by Lawrence Wilson, MD

OXYGENATION AND HEALING

Oxygenating the body sufficiently is extremely helpful for one’s health. Many methods can be used to increase oxygen in our bodies. This article explains how and why oxygen is so helpful, and several cost-effective and safe ways to enhance oxygenation simply at home.

In fact, adding oxygen to your body is so important that I believe everyone should purchase an ozonator/ionizer air purifier and place it in your bedroom. This will allow you to breathe more oxygen all night long, every night. The effects may be subtle, but they are very real. For more purchasing a unit, click here.

OXYGEN ESSENTIAL FOR ALL ANIMAL LIFE ON EARTH

Oxygen is absolutely essential for animal life. Plants, interestingly, “breathe in” carbon dioxide, which human beings breathe out, and plants “breathe out” or excrete oxygen. In this way, animal life and plant life work together, each helping to preserve the other.

For this reason, the recent obsession with carbon dioxide as a “greenhouse gas” that is “dangerous” is scientifically unsound and quite insane in my view. We must have that gas to preserve all plant life on planet earth. Any attempt to reduce it is futile, first of all, and secondly, there is no reason to reduce it as long as the earth can support plant life adequately, which it is doing just fine.

Most plant life, by the way, is in the oceans and lakes, not the land. It consists of plankton, algae, seaweeds that grow up to 6 feet each day, and other marine plant life. This life is not threatened by mankind very much at all, and is growing quite well. In contrast, trees such as in the rainforest of the Amazon jungle provide relatively little oxygen on planet earth compared to the ocean plants.

THE BENEFITS AND DANGERS OF OXYGEN

Our bodies are designed to “burn” oxygen in each body cell to produce energy with which we perform all bodily activities from digestion and elimination to thinking and movement. This is the essential role of oxygen in the body. If one gets low on oxygen, which is the case with almost everyone today thanks to pollution and not breathing deeply enough, one becomes tired, first of all, and cellular energy production decreases. This slowly causes the body to decay and opens one up to many types of illnesses, both physical and emotional.

Entire textbooks are written about the great benefits of oxygen and oxygen therapies for many health conditions such as cancer, infections, strokes, cardiac rehabilitation, mental illnesses and more.

The dangers of oxygen. Interestingly, too much oxygen is not good for us. It is not healthful to breathe pure oxygen, as most doctors are well aware. Oxygen, in excess, causes oxidant damage, which is very harmful. What happens is that oxygen atoms can attach to other metals in the body, notably iron, copper, manganese, chromium, aluminum and others, perhaps. The oxygen then forms a compound with the metal that is very irritating and damaging to human bodies.

Too much oxygen is also yin in Chinese medical terms, and too much can inhibit normal breathing. Oxygen is also a very flammable gas, so you don’t want to play around with pure oxygen if you are near a source of flame. In fact, liquid oxygen is used as rocket fuel. Thus we need just the right amount of oxygen – not too much and not too little.

CAUSES FOR LOW OXYGEN IN OUR BODIES

The main causes are:

1. Planet earth is too low in oxygen. This will be debated by some, but many doctors believe that all human beings could use more oxygen than the planet provides. This has nothing to do with global warming or driving cars. It is simply the way the planet’s ecosystem works.

2. The air in cities and other polluted environments often contains less oxygen. This is due to a) more oxygen-burning cars and factories, and 2) fewer trees and other plant life if the area is mainly paved over and covered with buildings, as in most cities.

This, by the way, is one reason why everything from crime and drug addiction to disease are often more common in cities. They are just not as healthful places, as a general rule.

3. Shallow breathing and/or a very sedentary lifestyle. Many people do not breathe deeply enough. Stress, fear, anxiety, and just bad breathing habits tend to cause shallow breathing. Exercise is important to bring more oxygen to the body cells. However, mild and gentle exercise only is recommended with a nutritional balancing program. The reason is that vigorous exercise uses up too much energy that is needed for healing. Also, today most people are so exhausted that vigorous exercise further tires them out and can be dangerous in some cases. So we prefer walking and other gentle exercise only.

4. Lung and bronchial problems. These are very common, and often reduce a person’s lung capacity. Chronic bronchitis, too much mucus due to food sensitivities, asthma, bronchiectasis, COPD, fungal infections in the lungs, and many other mild to severe conditions affect the lungs and bronchial tubes in millions of people. These are caused to some degree by pollution, but not all, by any means.

5. Other causes. These include smoking anything, including marijuana, impaired circulation or hydration, and all types of anemias. Smoking damages the lungs, often severely, and leads to much worse oxygenation over time.

Mild anemia is also quite common, especially among young adult women, vegetarians, and those with chronic illnesses. Copper toxicity and imbalance can cause anemia, as can lead toxicity, vitamin deficiencies, iron deficiency and other nutritional imbalances. Many of these people are not even aware of being anemic. However, their bodies do not transport enough oxygen to the cells, and this contributes to fatigue and much poorer overall health.

