Oxygen respiration. Why can't you breathe pure oxygen? Oxygen inhalation procedure at home

Residents of megacities suffer from a chronic lack of oxygen: it is mercilessly burned by harmful industries and cars. Therefore, the human body is often in a state of chronic hypoxia. This leads to drowsiness, malaise, headaches, stress. To maintain beauty and health, women and men increasingly have to resort to various methods of oxygen therapy. This, at least for a short time, allows you to enrich starved tissues and blood with valuable gas.

Why does a person need oxygen

We have to breathe a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and hydrogen. But oxygen is the most essential for a person - it carries hemoglobin throughout the body. Oxygen takes part in cellular processes of oxidation and metabolism. Due to oxidation, nutrients in cells undergo combustion processes to end products - carbon dioxide and water - with the formation of energy. And in an oxygen-free environment, the brain turns off after two to five minutes.

That is why it is very important that this gas in the right concentration enters the body all the time. In the condition of a large city with poor ecology, the air contains half as much oxygen as is necessary for normal metabolism and proper breathing.

In this case, the body has to experience a state of chronic hypoxia - the organs have to work in an inferior mode. As a result of this, metabolism is disturbed, an unhealthy skin color is observed, and early aging occurs. Oxygen deficiency can lead to many diseases or exacerbate existing chronic ailments.

Oxygen treatment

In order for the body to saturate tissues with oxygen, several methods of oxygen therapy can be used, including:

• oxygen mesotherapy;
• oxygen inhalation;
• oxygen baths;
• taking oxygen cocktails;
• barotherapy.

Such therapy is usually prescribed to patients with chronic bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, heart disease, and tuberculosis. Treatment with oxygen can relieve suffocation, intoxication with gases. Therapy of this type is shown:

• in case of violation of the kidneys;
• persons in a state of shock;
• those who suffer from obesity, nervous diseases;
• those who often faint.

In our body, oxygen is responsible for the process of energy production. In our cells, only thanks to oxygen, oxygenation occurs - the conversion of nutrients (fats and lipids) into cell energy. With a decrease in the partial pressure (content) of oxygen in the inhaled level - its level in the blood decreases - the activity of the organism at the cellular level decreases. It is known that more than 20% of oxygen is consumed by the brain. Oxygen deficiency contributes Accordingly, when the level of oxygen falls, well-being, performance, general tone, and immunity suffer.
It is also important to know that it is oxygen that can remove toxins from the body.
Please note that in all foreign films, in case of an accident or a person in serious condition, first of all, emergency services doctors put on an oxygen apparatus to the victim in order to increase the body's resistance and increase its chances of survival.
The therapeutic effect of oxygen has been known and used in medicine since the end of the 18th century. In the USSR, the active use of oxygen for preventive purposes began in the 60s of the last century.

Hypoxia or oxygen starvation is a reduced oxygen content in the body or individual organs and tissues. Hypoxia occurs when there is a lack of oxygen in the inhaled air and in the blood, in violation of the biochemical processes of tissue respiration. Due to hypoxia, irreversible changes develop in vital organs. The most sensitive to oxygen deficiency are the central nervous system, heart muscle, kidney tissue, and liver.
The manifestations of hypoxia are respiratory failure, shortness of breath; violation of the functions of organs and systems.

Sometimes you can hear that "Oxygen is an oxidizing agent that accelerates the aging of the body."
Here the wrong conclusion is drawn from the right premise. Yes, oxygen is an oxidizing agent. Only thanks to him, the nutrients from food are processed into energy in the body.
The fear of oxygen is associated with two of its exceptional properties: free radicals and poisoning with excess pressure.

