Why is oxygen therapy so important?
Oxygen Is Essential for Brain Activity
The brain demands at least 20% of the body’s oxygen supply, when it doesn’t get this supply it can lead to issues such as sleep apnea, poor concentration, forgetfulness, mood swings, restlessness, depressive thoughts and low drive.
Benefits of Oxygen
Stay Strong
Fatigue has been reported by several studies as one of the most common symptoms experienced by people worldwide, according to “Boosting Your Energy,” a special health report from Harvard Medical School, Harvard Health Publications, 2006.
Every breath you take converts to energy. Human cells use nutrients from food and oxygen to create adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy source that fuels cell function. If your cells receive too little oxygen, they produce less energy. If your cells need more energy, they use more oxygen. That’s why your breathing rate increases when you exercise.
Stay Alert
Unlike muscles, your brain cannot store energy. It needs a steady flow of nutrients and oxygen to function normally. Oxygen deficiency can decrease your alertness, memory and judgment. Conditions that can reduce blood oxygen levels include:
Air pollution
Traveling to a higher elevation
Breathing stale air that has less than the normal 20-21% oxygen.
Other Benefits
Studies have shown that oxygen helps:
Stimulate brain activity
Increase memory capacity
Boost concentration
Develop stronger alertness
Raise energy levels
Improve strength
Build endurance
Detox your blood
Reduce stress
Calm anxiety
Alleviate tension headaches
Remedy irregular sleeping patterns
Help with cardiovascular activity
Prevent lactic acid build up
Strengthen the immune system
Medical Thoughts on Oxygen
“Extra oxygen enables you to recover more quickly from exertion. It allows someone to train and then exercise again.” — Dr. John Brewer
Head of Sports Science at Lilleshall Human Performance Centre: Health and Fitness, 1999
“Oxygen can clear your head, help eliminate toxins, and give you a mind high” — Andy Davison, Exercise Physiologist, Cosmopolitan, 2000
“If you use oxygen for 20 minutes, muscles become loosened; headaches and stress seem to disappear. There is a renewed energy and a feeling of relaxation. I am confident oxygen works.” — Dr. Richard de Andrea, Sunday Herald
“Increases alertness, improves the body’s ability to burn fat and enhances physical performance.” — Howard Robbins, D.P.M, for The Journal
“Dr. Parris Kidd stated that ‘oxygen plays a pivotal role in the proper functioning of the immune system; i.e. resistance to disease, bacteria and viruses.’ Dr. Stephen Levine stated that ‘we can look at oxygen deficiency as the single greatest cause of disease.’ thus the development of a shortage of oxygen in the blood could very well be the starting point for the loss of the immune system and the beginning of feared health problems such as Cancer, Leukemia, AIDS, Candida, seizures, and nerve deterioration.” — B. Goulet, The Magic of Aerobic Oxygen — Focus on Nutrition
“In all serious disease states we find a concomitant low oxygen state…low oxygen in the body tissues is a sure indicator for disease… Hypoxia, or lack of oxygen in the tissues, is the fundamental cause for all degenerative disease.” — Dr. Stephen Levine, renowned molecular biologist, author
Oxygen Deficiency: A Concomitant to All Degenerative Illness.
“I have MS and Fibro-Myalgia and have suffered with this debilitating condition for more than twelve years. I saw an oxygen bar at a health event and needed to sit down and by chance tried the oxygen. After this for four days I felt so active, had no pain, no fatigue, and no exhaustion and even managed to clean my house out. I made frequent trips in my car to the tip and charity shop of which I am normally unable do. I even went out for a meal and went shopping which I’ve never been able to do.” — Carol Mason
Patmoor, Staffordshire
Exercise with Oxygen Therapy
Basically, the body’s ability to transfer oxygen from the lungs to the cells is perhaps the most significant factor in whether you live a healthy life or not. This transfer mechanism becomes damaged with age, and then susceptibility to illness increases. However, exercise with oxygen therapy (HBOT) aids the body in repairing this vital mechanism.
The scientific aspect of HBOT is a little complex, but here is a basic explanation. Oxygen comprises 20% of the atmosphere. Atmospheric pressure is 760 mm and thus the partial pressure of oxygen entering the body’s lungs is about 150 mm. However, oxygen in the lungs is diluted considerably with carbon dioxide. As the environment becomes increasingly polluted, the oxygen we intake is more and more diluted by carbon dioxide leaving the body and in the atmosphere. After oxygen is diluted, its pressure is reduced to 100-110 mm. This pressure drives the oxygen from the lungs into the blood and via the arteries to the capillaries in the extremities of the body. The capillaries then release some of the oxygen to support individual cells.
Ideally, the pressure of the oxygen in the arteries will almost equal the pressure in the lungs. However, aging causes the arterial pressure to decrease to approximately 70mm as opposed to 95 mm. In order for the oxygen to reach the cells from the capillaries, it must dissolve into the water of the body. Unlike carbon dioxide, though, oxygen does not dissolve easily into liquid. The significance is this: Oxygen’s solubility is heavily dependent on the pressure driving it.
In your 30s, the amount of oxygen released to the cells is significantly higher than in your 70s: a 30 year-old will release 55mm (95-40) while a 70 year-old will release 35 mm (70-35). That’s a huge drop in the amount of pressure of oxygen your cells receive.
The problem is that when you age, the oxygen pressure falls. Thus, while the volume of oxygen may stay the same and it may appear you are getting enough, you may be oxygen deficient because there isn’t enough pressure to make use of the volume of oxygen.
The breakthrough of HBOT is that it raises the arterial pressure to youthful levels; it only involves breathing high levels of oxygen while exercising. Exercise increases the circulation, creating a greater pressure to drive oxygen into the capillaries. The increase in pressure facilitates the repair of the transfer mechanism. HBOT is effective for every conceivable condition because it improves the delivery of the most essential substance in tissue life and repair.