OXYGENATION RELATED TO CIRCULATION AND HYDRATION

An important principle of oxygenation is that the oxygen must not only be taken in, but needs to be carried around the body adequately. This requires excellent blood circulation. To increase circulation, some exercise is helpful, rebounding is helpful, and deep breathing increases circulation a little. The use of any sauna on a daily basis, or at least a few times weekly, is also very helpful for circulation.

Excellent oxygenation of the tissues also requires very good hydration of the body. Most people do not drink enough water. We recommend 3 quarts of only spring water or carbon-filtered tap water if spring water is unavailable or too costly. Go to www.findaspring.com and you may be able to find a local spring to obtain spring water free of charge.

Please avoid all reverse osmosis water, as it does not seem to hydrate the body as well. In the supermarket, this is often called drinking water or purified water. I would also avoid alkaline water and other designer waters. For more on this topic, read Water For Drinking on this website.

WAYS TO ENHANCE YOUR OXYGEN LEVEL EASILY

1. Breathe deeply each day. This is an uncommon habit. Women, especially, often breathe in a very shallow way. One reason is they do not want their belly to move outward when they breathe in, which happens if you breathe from your abdomen, as one should. As a result, they breathe mostly with their upper chest, which is not nearly as good.

Most older people may not breathe well due to lung conditions, or just weakness, frailty and perhaps lack of exercise.

To begin to change the habit of shallow breathing or holding one’s breath unconsciously, sit or lie down and become quiet. Then do the following breathing exercise:

· Begin by moving your belly outward as you breathe. This will fill the abdomen with air. If you are not sure you are doing this correctly, lie down and place a book on your abdomen. When you breathe in, the book should rise up, and when you breathe out, the book should move downward.

· Next breathe into the sides of your lower chest, pushing the sides of your ribs outward. This will fill the mid-chest with air.

· Finally, lift up the upper chest and the pectoral area, which will fill the upper chest with air.

· When you exhale, you can start again in the abdomen, pushing it in. Then push in the sides of your ribs, and finally push down the pectoral or upper chest area. This is sometimes called the three-part breath.

If you practice this for 15 minutes a day, it will soon become a habit and your overall breathing will improve dramatically. There is no substitute for deep breathing, so please begin to do this exercise and learn to do it all or most of the time.

Breathe in through your nose, if at all possible. This will help humidify the air, prevent your mouth from drying out, and might improve your oxygen intake as well.

2. Use an ozonator/ionizer machine in your bedroom. These rather unique air purifiers produce safe amounts of ozone, and have other benefits as well. When using this machine in your bedroom, keep the ozone control down to halfway or less. The machine converts some oxygen in the ambient air to ozone or O3. Then, provided there is a little ventilation such as an air duct nearby, the room air absorbs a little more oxygen from the surrounding outside air. So the machine essentially draws a little more oxygen into the house or bedroom. When you breathe in the mixture of room air and extra ozone, the ozone is quickly converted to oxygen in the lungs, increasing the oxygenation of the entire body.

Some people fear that ozone is irritating to the lungs. Rarely someone reports sensitivity to ozone, or does not like the odor, which smells like a forest. If the ozone bothers you, just turn down the amount of ozone the machine produces. For much more information about the use of an ozonator/ionizer machine in your home, and where to get one, click here.

Other ways to use ozone to enhance oxygenation. Some doctors suggest drinking ozonated water, adding ozone to baths, using it rectally, or sitting in ozonated steam cabinets. All of these will enhance oxygenation, particularly the baths. However, for everyday use for most people, we like best the ozonator/ionizer air purifier in the bedroom for most situations. Adding ozone to baths will get rid of cancer faster, but after a while it may make the body too yin, so use it only for a time.

Hydrogen peroxide or H2O2 in baths. Another simple and safe way to increase oxygenation in the body is to take a bath and add ½ to ¾ of a cup of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide. This can be purchased inexpensively on the internet at sites such as WWW.H2O2FORHEALTH.COM and others. Some health food stores may sell it as well.

Baths are not quite as good as breathing some ozone because baths tend to be more yin in Chinese medical terms, and one tends to pick up some toxic chemicals that are found in almost all water supplies today, even the cleanest water. Therefore, peroxide baths are not recommended as much as using an ozonator/ionizer machine. However, if one wishes to increase oxygenation quickly, one could do a series of peroxide baths.

Other ways to use hydrogen peroxide to increase oxygenation. Some doctors offer intravenous drips of hydrogen peroxide. When done correctly, these are extremely helpful for cancer, especially. Some people also drink hydrogen peroxide, adding one drop of 35% food grade peroxide to a glass of water per day, and slowly increasing up to 20-30 drops over a period of days or weeks. Be careful with this, as it can be irritating, and it can burn the throat, esophagus and stomach, and is not recommended for this reason. It is also not needed if one uses an ozonator/ionizer air purifier.

