Oxygen is vital for life. But so is carbon dioxide, (one of the primary greenhouse gasses on earth. Carbon dioxide is called Co2 because it has 2 Oxygen atoms attached to 1 carbon atom). When the cells in your muscles and organs make energy from proteins and carbohydrates the by-product is carbon dioxide.
In his book Breath, James Nestor says that for your muscles and organs to receive fresh oxygen from the blood there needs to be an exchange of carbon dioxide. So, if you are not moving your body each day and eating fresh food to help create the best atmosphere for this to occur this vital exchange gets affected.
Your Respiratory system transfers oxygen from the air you breathe into your blood and your cardiovascular system then distributes it throughout your body.
You breathe in oxygen with your lungs, but only 20% of what you breathe in is oxygen, so it is important to breathe deeply at least a few minutes a day.
Most people breathe in through their nose, which helps to filter out dust and allergens.
Allergens reactions are hypersensitivity reactions to substances. Breathing through the nose also helps to warm the air and increase the amount of oxygen intake.
James Nestor in his book “breath”, says, ” It turns out that when breathing at a normal rate our lungs will absorb only about a quarter of the available oxygen in the air. The majority of the oxygen is breathed back out. By taking longer breaths we allow our lungs to soak up more in fewer breaths. I realised that breathing was like rowing a boat: taking a zillion short and stilted breaths will get you where you’re going. They pale in comparison to the speed and efficiency of fewer longer strokes”
So, the message is to breathe through your nose if possible and slow down your breathing but try to breathe more deeply, especially if you are stressed or nervous.
You should also come to Get Back Health this week and get your spine adjusted and get your breathing up to full capacity.
Yours in Health,
John Keane
Spinologist