THE IMPORTANCE OF OXYGEN

Apr 07 2009

The air we breathe contains oxygen. Oxygen is the spark of life. Just as a fire can’t burn without oxygen our cells can’t produce heat and energy without oxygen. Oxygen is extracted from the air we breathe by the lungs. It passes into the blood vessels that surround the lungs and is carried to all the cells of the body by the blood. Most of the oxygen is carried by the red blood cells, though some of it is carried by the water in the blood. A deficiency of water means reduced oxygen delivery by the blood. So important is oxygen, that even where optimum water, protein, vitamin and mineral intake exists, ill health will still exist if there’s an oxygen deficiency. Under-breathing is epidemic among adults.

The mechanics of breathing determine oxygen supply. Shallow chest breathing gives rise to oxygen deficiencies, as there are very few blood vessels surrounding the upper lobes of the lungs. Most of the blood vessels surround the lower lobes of the lung. Deep, abdominal breathing is the answer to optimum oxygen levels.

Unfortunately most people breathe shallowly. Tight clothing and a lifetime spent rushing, sitting hunched over desks doing paperwork, studying, working computers and getting stressed out produces the bad habits of shallow breathing. Babies don’t chest breathe. Neither do drunks. They’re both so relaxed they breathe easily and deeply and their tummies rise and fall to the rhythm of this breathing. Shallow chest breathing is a bad habit we develop as we move towards adulthood. It’s a habit that can be easily unlearnt by practising the deep breathing exercises detailed in the chapter on stress and by slowing down.

These exercises are an integral part of the programs in this book and must be practised daily if the programs and increased fluid intake are to be of significant benefit to you.