WARNINGS REGARDING 35% FOOD GRADE PEROXIDE:

Ø Keep it cool. Exposure to heat or direct sunlight will build up pressure in the bottle and may cause the contents to explode.

Ø Undiluted 35% peroxide will cause a temporary burn on the skin.

Ø Do not allow it to touch mucus membranes or your eyes. Preferably wear gloves when handling it.

Ø If peroxide gets on your skin or in eyes, flush with large quantities of water immediately.

Ø DO NOT use straight 35% peroxide solution in or on the body.

Ø DO NOT INGEST. As mentioned above, some people recommend drinking a few drops in a glass of water. I do not think this is safe.

Ø Be careful of your clothing, furniture and everything else, as 35% peroxide will bleach and put holes in everything.

OTHER USES FOR 35% FOOD GRADE PEROXIDE

Hydrogen peroxide has many other uses, most related to killing of germs of all kinds. They include:

1) Food Uses: .

a) Add a capful of 35% H2O2 to a bowl of water and soak fruits or vegetables for 10 minutes in solution to kill mold and bacteria.

b) Upon opening a container of milk or cream, add ½ tsp and shake thoroughly. This can extend the expiration date of the milk up to 1 month.

2. Cleaning Uses:

a) Add 1 oz per load to the washing machine on a cold cycle only for bacteria-free laundry.

b) Spray on dishes, glasses and silverware for a cleaner appearance.

c) Spray a little in the refrigerator to safely clean up mold and odors.

d) Spray a little in the bathroom to clean up mold and odors in sinks, toilets, tubs, showers and elsewhere.

e) Spray a little on floors to kill odors, bacteria and mold.

3) Household Uses:

a) Spray 3% solution on indoor and outdoor plants to kill some bacteria and molds.

b) Use a 10% solution to kill weeds.

c) Use in pools, ponds and hot tubs to sanitize them without the use of chlorine, bromine or other harsh chemicals. Instructions are on the internet as to how much is needed.

4) Personal Use

a) As a deodorant, I am told that an excellent method is to put some 3% peroxide in a spray bottle and spray it under the arms, letting it dry on the skin. Spray again during the day, if needed. This may be just as good as much more fancy, expensive deodorants sold in stores.

b) For brushing teeth, dip toothbrush in a little peroxide. Then brush normally. This will whiten the teeth a little, kill all germs in the mouth, teeth and gums and leave your mouth very fresh. Do not be alarmed if the peroxide foams up and is a little irritating to the gums. This is normal. Peroxide can irritate the gums in some people, so use care.

c) Soaking toothbrushes and other personal care products in peroxide will kill bacteria, viruses and other pathogens to avoid spreading illnesses.

d) Spray a little on cuts, bruises scrapes, burns and bites. This will prevent infection and clean the wound harmlessly. It will sting a little, but this is normal.

e) For pets: place one ounce of 3% solution in pet water dishes and baths to kill bacteria and keep water fresher.

5) When Traveling:

a) Mix several drops in all drinking water to kill bacteria.

b) It is a simple and safe remedy to bring when traveling for cuts, bruises, bites, scrapes, while camping or anywhere.

HYPERBARIC OXYGEN

Hyperbaric oxygen means oxygen under pressure that is greater than usual atmospheric pressure. This is sometimes used in hospitals and elsewhere for recovery from strokes. It works well for this purpose, and perhaps in other situations. To obtain it, one must go to a clinic or purchase a rather costly hyperbaric oxygen chamber. This is either a metallic or inflatable chamber in which one sits, usually, and perhaps exercises. The operator pumps oxygen into the chamber under pressure, which forces more oxygen into the body through the lungs and skin. I do not recommend this for everyone, but it can be helpful for stroke recovery and perhaps for a few other conditions.

EXERCISE WITH OXYGEN THERAPY OR EWOT

A few holistic doctors help some ill patients by having them exercise and breathe more oxygen at the same time. The patient usually pedals a stationery bike, while a technician turns on the oxygen, which is breathed in through a tube that goes into a person’s nose. This is helpful and forces more oxygen into the body quickly.

OXYGEN CONCENTRATORS

In the past, if one wished to breathe more oxygen, one had to obtain bottles of purified oxygen. This is not only costly, but inconvenient, as the bottles are large and heavy to carry. A more recent method of obtaining more oxygen, in addition to ozone generators and hydrogen peroxide, two substances that break down to release some oxygen, is the use of oxygen concentrators.

These are machines that plug into the wall and are able to extract some oxygen from the room air and pump it through a small tube, which can be placed in a person’s nose, for example. These are used in hospitals, nursing homes, and other locations where oxygen is needed and oxygen bottles are cumbersome to use.

CONCLUSION

The field of what is sometimes called bio-oxidative medicine is a holistic area of medical care that is growing because it is simple, inexpensive in most cases, and quite effective. I hope everyone will focus on breathing more deeply, improving their lung function, circulation and hydration, avoiding smoking anything, and perhaps adding an ozonator/ionizer air purifier to the home to easily increase oxygen in the body.

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