Dr. Artour Rakhimov: So what is a Bohr effect? This theological law was discovered about 100 years ago. Now it can be found literally in all medical and physiological text books. During the first year, there was -- very well. How does it work? Imagine that I exercise my muscle but my blood level is everywhere, the question is how does my blood know that oxygen might be released exactly at this site?
So we can think about other parameters. When I exercise, I burn carbohydrates. When I burn carbohydrates, there are two end products, water and CO2. Water does not -- chemical reaction but CO2 does. What happens? CO2 diffuses into blood and then CO2 mix with hemoglobin or red blood cells, which carry oxygen. So CO2 comes to them and basically helps to release or punch out oxygen so that oxygen can diffuse into the tissue so that we can continue with our exercise, while carbon dioxide is partially combined with our blood so that we can expel it out.
Now we can think also of another situation. What happens when we hyperventilate? When we hyperventilate, CO2 is avoided, it can be 20, 30, or may be even 40% below the normal. Then our blood arrives at the same tissue but there isn’t enough CO2, so oxygen would not be released effectively as it should be, so normally when people hyperventilate. Now think about people with heart problems, diabetes, chronic fatigue, sleeping problems, many other, constipation, they would complain about fatigue, pink side, why? Because oxygen is not released when it is required, their breathing is too heavy. Not only muscles but all vital organs, brain, heart, kidneys, liver, spleen, pancreas, large colon, small colon, they are all going to get less oxygen when our breathing is heavy.
Yale University professor Yandell Henderson wrote the following quote about the relationship between carbon dioxide and oxygen. Under clinical conditions low oxygen and low carbon dioxide; anoxemia and acapnia, generally occur together. Each of these abnormal states tends to induce and intensify the other. Therapeutic increase of carbon dioxide, by inhalation of this gas diluted in air, is often the effective means of improving the oxygenation of the blood and tissues. Yale University Professor Yandell Henderson, the father of cardiorespiratory physiology, an author of first physiological textbooks. Henderson, Carbon dioxide, in Cyclopedia of Medicine 1940. In the same publication Yandell Henderson also wrote the following about another Swiss physiologist Miescher. But even as early as 1885, Miescher, a Swiss physiologist, inspired by the insight of genius wrote: Over the oxygen supply of the body carbon dioxide spreads its protective wings. Henderson, Carbon dioxide, in Cyclopedia of Medicine 1940.
Again, we have separate medical studies done from all that are involved, oxygenation and blood supply of kidneys, liver, spleen, pancreas, heart muscles, brain, are going to be less due to these two effects. They all must provide you oxygen. Vasodilation, not bring us oxygen. When we breathe heavy, we have so called suppressed Bohr effect, it further reduces oxygenation.
Now let us look at the quote which Dr. Buteyko suggests. Therefore, during deep breathing carbon dioxide levels becomes lower, oxygen levels lower, breath-holding time is shorter, breathing frequency higher, and the automatic pause is absent. Dr. Buteyko, Public lecture in the Moscow State University on 9 December 1969.
Next affects even more. Carbon dioxide is very important for our brain. How does it work? What does it do? Imagine a normal situation. Why we do have our central nerve system? In order to get signals from outside from our environment so that we can analyze them, so that we can make our plans, change our behavior, so we invent maybe something smart so that we can be more. This is possible when CO2 is high because CO2 is the factor of stability of our nerve system. What happens, nerve cells, they have certain threshold. When we receive a signal from outside, the signal is going to be transmitted only if it is strong enough.
So when we get the message, a real signal is transmitted. But when we hyperventilate, this threshold can get very, very low and what happens? Any small abnormality disturbance which can enter accidentally inside our nerve system can create a big response so that all of a sudden any part of the nerve system can start to discharge. Because of that CO2 is called tranquilizers and sedatives of brain. It makes us calm, reasonable, sensible. So let me write tranquilizer and sedative of nerves.
Hence CO2 is very important for our brain. When we have CO2, we have logic, common sense, reason. When we don’t have it, we can experience panic attacks, we can be depressed, angry. Just observe the breathing of people, who are for example angry, violent, who have panic attacks, is often heavy and through the mouth.
This is what Dr. Brown wrote more than 50 years ago about CO2. He analyzed more than 300 western publications. Studies designed to determine the effects produced by hyperventilation on nerve and muscle have been consistent in their finding on increased irritability. Dr. Brown, Physiological effects of hyperventilation, Physiological Reviews 1953. There are recently dozens of studies who found the same result. Now there are also more recent studies. Hence we can get here a very nice phrase which really describes what heavy breathing does to our brain. Hyperventilation leads to spontaneous and asynchronous firing of cortical neurons. Published in the Experimental Brain Research, 1999.
So they say of all spontaneous and asynchronous firing, what does it mean? It means all of a sudden, any part of our neuron machinery can start to send signals without any relation to the reality. This means we can get talking in our head from nowhere, just because of heavy breathing. Hence we can imagine that this is a reason why people can get panic attacks, sleeping problems. What is going on with those who can not fall asleep? There are thoughts all of a sudden appearing and the person can not control that.
Now what about depression, what about people who are violent and who have different phobias, people who have addictions? Hence we can expect and it is true that this is known for more than 50 years in neurology, psychology, psychiatry, that literally all problems related to the sciences. Hyperventilation is necessary, why? Because when we breathe heavy, first of all we get less blood supply, CO2 is vasodilator and we know this fact now. We get the suppressed Bohr effect, so oxygenation of the brains further reduce. In addition to that, we have a huge destabilizing factor which makes the whole nerves machinery abnormal, so that all of a sudden in some elliptical surface of our brain, we can have spontaneous and asynchronous firing, and appearing all of a sudden.
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