by Verle Cornish, Oxygen Orchard Chemist
Introduction
An oxygen
therapy program is a preventative program that will kill most of the pathogens
and detoxify most of the xenobiotics that may be present in our water and food.
Questions
& Answers
Will an
oxygen therapy program have any impact on pre-existing pathogenic microbes?
Yes. As
digesta moves from the stomach to the colon, the luminal environment changes
from acidic and aerobic to neutral and anaerobic. As a result, the bacterial
colonies will become less aero-tolerant and increasingly large. An ingested
pathogen will colonize the mucosal layer of the upper portion of the small
intestine because the colonies of the normal flora are not large enough to
fight off the pathogen. This colony will soon cover itself with a protective
layer which creates a micro-anaerobic environment. The role of an oxygen
therapy program is to disrupt the pathogen's protective covering and expose the
pathogen to oxygen. This will neutralize any endotoxins, oxidize the pathogen
and oxygenate the mucosal layer to enhance tissue healing. If the pathogen has
had time to induce diarrhea, an oxygen therapy program will slow down the
mechanism causing intestinal hyperactivity and excess secretion of water.
Is there
any evidence that an oxygen therapy program can eliminate and/or protect the GI
tract against parasites?
Yes. An
ongoing study of large populations of poultry, drinking water treated with
oxygen has revealed that parasites pre-existing to the water treatment readily
become atrophied, and young birds raised on the oxygen treated water never
obtain parasites. The barriers presented to parasites by an oxygen therapy
program kill and/or prevent parasite colonization of intestinal tissues.
Is there a
benefit to an oxygen therapy program oxidizing xenobiotics before they become
absorbed through the intestinal tissues?
Yes.
Non-nutrient substances (xenobiotics), when absorbed and circulated to various
organs, can directly induce or catalyze tissue damage that can result in the
functional degradation of these organs and cause disease and/or cancer. Though
the body has a remarkable detoxifying mechanism, it is apparent that it is not
100% effective. An oxygen therapy program provides the oxygen that will oxidize
these contaminants such that detoxification can take place before they can be
absorbed through the intestinal mucosa.
How will
an oxygen therapy program protect the intestinal mucosa from toxins?
The mucosal
protective coating of the intestinal wall is under continuous repair and
replacement. Studies of intraluminal (intestinal) gases reveal that the
presence of oxygen optimizes the production and replacement of this mucosal
protective coating. The mucosal protective coating helps capture toxins and
prevent their absorption.
Can an
oxygen therapy program help prevent the intestinal micro flora from becoming
toxic?
Yes.
Throughout the GI tract, the micro flora are always competing with each other.
They secrete toxins that are for controlling adjacent competing populations.
Our diets are constantly changing and periodically a food source is ingested
that may give one colony an advantage over another. Thus, the quantity of
toxins secreted is also increased which induces a gastroenteritis reaction. The
dissolved oxygen provided by an oxygen therapy program offers a defense against
the toxins produced by sudden shifts in micro flora populations.
What impact will an oxygen
therapy program have on the distribution and absorption of nutrients?
The mechanism of nutrient absorption
is to stimulate and increase blood flow to that portion of the intestine
subject to the work load of nutrient absorption. If nutrients are not available
to absorb, blood flow remains low and tissue oxygenation stays low. This makes
those tissues susceptible to invasion by xenobiotics and/or pathogens. It is in
the best interest for the health of the entire GI tract for as much of the
intestine as possible to be actively absorbing nutrients.
Will an oxygen therapy program
aid in the healing of intestinal tissues?
Yes. The healing of inflamed
intestinal tissues, lesions and abscesses requires the oxygenation of
surrounding tissues to supply those tissues with the necessary energy for cell
repair and replacement. Normally, damaged tissues are slow to heal because of
an inadequate blood supply with inadequate oxygen levels. An oxygen therapy
program provides dissolved oxygen from within the lumen, making oxygen
accessible and easily absorbed where blood supplies tend to be inadequate.
Is it possible for an oxygen
therapy program to assist in glucose absorption?