1. What are free radicals?
Some of the huge number of constantly flowing oxidative (energy-producing) and reduction reactions of the body are not completed to the end, and then substances are formed with unstable molecules that have unpaired electrons on the outer electronic levels, called "free radicals". They seek to capture the missing electron from any other molecule. This molecule becomes a free radical and steals an electron from the next one, and so on.
Why is this needed? A certain amount of free radicals, or oxidants, is vital for the body. First of all - to combat harmful microorganisms. Free radicals are used by the immune system as "projectiles" against "invaders". Normally, in the human body, 5% of the substances formed during chemical reactions become free radicals.
The main reasons for the violation of the natural biochemical balance and the increase in the number of free radicals, scientists call emotional stress, heavy physical exertion, injuries and exhaustion against the background of air pollution, eating canned and technologically incorrectly processed foods, vegetables and fruits grown with the help of herbicides and pesticides, ultraviolet and radiation exposure.

Thus, aging is a biological process of slowing down cell division, and free radicals mistakenly associated with aging are natural and necessary defense mechanisms for the body, and their harmful effects are associated with a violation of natural processes in the body by negative environmental factors and stress.

2. "Oxygen is easy to poison."
Indeed, excess oxygen is dangerous. Excess oxygen causes an increase in the amount of oxidized hemoglobin in the blood and a decrease in the amount of reduced hemoglobin. And, since it is the reduced hemoglobin that removes carbon dioxide, its retention in the tissues leads to hypercapnia - CO2 poisoning.
With an excess of oxygen, the number of free radical metabolites grows, those very terrible “free radicals” that are highly active, acting as oxidizing agents that can damage the biological membranes of cells.

Terrible, right? I immediately want to stop breathing. Fortunately, in order to be poisoned by oxygen, an increased oxygen pressure is necessary, as, for example, in a pressure chamber (during oxygen barotherapy) or when diving with special breathing mixtures. In ordinary life, such situations do not occur.

3. “There is little oxygen in the mountains, but there are many centenarians! Those. oxygen is bad."
Indeed, in the Soviet Union in the mountainous regions of the Caucasus and in Transcaucasia, a certain number of long-livers were registered. If you look at the list of verified (i.e. confirmed) centenarians of the world throughout its history, the picture will not be so obvious: the oldest centenarians registered in France, the USA and Japan did not live in the mountains ..

In Japan, where the oldest woman on the planet Misao Okawa still lives and lives, who is already more than 116 years old, there is also the “island of centenarians” Okinawa. The average life expectancy here for men is 88 years, for women - 92; this is higher than in the rest of Japan by 10-15 years. The island has collected data on more than seven hundred local centenarians over a hundred years old. They say that: "Unlike the Caucasian highlanders, the Hunzakuts of Northern Pakistan and other peoples who boast of their longevity, all Okinawan births since 1879 are documented in the Japanese family register - koseki." The Okinhua people themselves believe that the secret to their longevity rests on four pillars: diet, active lifestyle, self-sufficiency and spirituality. Locals never overeat, adhering to the principle of "hari hachi bu" - eight tenths full. These "eight tenths" of them consist of pork, seaweed and tofu, vegetables, daikon and local bitter cucumber. The oldest Okinawans do not sit idle: they actively work on the land, and their recreation is also active: most of all they love to play a local variety of croquet.: Okinawa is called the happiest island - there is no rush and stress inherent in the large islands of Japan. The locals are committed to the philosophy of yuimaru - "kindhearted and friendly collaborative effort".
Interestingly, as soon as the Okinawans move to other parts of the country, there are no long-livers among such people. Thus, scientists studying this phenomenon found that the genetic factor does not play a role in the longevity of the islanders. And we, for our part, consider it extremely important that the Okinawa Islands are located in an actively windswept zone in the ocean, and the level of oxygen content in such zones is recorded as the highest - 21.9 - 22% oxygen.

Therefore, the task of the OxyHaus system is not so much to INCREASE the level of oxygen in the room, but to RESTORE its natural balance.
In the tissues of the body saturated with a natural level of oxygen, the metabolic process is accelerated, the body is “activated”, its resistance to negative factors increases, its endurance and the efficiency of organs and systems increase.

