OXYGEN
Oxygen is the most important thing we need to support life. We can live for weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without oxygen. It is necessary for all functions in our body. To convert nutrients to energy we need oxygen. There is no other element that is more important to life than oxygen.
A stroke happens when something interrupts the oxygen flow to the body. This usually happens in the brain when a ruptured blood vessel or a clot stops oxygen-rich blood from flowing. The result is lack of proper use of whatever that area of the body controls. I had a stroke in my brain March 6, 2007 while I was sleeping. The result was slurred speech, loss of movement on my entire right side (not just muscular movement of my arms and legs, but everything, including chewing, bowel control and all the little functions we take for granted) and an incredible sleepiness.
I discovered that hyperbaric oxygen treatment (A one hour treatment that involves increasing the atmospheric pressure while breathing oxygen rich air. The treatment allows your body to absorb up to 7 times the oxygen it can normally absorb.) has a phenomenal success rate in treating stroke suffers, diabetics, cancer patients, surgery patients, amputees and a myriad of other conditions and diseases. The treatment is $150 to $250 an hour and can get expensive since it isn’t covered by most insurance for most conditions. As a stroke patient the doctors estimated 60 to 90 treatments to restore me close to normal. One treatment was very restorative and one day I hope to be able to have more treatments performed so that I might reverse my disabilities resulting from the stroke. It would be great to have the treatment at least once a month just for a terrific energy boost.
In the meantime I have discovered liquid oxygen. (It is a means to super oxygenate water. Some doctors say it won’t work because we get all the oxygen we need by breathing. But think of it logically. Water is hydrogen and oxygen. The digestive track absorbs water and the oxygen can also be used to fuel our cells. Maybe it is a placebo. But I’ve learned that if the medical system decries something, at least take a second look. It sure appears to work and gives more energy.)
The point is that oxygen is necessary for body functioning. Large doses of oxygen allow the body to heal itself faster. The lack of oxygen leads to a build-up of toxins, which leads to disease. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced during cellular energy production and released by the respiratory system. A build-up is extremely harmful. Notice it takes oxygen to produce CO2 and it takes oxygen for the CO2 to be released in the air we breathe. The more oxygen we have in our system, the more potential energy we have.
Around the world most people breathe shallowly. We only breathe about 25% of our lung capacity, robbing our bodies of rich oxygen that could be energizing us throughout the day.
Deep breathing creates a suction which literally pulls lymph from the bloodstream and increases the rate at which toxins are removed from the body.
"Deep diaphragmic breathing is the equivalent of having a vacuum cleaner in your immune system pulling the poisons out at a rapid pace."
— Dr. Jack Shields
Our lymph system carries away and excretes toxins in the body. This results in a clean, healthy environment for your cells to function at maximum. We have a pump, the heart, for blood flow. No such pump exists for lymph circulation. Lymph relies on movement and breathing for its circulation. By practicing deep breathing we create a suction pump to move lymph at 15 times the normal rate.
In addition, the lowest portion of the lungs has the richest blood flow and can provide the greatest exchange of oxygen into our bodies. Deep breathing draws more air into our lungs, causing them to fill, allowing for greater oxygen absorption.
One deep breathing exercise is to Inhale for 6 seconds, Hold that breath for 24 seconds, Exhale for 12 seconds. Kind of like when you were a kid and had a contest to see how long you could hold your breath under water. Perform something like this 3 times a day for a week or so and watch your energy levels increase. It takes practice, but the benefits are awesome.
Aerobic Exercise means to exercise with oxygen. Regular exercise provides so many benefits to the body. Besides developing a strong cardiovascular/circulatory system, aerobic exercise moves the lymph through the body, cleansing your system. It is also a fantastic way to get large concentrations of oxygen into your body, where the oxygen can work its wonders.
Aerobic exercise does not need to be hard. It should be at a comfortable pace, but it should get your heart beating and increase your breathing rate. The key to consider is that the longer the exercise, the better for you. Studies show that the benefits are additive, meaning you can break 20 minutes of exercise into four 5-minute sessions and get the same benefits of one 20 minute session. I personally feel more satisfied with one session. However, splitting exercise times can be a great way to get your exercise benefits with a busy schedule – especially at work.
Training aerobically will increase your blood supply, boost your immune system, increase the oxygenation of your cells and promote the elimination of cellular wastes. Aerobic exercise also produces endorphins, which drive away stress and depression and stimulate the immune system. Exercise also increases your levels of growth hormones; another reason to get our kids to exercise.
Examples of aerobic exercise: brisk walking, swimming, dancing, running, bicycling, rowing, stair climbing, jump roping, hiking, rowing, etc. Exercise can be fun. Choose an activity you enjoy and mix it up. Have fun! Remember when we were kids and playing was all the aerobic activity we needed?