. The carbon dioxide with this treatment would balance out the extra amount of oxygn in the bloodstream. The WebMD "Medscape" website recommends against this procedure because patients suffering from heart attacks and other conditions have died while re-breathing into a paper bag under the belief that they were hyperventilating. The Mayo Clinic website still recommends paper bag re-breathing as a home remedy for treating the hiccups.

Instructions

• 1

  Empty and unfold a paper bag. Grip it with your hand near the opening to narrow it into a small passage.

• 2

  Place the paper bag opening against your face and over your nose and mouth so that the bag opening covers your nose and mouth and forms a seal with your face.

• 3

  Breath out into the bag in a slow, controlled exhalation.

• 4

  Breath the air in the bag back into your lungs in a slow, controlled inhalation.

• 5

  Repeat Steps 3 and 4 ten times.

• 6

  Remove the bag from your face. Continue breathing without the bag to see if the hiccups have stopped.

• 7

  Repeat Steps 2 to 6 if the hiccups persist or return.