Atmung oxygen concentrators use NASA's PSA (Pressure Variable Absorption) technology. Outside air is purified through a filter system, after which the device releases oxygen using a molecular sieve from the volcanic mineral zeolite. Pure, almost 100% oxygen is supplied by a stream at a pressure of 5-10 liters per minute. This pressure is sufficient to provide the natural level of oxygen in a room up to 30 meters.

“But the air is dirty outside, and oxygen carries all substances with it.”
That is why OxyHaus systems have a three-stage incoming air filtration system. And already purified air enters the zeolite molecular sieve, in which air oxygen is separated.

“Why is the use of the OxyHaus system dangerous? After all, oxygen is explosive.
The use of the concentrator is safe. There is a risk of explosion in industrial oxygen cylinders because the oxygen is under high pressure. The Atmung Oxygen Concentrators that the system is based on are free from combustible materials and use NASA's PSA (Pressure Variable Adsorption Process) technology, which is safe and easy to operate.

Why do I need your system? I can reduce the level of CO2 in the room by opening the window and ventilating.”
Indeed, regular ventilation is a very good habit and we also recommend it to reduce CO2 levels. However, city air cannot be called truly fresh - in addition to the increased level of harmful substances, the level of oxygen is reduced in it. In the forest, the oxygen content is about 22%, and in urban air - 20.5 - 20.8%. This seemingly insignificant difference significantly affects the human body.
“I tried breathing oxygen and didn’t feel anything”
The effect of oxygen should not be compared with the effect of energy drinks. The positive effect of oxygen has a cumulative effect, so the oxygen balance of the body must be replenished regularly. We recommend turning on the OxyHaus system at night and for 3-4 hours a day during physical or intellectual activities. It is not necessary to use the system 24 hours a day.

"What's the difference with air purifiers?"
The air purifier only performs the function of reducing the amount of dust, but does not solve the problem of balancing the oxygen level of stuffiness.
“What is the most favorable concentration of oxygen in a room?”
The most favorable oxygen content is close to the same as in the forest or on the seashore: 22%. Even if your oxygen level is slightly above 21% due to natural ventilation, this is a favorable atmosphere.

"Is it possible to be poisoned by oxygen?"

Oxygen poisoning, hyperoxia, occurs as a result of breathing oxygen-containing gas mixtures (air, nitrox) at elevated pressure. Oxygen poisoning can occur when using oxygen devices, regenerative devices, when using artificial gas mixtures for breathing, during oxygen recompression, and also due to excess therapeutic doses in the process of oxygen barotherapy. In case of oxygen poisoning, dysfunctions of the central nervous system, respiratory and circulatory organs develop.

Watching even modern foreign films about the work of doctors and ambulance paramedics, we repeatedly see a picture - a Chance collar is put on the patient and the next step is to give oxygen to breathe. This picture is long gone.

The current protocol for helping patients with respiratory disorders involves oxygen therapy only with a significant decrease in saturation. Below 92%. And it is carried out only in the volume that is necessary to maintain a saturation of 92%.

Why?

Our body is designed in such a way that oxygen is needed for its functioning, but back in 1955 it was found out ....

Changes that occur in the lung tissue when exposed to various oxygen concentrations were noted both in vivo and in vitro. The first signs of changes in the structure of alveolar cells became noticeable after 3-6 hours of inhalation of high concentrations of oxygen. With continued exposure to oxygen, lung damage progresses and animals die from asphyxia (P. Grodnot, J. Chôme, 1955).

The toxic effect of oxygen is primarily manifested in the respiratory organs (M.A. Pogodin, A.E. Ovchinnikov, 1992; G. L. Morgulis et al., 1992., M. Iwata, K. Takagi, T. Satake, 1986; O. Matsurbara, T. Takemura, 1986; L. Nici, R. Dowin, 1991; Z. Viguang, 1992; K. L. Weir, P. W Johnston, 1992; A. Rubini, 1993).

