Abundant evidence tells us that oxygen therapies can
be very beneficial to the body. So why haven’t you heard about them? I believe
that the politics of medicine and money often cause a stifling of information
on therapies that could be useful but are unprofitable. I believe that this may
be the case with oxygen therapies.
In 1888, the Journal of the American Medical
Association printed an article on oxygen as a therapeutic agent. Since
then, many more studies have been conducted, and many articles printed, on the
benefits of using oxygen as a therapeutic agent. Nowadays, hyperbaric oxygen
tanks are used by medical practitioners to treat some patients. These tanks
utilize oxygen at a high pressure. Lower pressure oxygen tanks and tents are
used for others. It’s rare, however, for doctors to recommend oxygen
supplements.
Oxygen has been used to treat diseases. It appears to
inhibit the growth of bacteria and viruses in the body, and to speed healing.
Some alternative clinics use it for treating cancer, fibromyalgia, and chronic
fatigue. Many claims have been made for the validity of oxygen’s use in such
chronic diseases as rheumatoid arthritis.
If you want
more information on oxygen therapies for a specific disease treatment, please
see the “Further Reading” suggestions at the end of this chapter. What I want
to address here is the use of oxygen supplements to aid energy production,
and/or when lung function is reduced.
Oxygen is one component of the fuel needed by the
body. Oxygen molecules must be present in abundance for your basic body
function systems to work. Oxygen is required for the complex chemical reactions
that allow your body to produce energy from food components. If the amount of
oxygen available is less than the body needs for the chemical reactions that
produce energy, the body will be fatigued.
Your body’s primary source of oxygen for these
energy-producing reactions is the air you breathe. If that air is extremely
polluted, if you live at a very high altitude, if you have a physical condition
that inhibits your lungs’ ability to function fully—or any combination of
these—you may not be getting enough oxygen. If you lack oxygen, your body may
be fatigued, you may heal slowly or not sleep well, and you may not think
clearly. You may need an oxygen supplement.
If your body is deprived of oxygen, it will die. The
fact that oxygen is so important to the body on a cellular level indicates that
even a minor lack of oxygen can be damaging. In the case of altitude sickness,
the lack of oxygen is not complete, but it’s enough to make a person anywhere
from a little dizzy to very ill. I think a chronic minor oxygen deficiency can
be damaging as well. It’s like starting a fire and not giving it enough wood:
Your body is functioning, but not at its highest potential.
In my
opinion, the facts that oxygen is necessary for energy production, and that a
lack of oxygen can make you fatigued, are good reasons to use an oxygen
supplement when needed. As I’ve said before, self-diagnosis and self-treatment
are very risky—I advise against them. Remember, good health does not come from
a bottle. Oxygen supplements should be used under the supervision of a
healthcare practitioner familiar with their use.
If you feel
you don’t have enough energy, your diet or other lifestyle factors should also
be looked at. Fatigue can be caused by many things, lack of sufficient oxygen
is just one of them. If your lung function is reduced, which can be the case
with lung diseases such as bronchial asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema, you are
probably already under the supervision of a doctor. Talk with him or her about
supplemental oxygen. As with any supplement, your daily requirement will depend
on your body weight, your health concerns, and your lifestyle. Your healthcare
practitioner should address all of these.
If you do choose oxygen supplements, become familiar
with your options. For many years, food-grade hydrogen peroxide was the
standard choice. Now there are supplements that range from cherry-flavored aloe
vera juice and oxygen liquids to oxygen in a tablet.
The liquids usually need to be refrigerated; the
tablets do not. You probably won’t find oxygen supplements over the counter at
your local drugstore. You may have to call local alternative healthcare
providers and ask if they work with oxygen supplementation, or ask at your
health-food store.
I advise
patients to take these supplements early in the day because they often increase
the patients energy levels to the point that use at night could interrupt
sleep. I suggested oxygen supplements for my Mom at one point. After an
especially long and cold upstate New York winter, she had the ”post winter
blahs” and couldn’t seem to find her usual spring “get up and go”. The next
time I spoke with her, which was about two weeks later, she felt totally
rejuvenated. In fact, she had been outside getting the gardens ready for spring
planting and was talking about adding more rose bushes to her already humongous
garden.
I believe that oxygen supplementation is underrated
and under-utilized. It’s similar to homeopathy—people in this country are just
becoming aware of the possibility of its existence and the benefits of its use.
As the public becomes better educated, and relies less and less on drugs to
cover up symptoms of illness, such therapies will be commonly used for a
variety of conditions. Find out more about this topic; it may be just what
you’ve been looking for to help you live a longer, healthier life.
Further
Reading
Journal of
the American Medical Association, March 4, 1988, Vol. 259, No. 9
O2xygen
Therapies, by Ed McCabe
Oxygen
Healing Therapies, by Nathaniel Altman
No comments:
Post a Comment