Oxygen: A Critical Matter of Life-Support
Oxygen is our primary life-support. The air we breathe is so vital that without it we would rapidly die. Clean air is made up of several gases of which Oxygen is the most important to us. Clean air contains 19%–21% Oxygen. In ancient times people lived longer because the air was composed of 40% Oxygen. Sadly, the air is decreasing in Oxygen daily. Here is a compilation of facts about why we must have more oxygen today.
Oxygen...
The generation and maintenance of all our body processes are supported by four basic life-support components: carbohydrates, water, proteins and energy. Most scientists agree that oxygen is actually the over-riding key ingredient in all four of these life-support components. 80% of all our metabolic energy production is created by oxygen! The human body is largely composed of oxygen, so it is no wonder that scientists are now discovering how low levels of oxygen can disrupt the body's ability to function correctly. The oxygen concentration in a healthy human body is approximately three times that of air. Fortunately, oxygen is the most abundant element on earth comprising nearly 50% of the earth's crust and averaging about 20% of dry air in a non-polluted environment. Scientists now also agree that oxygen plays a powerful and primary role in our overall health and well-being. A growing number of researchers agree that the best way to improve health may be related to the optimum oxygenation of every cell.
All metabolic processes in the body are regulated by oxygen. Our brains process billions of bits of information each second. Our metabolic processes work to rid our bodies of waste and toxins. Even our abilities to think, feel and act require oxygen-related energy production. Oxygen also plays a vital role in proper metabolic functions such as blood circulation, the assimilation of nutrients, digestion and the elimination of cellular and metabolic wastes. Sufficient oxygen helps the body in its ability to rebuild itself and maintain a strong and healthy immune system. Although we know that vitamins, minerals and enzymes are necessary for our health and vitality, you can actually exist without food for about 40 days, and go without water for about seven days. Without oxygen — a crucial life-support — life ceases to exist in only minutes.
Factors that may affect our body's precious oxygen supply:
Diminishing amounts of atmospheric oxygen.
Today, cutting edge researchers believe that even relatively healthy people may have trouble extracting all of the oxygen that they need from the air. In fact, the air itself is becoming more and more polluted, making oxygen extraction more difficult for our life-support. Physiologists understand that breathing polluted air, or breathing air that contains less oxygen, puts tremendous stress on the human body. Surprisingly, paleontologists have analyzed the oxygen in air bubbles trapped in fossilized amber from the Jurassic Era. Their research revealed that the oxygen levels were significantly higher then than they are today. In fact, many scientists now believe that the dinosaurs became extinct because of a rapid drop in oxygen and the inability of their respiratory systems to adapt to this oxygen reduction. If the dinosaurs became extinct because they could not obtain enough oxygen, is it any wonder that our bodies can suffer as well as our oxygen supplies are depleted due to pollution?
The diet's role in oxygen shortages and life-support.
Eating junk food on a regular basis forces the body to use up more of its oxygen reserves than usual in order to metabolize the preservatives and what few nutrients may actually be in the "food". Complex carbohydrates and raw fruits and vegetables are high in oxygen with as much as 50% of the weight of these foods made up of oxygen. The percentage of oxygen in fats is less than 15% while the percentage of oxygen in protein is between 20% and 40%, depending on the protein's amino acid profile. Dense food compounds, such as fats and proteins, are not only low in oxygen content, but also require extra oxygen from the body to convert them into energy which further depletes the body's oxygen reserves. Other oxygen-robbing foods include processed sugar, white flour, alcohol and caffeinated drinks — definitely not part of a life-support diet. The body has to divert needed oxygen from primary metabolic functions, such as heartbeat, blood flow, brain function and immune response, just to oxidize and metabolize these foods.
Stress and oxygen.
Any excessive stress, including a heavy workload, traumatic or intense events in your life, prolonged depression and anxiety, can rob the body of huge amounts of its much-needed oxygen. Emotional stress produces adrenaline and adrenaline-related hormones, requiring the body to draw on its oxygen reserves for their production and eventual oxidation. Infection also depletes the body's oxygen, which is used to combat bacteria.
Acidity and oxygen reserves.
Individuals with chronically acidic systems also use up oxygen reserves. This can lead to a cycle of toxin accumulation and oxygen depletion. One way in which the body combats excess acidity is by trying to neutralize it with oxygen. To do so, it must continually divert oxygen away from its primary metabolic functions and direct it toward the acidic cells and tissues.
Oxygen shortages and infection.
When body oxygen falls to extremely low levels for prolonged periods of time, the body may become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and other infectious agents. Most of these are anaerobic, meaning they cannot live in an oxygen-rich environment. Some research indicates that when the oxygen content of the body is within a normal level, infectious microorganisms have a more difficult time breeding and multiplying. The partial pressure of oxygen in normal blood should be approximately 97%. Within each red blood cell are iron-rich hemoglobin molecules. Approximately 97% of the oxygen carried to the cells is attached to these hemoglobin molecules with 3% of the oxygen supply dissolved in the blood plasma. When your blood oxygen levels remain low for extended periods of time, the cells cannot get an adequate and consistent supply of oxygen and they may have difficulty resisting the invasion of microorganisms — lessening your natural life-support.
Lack of exercise.
The body responds to exercise by increasing oxygen intake by breathing hard and deeper. This increase in blood oxygen levels helps the body perform two very important functions. First, the additional oxygen permits the creation and release of more energy for the exercise. Second, the increased supply of oxygen is utilized by the body to remove by-product wastes that are the result of a higher metabolic rate. A sedentary lifestyle can inhibit the removal of toxic wastes from the body.
OXYGEN LIFE-SUPPORT BENEFITS AND FACTS
Benefits of Oxygen
- Heightens concentration, alertness and memory
- Oxygen gives you energy! 90% of our energy comes from oxygen, and only 10% from food and water
- Oxygen is vital to your immune system, memory, thinking and sight
- Promotes healing and counters aging
- Strengthens your heart, reducing the risk of heart attacks
- Calms your mind and stabilizes your nervous system
- Speeds up the body's recovery after physical exertion
- Provides a natural remedy for headaches, migraines and hangovers
- Relieves temporary altitude discomfort
- Improves digestion and cell metabolism
- Relieves muscle stiffness, supports athletic performance
- Lessens Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Gives you better sleep patterns
Facts about Oxygen
- Less than 200 years ago the Earth's atmosphere comprised of 40% oxygen; today we breathe only 19% - 21%
- Lack of oxygen in our universe is due to pollution, burning of fossil fuels and overall destruction of the ozone layer
- Everyday we breathe 20,000 times
- Research has demonstrated that our vital lung capacity decreases 5% with every decade of life. This lung elasticity means less oxygen
- Blood is the liquid carrier of oxygen that fuels all systems, stimulates chemical reactions and cleans itself of wastes and toxins
- By mass, oxygen makes up 90% of the water molecule; water makes up 65-75% of the human body
- Our brain, which makes up 2% of our total mass, requires 20% of the body's oxygen needs
- Cancer attacks every organ in our body, except the heart because of its abnormal supply of oxygen.
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