The use of high oxygen concentrations can also trigger a number of pathological mechanisms. Firstly, it is the formation of aggressive free radicals and the activation of the process of lipid peroxidation, accompanied by the destruction of the lipid layer of cell walls. This process is especially dangerous in the alveoli, as they are exposed to the highest concentrations of oxygen. Long-term exposure to 100% oxygen can cause lung damage similar to acute respiratory distress syndrome. It is possible that the mechanism of lipid peroxidation is involved in damage to other organs, such as the brain.

What happens when we start inhaling oxygen to a person?

The concentration of oxygen during inhalation rises, as a result, oxygen first begins to act on the mucous membrane of the trachea and bronchi, reducing the production of mucus, and also drying it. Humidification here works little and not as you want, because oxygen, passing through water, turns part of it into hydrogen peroxide. There is not much of it, but it is quite enough to influence the mucous membrane of the trachea and bronchi. As a result of this exposure, mucus production decreases and the tracheobronchial tree begins to dry. Then, oxygen enters the alveoli, where it directly affects the surfactant contained on their surface.

Oxidative degradation of the surfactant begins. Surfactant forms a certain surface tension inside the alveoli, which allows it to keep its shape and not fall off. If there is little surfactant, and when oxygen is inhaled, the rate of its degradation becomes much higher than the rate of its production by the alveolar epithelium, the alveolus loses its shape and collapses. As a result, an increase in the concentration of oxygen during inhalation leads to respiratory failure. It should be noted that this process is not fast, and there are situations when oxygen inhalation can save the patient's life, but only for a fairly short period of time. Prolonged inhalations, even of not very high concentrations of oxygen, unequivocally lead the lungs to partial atelictasis and significantly worsen the processes of sputum discharge.

Thus, as a result of oxygen inhalation, you can get the effect is absolutely the opposite - the deterioration of the patient's condition.

What to do in this situation?

The answer lies on the surface - to normalize gas exchange in the lungs not by changing the oxygen concentration, but by normalizing the parameters

ventilation. Those. we need to make the alveoli and bronchi work so that even 21% of the oxygen in the surrounding air is enough for the body to function normally. This is where non-invasive ventilation helps. However, it should always be taken into account that the selection of ventilation parameters during hypoxia is a rather laborious process. In addition to respiratory volumes, respiratory rate, the rate of change in inspiratory and expiratory pressures, we have to operate with many other parameters - blood pressure, pressure in the pulmonary artery, resistance index of the vessels of the small and large circles. Often it is necessary to use drug therapy, because the lungs are not only an organ of gas exchange, but also a kind of filter that determines the speed of blood flow both in the small and in the large circle of blood circulation. It is probably not worth describing the process itself and the pathological mechanisms involved in it, because it will take more than one hundred pages, it is probably better to describe what the patient receives as a result.

As a rule, as a result of prolonged inhalation of oxygen, a person literally “sticks” to an oxygen concentrator. Why - we described above. But even worse, the fact that in the process of treatment with an oxygen inhaler, for a more or less comfortable state of the patient, more and more oxygen concentrations are required. Moreover, the need to increase the supply of oxygen is constantly growing. There is a feeling that without oxygen a person can no longer live. All this leads to the fact that a person loses the ability to serve himself.

What happens when we start replacing the oxygen concentrator with non-invasive ventilation? The situation is changing radically. After all, non-invasive ventilation of the lungs is needed only occasionally - a maximum of 5-7 times a day, and as a rule, patients get by with 2-3 sessions of 20-40 minutes each. This largely socially rehabilitates patients. Increased tolerance to physical activity. Shortness of breath goes away. A person can serve himself, live not tied to the apparatus. And most importantly - we do not burn out the surfactant and do not dry the mucous membrane.

