Breathing Enriched O2 for health

[scubadada]

Hi MikadoWu,

It probably won't hurt you to breathe down your nitrox at home but if you're otherwise healthy, it probably won't be of any benefit either.

Re the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve referenced above: increasing the fraction of inspired O2 won't increase O2 saturation beyond 100% but will increase the partial pressure of dissolved oxygen in the blood.

Be careful what you read about the O2 therapy chambers out there. There are legitimate, evidence-based uses of hyperbaric oxygen therapy but there are also a lot of charlatans. The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society website is a good resource:

HBO Indications - Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society

The FDA's stance on medical ozone therapy is linked below.

CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21

Best regards,
DDM

As an Infectious Diseases Physician, I am well aware of many of the efficacious uses of HBO therapy.

 

[uncfnp]

I doubt you could ever reach high levels of PaO2 sitting in your living room breathing down your old nitrox tanks but there are some harmful effects to high O2 in the clinical setting. In fact we no longer put MI patients on O2 when they come into the office unless signs of respiratory distress/low pulse ox.

You know, thinking of all those 50 + somethings with a “Heart attack” while diving, I wonder if nitrox and CAD pose a greater risk?

 

[MikadoWu]

Under normal circumstances, hemoglobin is nearly full saturated with oxygen at the usual alveolar pO2 of 100 mmHg. Breathing supplemental oxygen would not be expected to have any beneficial health benefit.

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Thank you all for the feedback. I do believe in this topic and want to further pursue the knowledge. I am a firm believer in 100% O2 treatment, I have had it and many of my former students now in professional athletes use it. Though I do not much about it, yet.



My original question was focused around using 32-40 O2. From ScubaDada's Chart, it looks like these mixes would bring little benefits. Am I looking abusing this, NO. I was just sitting there playing Xbox one night with a 100HP next to the bed and thought, hmmmm. I am sure as we all get a little older, we are always looking for ideas to stay a little healthier.

My daughter is in Med School and is coming home for the weekend. I will have her explain some of the provide info to me.​

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[scubadada]

Professional athletes do all kinds of wacky things, that does not mean that they are effective.

 

[MikadoWu]

I doubt you could ever reach high levels of PaO2 sitting in your living room breathing down your old nitrox tanks but there are some harmful effects to high O2 in the clinical setting. In fact we no longer put MI patients on O2 when they come into the office unless signs of respiratory distress/low pulse ox.

You know, thinking of all those 50 + somethings with a “Heart attack” while diving, I wonder if nitrox and CAD pose a greater risk?

Interesting statement as a Hyperbaric Chamber Physician, told me to Never dive Air again. He stated he has seen a huge rise in DCS from his local DM's. DM's that have been diving for 25 years. His belief at the time was they need for Surface time then when they where younger.

 

[boulderjohn]

Interesting statement as a Hyperbaric Chamber Physician, told me to Never dive Air again. He stated he has seen a huge rise in DCS from his local DM's. DM's that have been diving for 25 years. His belief at the time was they need for Surface time then when they where younger.

The reason he said that was not because of a benefit to the increase in oxygen but the benefit of the decrease in nitrogen. It is the nitrogen that causes DCS. The reason for the added oxygen in nitrox is that it is the cheapest way to cut back on the nitrogen.

 

[uncfnp]

Interesting statement as a Hyperbaric Chamber Physician, told me to Never dive Air again. He stated he has seen a huge rise in DCS from his local DM's. DM's that have been diving for 25 years. His belief at the time was they need for Surface time then when they where younger.

And if you dive that nitrox to the NDL then the benefit is gone.

 

[scubadada]

And if you dive that nitrox to the NDL then the benefit is gone.

Absolutely correct, and that is what I do. more bottom time, same risk.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Thank you all for the feedback. I do believe in this topic and want to further pursue the knowledge. I am a firm believer in 100% O2 treatment, I have had it and many of my former students now in professional athletes use it. Though I do not much about it, yet.



My original question was focused around using 32-40 O2. From ScubaDada's Chart, it looks like these mixes would bring little benefits. Am I looking abusing this, NO. I was just sitting there playing Xbox one night with a 100HP next to the bed and thought, hmmmm. I am sure as we all get a little older, we are always looking for ideas to stay a little healthier.

My daughter is in Med School and is coming home for the weekend. I will have her explain some of the provide info to me.​

Skeptical Scalpel: Why supplemental oxygen is not considered a performance-enhancing drug

Why supplemental oxygen is not considered a performance-enhancing drug
You often see a football player on the sidelines breathing oxygen after running a long distance or having worked hard during a long series of plays.

Have you ever wondered if it works? Does breathing a high concentration of oxygen help an athlete recover from exertion faster?

The answer is a resounding “No,” and here’s why.

In healthy people, such as college and professional football players, nearly all of the oxygen in the blood is carried by hemoglobin. Only a very small percentage is dissolved in blood. Saturation defines the oxygen that is attached to hemoglobin and partial pressure of oxygen is that which is dissolved in blood.

Definitions: SaO2 = arterial oxygen saturation, Hb = hemoglobin, 1.34 mL is the amount of oxygen a fully saturated gram of hemoglobin can carry, Pa02 = partial pressure of oxygen or the amount of oxygen dissolved in blood

If an athlete has a normal Hb level of 15 gm, a SaO2 of 100% and a PaO2 of 100 mmHg, the formula used to calculate his blood oxygen content is

[Hb X 1.34 X (SaO2/100)] + 0.003 X PaO2 or
[15 X 1.34 X 100/100] + 0.003 X 100
20.1 + 0.3 = 20.4 mL/100 mL of blood

So, only about 1.5% of the oxygen content of blood is dissolved.

If an athlete raises his PaO2 to 400 mmHg by breathing pure oxygen the calculation is

[Hb X 1.34 X (SaO2/100)] + 0.003 X PaO2 or
[15 X 1.34 X 100/100] + 0.003 X 400
20.1 + 1.2 = 21.3 mL/100 mL of blood

Even at a PaO2 of 400 mmHg, only 5.6% of the oxygen content of blood is dissolved. Note that hemoglobin cannot be more than 100% saturated with oxygen.

Very soon after the athlete stops breathing the pure oxygen, its minimal effect disappears. It’s simply not enough to affect recovery or performance.

 

[boulderjohn]

Of course, you are not required to dive nitrox to its NDL. For example, if you use EAN 36 on a dive to 60 feet, you are not required to stay there the full 115 minutes (PADI tables). You can come up earlier than that and get both extended bottom time and less decompression stress.