Life cannot begin without oxygen. At birth, it’s the baby’s first and most important need. If that first breath doesn’t occur, there is little hope of life. Much of the energy we need to function comes from the oxygen we inhale because without it, we would die very quickly.
However, oxygen isn’t given the credit it is due in today’s society. Rarely do we exercise or execute hard physical labor; technology has created an advanced society of people who can barely breathe due to the oxygen-starved condition of our polluted air, combined with lifestyles that don’t require deep breathing.
Household pollution is also a great threat to our health. Homes are built so closely and tightly sealed for energy efficiency these days they don’t allow any air exchange. Preservatives and chemicals in building products, carpets and paint will outgas for years with household cleaning chemicals emitting toxic gases as well. I haven’t even started with the emissions from household generators outside most homes all over the country. These gases and other contaminants in the average home can make the air up to 70 times more toxic than other forms of pollution. Indoor air quality is considered to be one of the biggest issues of today’s health.
Why is Oxygen so vital?
You actually breathe 23,000 times a day. You have 100 trillion cells in your body, and every minute, 300 million cells die and are replaced. Some of these cells are skin cells that flake off and waft in the air. Have you ever noticed what is floating in the air when a beam of sunlight comes through the window? Much of it is dead skin and other particles our bodies expel. Hitching a ride on those particles are millions of dust mites that feed on them and then expel their own waste in the air. Right now, you are probably covering your mouth and thinking about purchasing air purifiers for your home!
Not trying to scare us but what we ingest, my friends, becomes part of us. This includes air. When we breathe polluted air, we draw that pollution deep into our cells. Our bodies need fresh, clean air for proper cellular reproduction and to provide us with the energy that sustains us. Let me explain it this way. Your body longs for oxygen and respiration introduces oxygen into your system. That oxygen is used for cell metabolism. The main gaseous by-product of that metabolism – carbon dioxide – is expelled when you exhale, mixed with other waste gases and water vapor.
Deep breathing and exercise wake up your brain better than a jolt of caffeine ever would – and it’s a lot better for your body! With increased oxygen intake, your brain becomes more alert and your mental capacity increases. Of course, it helps to have an optimistic and joyful outlook. Smoking, air pollution, and a sedentary lifestyle all have damaging effects on your brain, since they inhibit the absorption of oxygen. Suffocation of the brain is enough to darken a person’s mood and outlook. Many mental illnesses are due to oxygen starvation of the brain and a lot of chronic depression could be greatly helped with strenuous exercise because exercise has the incredible power to hyper oxygenate every cell in your body. Depression tends to drive a person into lonely, isolated places where less light and air can reach them. It’s a vicious cycle that, most times, requires the wisdom of a caring person to interrupt.
Oxygen also increases the energy in our cells. It allows them to function more efficiently as they process fuel. Using plentiful oxygen and nutrients, your cells start a “spring cleaning” routine, expelling toxins out through the cell membrane. But with an inadequate oxygen supply, your cells cannot function properly. This is one of the reasons you feel sluggish, tired and drained.
Disease is thwarted in an oxygenated environment. Sickness can’t manage a foot hold in a body that is full of oxygen. It was proven decades ago that cancer cells cannot multiply in an oxygen-rich environment. However, delivering more oxygen to the body by artificial means (such as the many so-called oxygen therapies), while ignoring the causes of oxygen starvation, will produce little or no healing results.
Your body’s design must have cooperation. There is no lasting shortcuts to vibrant health. To regain and keep vibrant health, you need fresh air delivered to your body in two ways. First, you need to fill your lungs with fresh air. Breathe slowly and deeply while you are resting and when you are engaging in regular vigorous exercise that makes you breathe hard. Secondly, you need to consume oxygen-rich foods. Yes, they do exist in form of raw vegetables and fruits, which is one reason they are referred to as living foods. The most immediate lift you’ll feel when you feed more on raw plant-based diet will be your body’s reaction to finally having enough oxygen to function properly. Help your body breathe for a healthier lifestyle.
Enjoy!