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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2002 >> O2 - Cold Air - Hey Kip
        
(Message started by: Bob_P on Jun 4^th, 2002, 8:43am)

Title: O2 - Cold Air - Hey Kip
Post by Bob_P on Jun 4^th, 2002, 8:43am

Kip - you could have told them this:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
original: Cold room air inhalation to abort cluster headaches: an exploratory study
Martha Sue McLeod, Frank Andrasik, Russel C. Packard, Bayard D. Miller

Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, University of West Florida, 40 South Alcaniz Street, Pensacola, FL 32501, USA, e-mail: fandrasik@ai.uwf.edu, Tel.: +1-850-202-4460, Fax: +1-850-202-4440

Received: 2 May 2001 / Accepted in revised form: 7 November 2001

Abstract Research has shown that inhalation of pure oxygen is effective in aborting cluster headache. This article advances the hypothesis that cooling is the critical ingredient behind the effectiveness of oxygen inhalation, rather than the oxygen concentration. To test this hypothesis, eight cluster headache participants used a device that delivered cooled room air as a means to abort headache attacks. Additionally, six of the subjects administered pure oxygen so that comparisons could be made to the air-cooling device. The proportion of cases in which subjects attained effective relief from cluster headache pain by use of the air-cooling device was significantly higher than the proportion of cases in which subjects did not attain effective relief from headache pain. There was no significant difference between the proportion of headaches relieved by oxygen and the proportion of headaches relieved by the air-cooling device. This study raises questions about the mechanisms of action of oxygen inhalation for treating cluster headache, and indicates that future clinical investigations into the use of cold room air for treating cluster headache pain are warranted.

Title: Re: O2 - Cold Air - Hey Kip
Post by Ueli on Jun 4^th, 2002, 10:26am

Well, I have no experience with cold room air but with cold outdoor air of around freezing temperature. I tried it on two occasions (1st when this current cycle [3.5 years and counting] started and once when some moron left the oxygen valve open for hours).

My experience: Cold air is better than nothing, but a very poor replacement for oxygen.

Ah yeah, until now I believed that oxygen rich blood helps to constrict the vessels, but people from an "Institute for Human and Machine Cognition" may know of another mechanism.

Title: Re: O2 - Cold Air - Hey Kip
Post by BobG on Jun 4^th, 2002, 12:44pm

My experience:

During the cold winter months a cold, dry wind in the face can bring on shadows.

But, when an attack wakes me I go outside, stand barefoot on the cold cement patio and try to face into the cold wind and take deep breaths to help stop the attack.

Go figure!

Question: does cold air hold more oxygen than warm air?

Title: Re: O2 - Cold Air - Hey Kip
Post by Bob_P on Jun 4^th, 2002, 12:47pm

I would say yes. the colder the temp, the closer the molecules are spaced. So there would be more oxygen molecules in a given amout of air at a colder temp.

Hey Ueli, do you think your machine is cognizant of you?

Title: Re: O2 - Cold Air - Hey Kip
Post by Ueli on Jun 4^th, 2002, 10:08pm

For a given amount of gas and at constant pressure it holds V / T = const or r * T = const
(with V = volume, r = density and T = absolute temperature in °K or °R)

This means, cooling air from room temperature (20 °C) to 0 °C (freezing temp) the density increases by about 7%, but not only the oxygen but the nitrogen an the other stuff too.

But this increase in O₂ concentration brings nothing: In the lung, where the gas exchanges occur, the air is warmed up to almost body temperature anyway, regardless of the outside conditions. So nothing can be gained in this way. :(