Air is the cornerstone of life. Every moment of every day, your body exchanges carbon dioxide for oxygen to keep each cell in your body alive and functioning. A rich supply of oxygen can make the difference between feeling tired and stressed and youthful and focused. Take at least five deep breaths from your abdomen several times a day.

Breathing is essential to life. Your cells, and your body, will die when deprived of oxygen for just a few minutes. Every part of you needs a constant supply of life-giving oxygen. Breathing does more than bring oxygen into your body; it removes more waste than any other body process as it speeds deadly gases from your body every time you exhale.

Your heart, lungs and blood work together to bring oxygen into and carbon dioxide out of every cell in your body. When you breathe in, thousands of tiny air tubes in your lungs, called bronchioles, deliver oxygen to microscopic clusters of air sacs called alveoli. You have 600-700 million alveoli. The walls of the alveoli,
and the blood vessels that surround them, are so thin that gasses pass easily between them. Oxygen flows from the alveoli into your blood and begins its journey to your cells. Blood returning to the lungs carries the toxic waste gasses your body doesn’t need, and they are expelled when you exhale.

Now that the oxygen is in your bloodstream, its next stop is at one of the 75 trillion cells in your body. Every cell in your body performs essential chemical reactions called cellular respiration. Cellular respiration burns nutrients like sugars, to produce energy that fuels everything the cell does. Without oxygen, which your cells are unable to store, the cells cannot produce energy. This is why cells deprived of oxygen for just a few minutes die.

Symptoms of Imbalance

• Blue-tinted lips or fingernails
• Lightheadedness/ dizziness
• Trouble sleeping
• Poor posture
• Mild to severe depression
• Neuralgic complaints
• Muscle aches
• Forgetfulness
• Heart palpitations
• Circulation or digestive problems
• Excessive number of colds and infections

Health Threats

Short-term: The short-term health threats caused by a lack of oxygen include a lack of energy and stamina, headache, difficulty sleeping and general aches and pains.

Long-term: The long-term health threats created by a consistent shortfall of oxygen are life-threatening. When your lungs are not filled with air completely throughout the day (when lung capacity is not maximized), the bottom of the lungs becomes congested with fluids and bacteria. This build-up can lead to respiratory disease and a decrease in lung capacity. Lung capacity is an important indicator of longevity. Those with the highest lung capacity statistically live the longest.

Just like the rest of your body, your lungs need frequent exercise to stay in shape and function at maximum capacity. Deep breathing, both during exercise and while at rest, can ensure your lungs remain strong and at maximum capacity.

Points to Consider

• 75% of body toxins are removed through breathing
• Your lungs can hold five quarts of air, and you do not empty your lungs every time you breathe
• Cancer cells, as well as germs, fungi and dangerous bacteria thrive in an oxygendepleted environment. These toxins cannot survive in an oxygen-rich environment.
• Shallow breathing deprives your lungs of exercise, decreasing your lung capacity and the amount of oxygen available to your cells in the production of energy they need to run your body
• Adults breathe 15,000 quarts of fresh air every day
• Half your heart supplies blood only to your lungs
• You breathe more rapidly when you are sick because your body needs more energy to help you heal, so it uses more oxygen
• When oxygen levels drop you get sick, and shorten your lifespan
• Concentration, memory and cognitive function are completely dependent on a plentiful supply of oxygen
• As you age, your lung capacity declines 9-22% per decade; you must breathe deeply often to keep your lung capacity maximized
• Lung capacity is a primary measure of longevity—statistically, the greater your lung capacity, the longer you will live
• Insufficient oxygen causes you to experience pain more severely
• Oxygen shortage has been linked to every major illness category, including: heart disease, cancer, digestive disease, inflamed, swollen and painful joints, sinus problems and sexual problems
• Oxygen is used by your body to displace toxic free-radicals
• Fresh foods contain higher amounts of oxygen than cooked foods
• Junk foods deplete oxygen stores, using more oxygen than they give off— hamburgers, pizza, candy, white flour, sugar and french fries are all oxygen thieves
• Emotional and physical stress causes oxygen loss
• Causes of oxygen depletion include:
o Air pollution
o Closed spaces without adequate ventilation
o Synthetic materials
o Stress
o Constricted muscles or poor circulation
o Posture, poor diet
o Lack of breathing and movement
o Cigarette smoke

Substantiation

Findings documented in Science News, vol.120, 1981 p.74, reporting on meeting of the National Institute on Aging, state that a 5,200 clinical study group observed over a 30-year span showed that respiratory function measurement is a strong indicator of general health and vigor and the primary measure of potential lifespan.

A study reported in European Respiratory Journal in November 1997 reports that respiratory deterioration was significantly predictive of death from all causes, and that study participants were able to recognize a deterioration in their breathing. Study findings highlight that people can recognize the quality of their breathing, and this observation is related to how long you will live based on the quality of your breathing.

In a study published in the May 1998 issue of The Lancet, researchers working with heart patients at the University of Pavia, Italy, have established an optimum healthy breathing rate of six breaths per minute. The average breathing rate while resting is 12-14 breaths per minute. Patients who learned to slow their breathing through deep exercises experienced increased levels of blood oxygen and were able to better perform on exercise tests.