On
average we breath in and out about 16 times per minute
and inhale the life-giving oxygen. Under normal conditions,
our air contains 21% oxygen. Primarily through the lungs
and to a small degree, through the skin the oxygen (O2) gets
into our body. Millions of tiny air sacs in our lungs – known
as “alveoli” - inflate like tiny balloons. In
the minutely thin walls enclosing each sac there are microscopic
capillaries through which the blood is transported. The inhaled
oxygen passes into the alveoli and then diffuses through
the capillaries into the arterial blood. The red blood cells
hemoglobin transport the oxygen to every part of the body
and supply all organs.
Meanwhile, the veins absorb the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced
by the burning of food and energy and release it through
the alveoli. The carbon dioxide follows the reverse path
out of the lungs when we exhale.
Like every machine, we require
fuel to function. This fuel (carbohydrates, fats and proteins)
is extracted from our daily food intake and the fat stored
in our body. The conversion of body fuels into heat and energy
and therefore life is similar to the process of controlled
combustion: Fuel and oxygen are consumed, while heat and
energy is generated. The process is known as “metabolism.“
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| Therefore: |
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Without energy our cells cannot work |
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Without „combustion“ there is no energy |
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Without oxygen there is no combustion |
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Without oxygen there is no life. |
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| Without
oxygen the human organism cannot exist. Our cells remain
healthy and regenerate regularly only if they are supplied
with oxygen at all times. Without food we can survive about
four weeks, without fluids about four days and without oxygen
about four minutes. Survival and proper function of each
individual cell depends on a constant supply of oxygen. Because
the body has no way to store oxygen over a longer period
of time, it leads a “breath-to-breath existence. |
Environmental
impacts on our energy supply
The modern industrialized world creates smog, ozone, fumes and industrial fogs.
They cause shortness of breath in sensitive humans. Badly aerated offices and
homes, stress and increased physical performance can result in undersupply of
oxygen. Symptoms may be fatigue, weariness, headaches and listlessness. Advancing
age is a further factor: Between 20 and 30 years our lungs absorb about 5.6 liters
of air, after 70 only about 2.8litres. |
The consequences
of oxygen undersupply
Undersupply of oxygen can lead to serious disease: Nervous exhaustion caused
by negative stress, depressions, infectious diseases, chronic bronchitis leading
to angina pectoris, coronaries, arteriosclerosis, heart rhythm deficiencies,
chronic skin diseases, inadequate blood supply and wear and tear of joints.
Oxygen not only regenerates, strengthens and prevents such diseases, but retards
the ageing process and supports the immune system in combating disease and illnesses. |
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