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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> O2 harmful?
        
(Message started by: superhawk2300 on Mar 18^th, 2008, 9:15am)

Title: O2 harmful?
Post by superhawk2300 on Mar 18^th, 2008, 9:15am

There was a post about a study where breathing 02 was harmful becasue it ramps up a gland or something.

One of the symptoms was increased sexual drive.

I can attest that when I am running the 02 very hard, that I get, well, er, you get the picture (so i am not sleeping well due to Ch then I use my o2 and then I am not sleeping because there's this log in the bed between me and my wife - can;t win for losing).

A couple weeks back I was really sick - went to the ER with a 104 fever. Got some blood work done. All numbers were ok, except my thyroid was really cranking in over drive - I need to go back and retest.

Any chance this matches whart that report claimed?

Title: Re: O2 harmful?
Post by DennisM1045 on Mar 18^th, 2008, 12:02pm

The only problems I've ever heard of with O2 are related to free radicals over a long exposer ... around 24 hours.

Using O2 for 20-30 minutes at a shot 5 times over the course of a day will not hurt you.

Batch, where are you? Clean up in isle FUD!

-Dennis-

Title: Re: O2 harmful?
Post by Batch on Mar 19^th, 2008, 4:02pm

Superhawk,

Bless my long gray whiskers… Post Hyperoxia Libedo… I thought I’d heard everything… You may want to put that thing to good use and stop complaining…

Other than the obvious benefits of using oxygen therapy to safely abort the pain of cluster headache attacks, I'd venture there's more than a few of us would welcome a reaction like that.

As for the study you mentioned, please post the link so we can all look it over. It takes 6 to 12 hours of breathing 100% oxygen continuously before symptoms of pulmonary oxygen toxicity occur.

Accordingly, 20 to 30 minutes of continuous use is a very conservative time limit breathing 100% oxygen that should not pose any risks. As long as you take a 5-minute break breathing normal air after every 30 minutes of breathing 100% oxygen, you can keep using the oxygen therapy. Having said that, you should be aborting the pain of most cluster headache attack in less than 15 minutes if the flow rate is high enough.

20 to 30 minutes of continuous 100% oxygen are the safe exposure limits the US Navy uses for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at two to three atmospheres of pressure (equal to 30 to 60 feet under water). At sea level pressure or less, Navy and Marine Corps pilots breathe 100% oxygen on every flight in tactical jet aircraft. Most missions are over two hours in length.

I’ve got over 3000 hours flight time in Navy Fighters breathing 100% oxygen and never had a reaction like you’ve had. If I would have, I’d probably have 6000 hours.

As far as free radicals of oxygen or Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) go… You’ll likely get more harm in one minute from breathing the Ozone (O3) in smog than you’ll get from a full M-size O2 cylinder. If you’re worried about free radicals, eat carrots for the beta-carotene and veggies high in vitamin C.

Take care… and consider yourself fortunate…

V/R, Batch

Title: Re: O2 harmful?
Post by thebbz on Mar 19^th, 2008, 4:32pm

This thread should have been named BONER harmful?. ;;D
all the best
thebb

Title: Re: O2 harmful?
Post by brewcrew on Mar 19^th, 2008, 4:37pm

on 03/19/08 at 16:32:27, thebbz wrote:

This thread should have been named BONER harmful

Only in a very few select set of circumstances.

Title: Re: O2 harmful?
Post by superhawk2300 on Mar 19^th, 2008, 6:24pm

I couldn't find the link to the article, hence the postehre. I thought maybe someone else might have it.

I'd be curious to see what gland was in overdrive in the article and if it is the gland I have in overdrive in my bloodwork......The would give the article come validity in my eyes. Not saying all of it would be true but it would be interesting if it all lined up.

Title: Re: O2 harmful?
Post by Batch on Mar 19^th, 2008, 6:56pm

That’s okay… This is one of the wonderful benefits ch.com offers in vetting things like this. Keep looking. There are a lot of good (favorable) articles about using oxygen therapy for cluster headaches on the Internet. The key buzz words to search on are “Normobaric Hyperoxia” and “Hypocapnia.”

If there was any truth to the article, I’m sure the good folks at Pfizer or Eli Lilly and Company had it sent to bit heaven to prevent competition with Viagra or Cialis.

V/R, Batch

Title: Re: O2 harmful?
Post by Crappy on Mar 19^th, 2008, 10:22pm

As a scientist, I can tell you that you can't trust any one study further than you can throw you can throw your M-tank. Most first time studies that purport to find a cause or link between two things end up being contradicted and disproven by later studies. There are many reasons for this, but the main reason is that initial study sizes tend to be small, experimental design is usually sloppy, and statistics are misused. Then the scientific community critiques the design and interpretation, a series of better designed and controlled studies come out, and the statistical strength of any causation tends to shrink down to noise levels. If there were much truth to it, additional studies would have proven it, and it would be mentioned in most articles about oxygen therapy.

Unless the study is extremely well designed specifially to prove causation, you also can't tell the difference between causation and correlation. For instance, CH attacks involve the hypothalmus, which is involved in regulating nearly all hormones and glands in the body. Testosterone has been measured very low during CH attacks for sure, as have cortisol and others, so the fact that a hormone measurement was off one time in a clusterhead is not surprising.

I'd be aware of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism (and hypothyroidism, as the thyroid can toggle between hypo and hyper if it is dying), and get another blood test if you notice symptoms.

CH also activates the sympathetic nervous system, pulling blood into the core and out of extremties. O2 pushes it back out, and aborting a hit sends blood back to your extremeties. That rush of blood might be triggering an erection.

Some cluster meds can affect the thyroid, so check side effects of any other meds you take. Lithium is one for sure, and if you've ever taken lithium then I'd definitely follow up with another test.