Man has the ability to get sick. As a rule, it is respiratory diseases that cause a sharp deterioration in the condition of patients. If this happens, then the number of sessions of non-invasive ventilation during the day must be increased. Patients themselves, sometimes even better than a doctor, determine when they need to breathe again on the device.

Everyone knows since childhood that a person cannot live without oxygen. People breathe it, it takes part in many metabolic processes, saturates organs and tissues with useful substances. Therefore, oxygen treatment has long been used in many medical procedures, thanks to which it is possible to saturate the body or cells with important elements, as well as improve health.

Lack of oxygen in the body

Man breathes oxygen. But those who live in large cities where industry is developed lack it. This is due to the fact that in megacities there are harmful chemical elements in the air. In order for the human body to be healthy and fully function, it needs pure oxygen, the proportion of which in the air should be approximately 21%. But various studies have shown that in the city it is only 12%. As you can see, the inhabitants of megacities receive a vital element 2 times less than the norm.

Symptoms of lack of oxygen

• increase in breathing rate,
• increase in heart rate,
• headache,
• organ function slows down
• concentration disorder,
• reaction slows down
• lethargy,
• drowsiness,
• acidosis develops.
• cyanosis of the skin,
• change in the shape of the nails.

Consequences of lack of oxygen

As a result, the lack of oxygen in the body adversely affects the functioning of the heart, liver, brain, etc. The likelihood of premature aging, the occurrence of diseases of the cardiovascular system and respiratory organs increases.

Therefore, it is recommended to change your place of residence, move to a more environmentally friendly area of ​​the city, and it is better to completely move out of the city, closer to nature. If such an opportunity is not expected in the near future, then try to get out to parks or squares more often.

Since residents of large cities can find a whole “bouquet” of diseases due to the lack of this element, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the methods of oxygen treatment.

Oxygen treatment methods

Oxygen inhalations

Assign to patients suffering from diseases of the respiratory system (bronchitis, pneumonia, pulmonary edema, tuberculosis, asthma), with heart disease, with poisoning, malfunctioning of the liver and kidneys, with shock conditions.

Oxygen therapy can also be done for the prevention of residents of large cities. After the procedure, the appearance of a person becomes better, mood and general well-being increase, energy and strength for work and creativity appear.

Oxygen inhalation

Oxygen inhalation procedure at home

Oxygen inhalation requires a tube or mask through which the breathing mixture will flow. It is best to carry out the procedure through the nose, using a special catheter. The proportion of oxygen in respiratory mixtures is from 30% to 95%. The duration of inhalation depends on the state of the body, usually 10-20 minutes. This procedure is often used in the postoperative period.

Anyone can purchase the necessary devices for oxygen therapy in pharmacies, and carry out inhalation on their own. On sale there are usually oxygen cartridges about 30 cm high with an internal content of gaseous oxygen with nitrogen. The balloon has a nebulizer for breathing gas through the nose or mouth. Of course, the balloon is not endless in use, as a rule, it lasts for 3-5 days. It should be used 2-3 times daily.

Oxygen is very useful for humans, but an overdose of it can be harmful. Therefore, when carrying out independent procedures, be careful and do not overdo it. Do everything according to the instructions. If you have the following symptoms after oxygen therapy - dry cough, convulsions, burning behind the sternum - then immediately consult a doctor. To prevent this from happening, use a pulse oximeter, it will help monitor the oxygen content in the blood.

barotherapy

This procedure refers to the effect of high or low pressure on the human body. As a rule, they resort to an increased level, which is created in pressure chambers of different sizes for various medical purposes. There are large ones, they are designed for operations and delivery.

Due to the fact that tissues and organs are saturated with oxygen, swelling and inflammation are reduced, cell renewal and rejuvenation is accelerated.

