Optimizing Oxygen Utilization
Oxygen keeps us alive and every single cell in our body needs oxygen to produce energy. Cancer cells, most pathogens, viruses, and parasites are anaerobic (do not grow well in the presence of oxygen and excess oxygen causes their degeneration and even death).
There is now a clear link between oxygen and cancer and that one of the key underlying causes of cancer is low cellular oxygen utilization.
Through his investigation on the metabolic characteristics of cancers, Dr. Otto Warburg (Nobel Prize winner in 1931) discovered that when a cell is deprived of 35% of its oxygen for 48 hours it may become ‘cancerous’. He demonstrated that the root cause of cancer is oxygen deficiency, which creates an acidic state in the human body. He also discovered that cancer cells are anaerobic (do not breathe oxygen) and do not multiply in the presence of high levels of oxygen.
An effective way to support the body's fight against cancer would be to get as much oxygen as you can into the cells and to improve the ability of these cells to utilize the oxygen. Raising the oxygen levels of normal cells would help prevent them from becoming cancerous and for the case of cancerous cells, increasing oxygen levels could help kill them. |
There are various therapies involving the administration of oxygen as a medical intervention to overcome cancer.
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE OXYGEN UTILIZATION
There are some activities that you can do at home to improve the oxygen carrying capacity in your body. This can be achieved through:
1. DEEP BREATHING
The purpose of deep breathing is to increase the supply of oxygen to the lungs and thereby increase the availability of oxygen to the rest of the body’s tissues. Through the boost of high oxygen, the ability to kill abnormal cells, viruses and disease is increased. Learn to breathe properly. The more oxygen taken in deep into the tissue, the better your cells feel and the weaker the cancer cells become. Proper breathing techniques can be achieved and learned through the practice of deep breathing. Spend some time (about 10 minutes), a few times each day practicing deep rhythmic breathing as follows:
- Sit in a comfortable position (on a chair or cross legged on the floor) or lie flat (on the floor or bed) with the spine straight. Put aside the day’s activities and concentrate on your breathing.
- Inhale the breath gently through your nose - focusing on the breath going to the back of your throat and feel it filling the lower part of your lungs as it pushes the diaphragm outward, forcing your abdomen outward and expanding your ribs. Try to inhale to the count of six and hold to the count of three — then exhale forcefully through the mouth.
- When you breathe out, contract your abdomen and force as much air (carbon dioxide) out of the lungs as possible.
Repeat this process. The above breathing technique is called abdominal breathing.
There are many powerful breathing exercises being taught that aim to bring more oxygen to the blood. There is no hard and fast rule, the most important part is to do it consistently once in the morning and the other in the evening when you are winding down. It is also important to ensure that your air is clean, otherwise, you will be breathing in toxins.
Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing as well.
2. DIET
Alkaline cells (i.e. cells with a higher pH) have more oxygen retention and carrying capacity than acidic cells – hence, adopt an alkalinizing diet to increase the oxygenation level in the body. Refer to Nutrition for recovery.
3. GOING OUTDOOR
-When was the last time you felt the grass beneath your feet? If statistics are anything to go by, you probably can't even remember. Fresh outdoor air contains more oxygen than indoor air (common sense will tell you that - avoid polluted areas though!).
- Make it a point to go outdoors, to the hills or among the trees and flowers in the park. Experience the "aaahh" feeling when breathing in fresh air, feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, the sounds of the birds in the trees - stepping outside can help anyone feel instantly better.
- Researchers at Tokyo's Nippon Medical School noted that women who spent two to four hours in the woods on two consecutive days experienced a nearly 50 percent increase in the activity of cancer-fighting white blood cells.
4. EXERCISE
Exercises make your heart beat at a faster rate thereby forcing you to breathe harder as the body calls for oxygen. Blood gets pumped faster as well. Aerobic exercise such as walking or cycling will help your body utilize oxygen and remove waste through the lymphatic system. If you do not exercise regularly or not at all, just start slowly and then increase the intensity of your workouts. Just like any other part of your body your heart can grow and function better if you exercise it.
Establish exercise or walking routine and get moving.Smoking is an obvious oxygen drainer for both direct and secondhand smokers. If you are a smoker, stop smoking immediately, if you are not, do not hang around people or places that are filled with smoke. Remember, secondhand smoke is equally bad.
6. DRINK ENOUGH WATER DAILY
Water is essential not only for the utilization of oxygen in the body but also for transporting the blood and other bodily fluids. Without adequate water, all bodily functions are diminished, including cellular respiration and the removal of toxins and metabolic wastes.