Concentrated Oxygen Can be Dangerous

[Guest guest]

Hi Health Consumers,

I recently was reminded that too much Oxygen has been shown to be dangerous.

Dr,Robert Rowen,MD, one of the leading advocates of oxygen therapies first

warned of this in his newsletter Second Opinion of September 2007. His

website: _www.secondopinionnewsletter.com_

(http://www.secondopinionnewsletter.com)

I apologize for the delay in getting this information out. I have

frequently read about the tremendous benefits of Oxygen therapies such as

Hyperbaric

Oxygen (HBOT) and Exercise with Oxygen (EWOT), so it came as a surprise that

too much concentrated Oxygen can be hazardous.

 

He reports on a study in which researchers gave 14 children (average age 11)

100% Oxygen to breathe, there were bad alterations in the blood flow to the

brain within seconds, the blood flow was measured with a functional MRI

test.Breathing 100% Oxygen caused significantly LESS blood to reach critical

areas

of the brain.These areas control hormones, autonomic function, blood

pressure and heart rate. It seems counter-intuitive that pure oxygen can

decrease

oxygen availability.

Under normal breathing conditions, after you breathe in Oxygen, it is burned

and converted to water and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) which is exhaled. There is a

very delicate balance of CO2 levels which serves to regulate the pH level

within a very narrow slightly acidic range. That CO2 production signals your

body to breath and take in more oxygen. Less CO2 leads to a more alkaline

state, if pH is too high your body further constricts your blood vessels,

fooling your body into thinking it already has too much Oxygen while acidity

tends

to increase circulation, since the excess acids have to be carted off.

The solution is to dilute the 100% oxygen with 5% CO2. But this would raise

the cost substantially and is usually not done.

 

In Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) you are breathing 100% Oxygen, but under

pressure. The oxygen does get to other parts of the body and prior

experience has not shown a problem from the constriction of blood vessels.

Nevertheless Dr.Rowen feels that benefits of HBO might be enhanced by using a

mixture of

95% Oxygen and 5% CO2.

The benefit of chambers that use room air to pressurize even low pressure

chambers will have the same benefit as using pure oxygen as a source of oxygen.

Dr.Rowen states that emergency treatment of stroke and heart conditions

with Oxygen can be hazardous, the 100% Oxygen delivered by a facial mask at

higher than 4 liters/minute over the nose should be avoided. The nasal prong

method of delivery should be safe.

Arnold

 

 

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