It is effective to use oxygen under high pressure in diseases of the stomach, heart, endocrine and nervous systems, in the presence of problems with gynecology, etc.

barotherapy

Oxygen mesotherapy

It is used in cosmetology for the purpose of introducing active substances into the deep layers of the skin, which will enrich it. Such oxygen therapy improves the condition of the skin, it rejuvenates, and also cellulite disappears. At the moment, oxygen mesotherapy is a popular service in cosmetology salons.

Oxygen mesotherapy

Oxygen baths

They are very useful. Water is poured into the bath, the temperature of which should be approximately 35 ° C. It is saturated with active oxygen, due to which it has a therapeutic effect on the body.

After taking oxygen baths, a person begins to feel better, insomnia and migraines disappear, pressure normalizes, metabolism improves. This effect occurs due to the penetration of oxygen into the deeper layers of the skin and stimulation of nerve receptors. Such services are usually provided in spa-salons or sanatoriums.

oxygen cocktails

They are very popular now. Oxygen cocktails are not only healthy, but also very tasty.

What are they? The basis that gives color and taste is syrup, juice, vitamins, phyto-infusions, in addition, such drinks are filled with foam and bubbles containing 95% medical oxygen. Oxygen cocktails are worth drinking for people suffering from diseases from the gastrointestinal tract, having problems with the nervous system. Such a healing drink also normalizes blood pressure, metabolism, relieves fatigue, eliminates migraines and removes excess fluid from the body. If you use oxygen cocktails daily, then a person’s immunity is strengthened and efficiency increases.

You can buy them in many sanatoriums or fitness clubs. You can also prepare oxygen cocktails yourself, for this you need to purchase a special device in a pharmacy. Use freshly squeezed vegetable, fruit juices, or herbal blends as a base.

oxygen cocktails

Nature

Nature is perhaps the most natural and pleasant way. Try to get out into nature, to parks as often as possible. Breathe clean, oxygenated air.

Oxygen is an essential element for human health. Get out into the forests, to the sea more often - saturate your body with useful substances, strengthen your immunity.

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In chapter Natural Sciences to the question If oxygen is a powerful oxidizing agent, then why is it advised to breathe deeper? Is oxygen harmful to humans? given by the author Yotim Bergi the best answer is due to the action of oxygen, a person ages but cannot live without it

2 answers

Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: If oxygen is a powerful oxidizing agent, then why is it advised to breathe deeper? Is oxygen harmful to humans?

Answer from Dmitry Borisov
harmful, don't breathe!

Answer from Col.kurtz
harmful
you can't breathe pure oxygen for a long time
doctors know

Answer from Anton Vladimirovich
No, it's not. Of course, if you mean ozone, then this is only a few minutes, and then it will not be entirely useful. And oxygen... And oxygen, sorry, is only useful. But the body is adapted to absorb not pure oxygen, but an oxygen mixture, that is, air. Therefore, pure oxygen also does not need to be particularly abused unnecessarily.

Answer from Dmitry Nizyaev
Living in general is bad. They even die from it.

Answer from Hard childhood
pure oxygen for a person (and for most living beings) is a poison, prolonged inhalation of it causes death. the first global extinction was caused by mass oxygen poisoning. see OXYGEN DISASTER. but it is advised to breathe deeper not with oxygen, but with air in which oxygen is in a safe concentration and only when, due to fainting (or other painful condition), the concentration of oxygen in the blood drops. sometimes in this case they give a breath of pure oxygen, but not for long.

Answer from yellow partisan
It is advised to breathe deeper when the air
atmospheric, it contains 16% oxygen, this can be enough to do
hyperventilation of the lungs, quickly and naturally saturate the blood
breathing oxygen, pure oxygen is beneficial, for a while, but ... dangerous. Beneficial for one
breath lasts for a minute ... dangerously, there is an acceleration of all
metabolic reactions in the body at times (actually accelerates
aging of the body) and if you suddenly “take a spark” while inhaling, they will burn out
light on the inside! At work, he did a trick ... inhaled oxygen from
cylinder ... approached the smoker, took a burning cigarette from him, inserted it into
mouth and blew into it ... - the cigarette burned with a bright flame.
In its pure form, it is a terrible oxidizing agent, therefore, poison. Ozone is many times more dangerous than oxygen, in its pure form (you rarely see it, only next to an electric arc, during welding), its smell is pungent, it burns the nasal mucosa, eyes ... prolonged inhalation leads to the conversion of blood cholesterol into an INSOLUTION form, i. air attack! I say because I experienced it myself as an aluminum welder.