Yes. Glucose is the primary
energy source for all intracellular activity. For a cell to absorb and utilize
glucose, oxygen needs to be present. Without oxygen, the utilization of glucose
is very slow and intracellular functions are likewise inhibited. An oxygen
therapy program will provide a secondary source of oxygen that adds to tissue
oxygenation, cellular metabolism and glucose absorption.
Will an oxygen therapy program
inhibit lactic acid production?
Yes. Lactic acid is part of an
alternate and slow pathway (anaerobic) to provide intracellular energy in the
absence of oxygen. Because an oxygen therapy program adds to the oxygen supply,
more intestinal epithelial cells can take advantage of the more efficient
pathway of providing intracellular energy which will eliminate lactic acid
buildup.
Will an oxygen therapy program
inhibit the production of intestinal ammonia?
Yes. A variety of bacteria
produce an enzyme, i.e., urease, that reacts with the urea of the bile salts
and produces ammonia. Intestinal ammonia will increase the pH of the intestine
causing micro flora population to change. If the concentration gets too high,
the ammonia will push its way into the blood stream causing toxicity problems
for several organ systems. The dissolved oxygen provided by an oxygen therapy
program will contribute to the defense against the bacteria that secretes
urease.
How will an oxygen therapy
program assist the gastrointestinal immune system?
The gastrointestinal immune
system is a complex interactive system that also serves the lungs and
genito-urinary systems. Chemical modulators that control and direct the immune
system depend on healthy cells to produce them. Healthy means oxygenated and
free of the necessity of warding off toxins. An oxygen therapy program not only
provides a secondary oxygen source but also reduce the load of toxins and
improves cell permeability for the agents that initiate an immune response. By
improving extracellular communications, immune responsiveness to the needs of
the lungs and genito-urinary system are also assisted.
Will an
oxygen therapy program interfere with antibiotic function?
Yes. Many
antibiotics are oxygen scavengers. When antibiotics scavenge the oxygen required
by the cells of the immune response system, the natural immune system becomes
impaired, if not shut down. By using an oxygen therapy program before orally
taking an antibiotic, the tissues of the gastrointestinal immune system receive
an oversupply of oxygen such that the immune system can continue to operate
without interference from the antibiotic. The permeability of the tissues
targeted by the antibiotic is also improved.
Will an
oxygen therapy program increase oxygen saturation of hemoglobin?
Yes. A
physically fit individual will have a respiratory system that will saturate
94-96% of the hemoglobin as it passes by the lungs. When a person is at rest,
loses fitness or develops respiratory illnesses, the efficiency of the lungs
decreases, lowering the oxygen saturation of the blood. Because of the
vascularization of the intestine, hemoglobin not carrying oxygen, will pick up
the available oxygen through the intestinal wall. An oxygen therapy program
will produce a small burst of dissolved oxygen that may take two to four hours
for the hemoglobin to absorb, adding 4%-5% oxygen saturation to the circulatory
system, thereby maintaining oxygenation of much of the intestine and associated
tissues.
Is it
probable for an oxygen therapy program to assist in T-cell activation?
Yes. Lymph
tissues associated with the gastrointestinal tract harbor T-cells. Their
activation is dependent upon special chemical messengers (antigens) reaching
them. The benefits of tissue oxygenation and the botanical extracts from an
oxygen therapy program is that they will increase cell membrane permeability to
the antigens, thus increasing the efficiency of antigen communication with
lymph tissues.
Is it
possible for an oxygen therapy program to inhibit the transfer of viruses to an
adjacent healthy cell?
A common
agent of herbal extracts has been tested for viral activity. Very slight
differences have been noted in this agent from plant to plant. It is this
difference that has been recorded to have viral specificity, i.e., what
inhibits one virus will not work on another. The potential, which needs further
study, is that herbal/oxygen therapy may offer a defense against the spread of
viruses from the viral pool incubating within the tissues of the colon. It
should be noted that any comprehensive viral protection will include the
circulatory system and that an injection of botanical extract used in
herbal/oxygen therapies is not possible due to the resulting hemolysis of
blood.
