Oxygen therapy is the use of oxygen (O2) as a medical treatment. This is one of the most important, life-saving methods of treatment for threatening and serious conditions. Like any medicine, O2 requires the correct dosage, clear indications for a prescription. O2 delivery methods are important. Inadequate dosing of O2 and lack of monitoring of oxygen therapy can lead to serious consequences.
Role of oxygen in the body
Oxygen plays a major role in the processes of energy production by the human body. We consume 15 liters of oxygen every hour. However, the amount of oxygen consumed can easily increase many times during exercise. Since our body is not able to accumulate oxygen and cannot reproduce it by itself, it needs constant oxygen supply. Carry out a test: hold the air and track the time with a stopwatch. If you can withstand more than one minute without a breath of air, then you are in great shape. After a 4-minute lack of oxygen, the human body reaches that critical point.
Throughout life, our body constantly loses water and our ability to saturate the body with oxygen decreases. The body of the newborn is 75% water, in a young adult, this value is already only 65%, and in an elderly person, the water content in the body decreases to 55%. Nutrition of the body with oxygen is 99% through the lungs and 0.9% through the skin, as well as in the stomach through the food consumed. From air bubbles in the lungs, oxygen enters the pulmonary capillaries. Fresh oxygen-rich blood flows into the left ventricle of the heart, from where it is delivered to all points of the body. Through the thinnest capillary vessels, it enters the smallest cells. As a result of many biochemical reactions, energy-rich phosphates are formed from oxygen and nutrients. After the metabolic and gas metabolism processes are completed, blood is collected at the exit of the capillaries, from where it flows through the veins into the right half of the heart. From here, blood again enters the lungs for saturation with fresh oxygen, and the whole process begins again. The condition of a healthy metabolism at the cellular level is always the presence in the body of an appropriate amount of oxygen.
Three-step oxygen therapy
Multistage oxygen therapy was developed in Germany by Manfred von Ardenne. Professor of Physics from Dresden Manfred von Ardenne (1907-1999) for over two decades studied the oxygen-deficient conditions of the human body and was engaged in the treatment of these conditions. He proved that as a result of daytime oxygen procedures, blood circulation was increased and thereby tissue oxygen supply was improved.
Physicist Manfred von Ardenne has developed a three-step method. First, the patient receives a treatment cocktail of vitamins and minerals, so that oxygen saturation and metabolism are improved in his cells. Then he inhales pure oxygen and at the same time makes body movements. This method improves blood microcirculation, enhances the amount of oxygenated blood in the arteries, due to which more oxygen enters the brain.
When is oxygen therapy recommended?
Regular oxygen therapy is recommended in all cases when a person has chronic fatigue, lethargy, fatigue, concentration imbalance, and a decrease in body return. It is necessary primarily to maintain health, productivity, good mood.
Indications for oxygen therapy:
- to improve blood circulation;
- strengthening the immune system;
- after exhaustion;
- to increase the efficiency of the mechanism of the body’s own defenses;
- accelerate wound healing and bone fusion;
- high blood pressure;
- heart failure, heart disease;
- disorders of the cerebral and peripheral circulation;
- menopause;
- migraine, dizziness;
- depression, stress;
- as an adjunctive treatment for cancer;
- deafness;
- ringing in the ears;
- imbalances;
- chronic inflammation and infectious diseases;
- allergies and sensitization diseases;
- chronic respiratory disorders, pulmonary diseases, asthma;
- low vision;
- to increase body returns;
- general mood improvement;
- prevention of oxygen and energy deficiency;
- overcoming the propensity to become infected;
- prevention of foreseeable stress;
- prevention of diseases caused by alcoholism and nicotine use;
- during interruptions or weakening of the ability to observe and concentration;
- to improve and enhance the physical and mental recovery of the body.
Be careful when replenishing your body with oxygen!
Today, there are various options for introducing additional oxygen into the body, but care must be taken to replenish the body with oxygen. Oxygen in a high percentage can be given to the patient only in justified cases and exclusively in the form of short-term sessions of procedures. The overdose can be dangerous since concentrated oxygen inhaled for more than 3-5 hours can damage the bronchi, and fluid can form in the lungs. When the body operates in a healthy mode, which is facilitated by the introduction of additional oxygen, enzymes are produced that bind and remove harmful substances. With further exacerbation of the disease, enzyme activity decreases. Permanent or prolonged inhalation of oxygen is recommended for patients only under the supervision of a physician. In the case of pneumonia and associated diseases, as well as the presence of infectious diseases in patients, inhalation of oxygen should be avoided. In the case of chronic diseases, for example, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart diseases, be sure to consult your doctor before starting oxygen therapy.