Answer from Ѐustam Iskenderov
Nitrogen calms it down.

Answer from Ioman Sergeevich
By the way, oxygen in the body is used precisely for oxidation. And now what? As already said, do not breathe, and after a few minutes, the oxidation processes will stop ...

Answer from Born in the USSR
It is not oxygen that is harmful, but its concentration ....

Residents of megacities are chronically lacking oxygen: it is mercilessly burned by cars and hazardous industries. Therefore, our body is often in a state of chronic hypoxia (lack of oxygen). This leads to drowsiness , headaches, malaise and stress. To preserve beauty and health, women and men are increasingly resorting to various methods of oxygen therapy. This allows at least for a short time to enrich the blood and starving tissues with valuable gas.

Why do we need oxygen?

We breathe in a mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. But it is oxygen that we need most of all - it carries through the body hemoglobin . Oxygen is involved in cellular processes of metabolism and oxidation. As a result of oxidation, the nutrients in the cells are burned to end products - water and carbon dioxide - and form energy. And in an oxygen-free environment, the brain turns off after 2-5 minutes.

That is why it is important that this gas in the required concentration constantly enters the body. In the conditions of large cities with poor ecology, the air contains half as much oxygen as required for complete breathing and normal metabolism.

As a result, the body experiences a state of chronic hypoxia - all organs work in a defective mode, as a result - metabolic disorders, unhealthy skin color and early aging . At the same time, oxygen deficiency leads to the development of many diseases or exacerbates existing chronic diseases.

Oxygen Therapy

For the normal functioning of the body in the air should be 20-21% oxygen. In stuffy offices or busy avenues, the oxygen concentration can drop to 16-17%, which is critically low for breathing. We feel tired, we are tortured headache .

On hot and dry days, even a normal concentration of oxygen is perceived worse, and in cool and high humidity it is easier to breathe. However, this is not due to the oxygen concentration.

To help your body saturate tissues with oxygen, you can apply several methods of oxygen therapy - oxygen inhalation, oxygen mesotherapy, oxygen baths and barotherapy, as well as oxygen cocktails.

oxygen inhalation

Such therapy is usually prescribed for patients with asthma, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis and heart disease in hospital settings. Oxygen therapy is able to relieve gas intoxication, suffocation, is indicated for violation of the kidneys, people in a state of shock, obese, nervous diseases, as well as those who often faint.

However, breathing oxygen is useful for everyone: saturation of the blood with it increases the tone of the body and mood, helps in improving the appearance, makes the cheeks rosy, removes the earthy skin tone, helps get rid of constant fatigue and work harder and harder.

Oxygen therapy: main types and effects on the body

During the procedure, special cannula tubes or a small mask are used, to which an oxygen mixture is supplied. In order to prevent hypoxia, the procedure is carried out for about 10 minutes, and in the treatment of certain diseases, the duration of oxygen therapy is determined by the doctor.

Inhalations can be carried out both in special clinics and at home. Oxygen cylinders can be purchased at a pharmacy.

Important! It is forbidden to breathe pure oxygen: its increased concentration in the body is just as dangerous as the shortage. Excess oxygen can lead to blindness, damage to the lungs and kidneys.

One of the options for inhalation is the use of an oxygen concentrator - they can saturate the air of rooms (saunas, baths, offices, apartments and oxygen cafe-bars). The device has a concentration regulator and a timer so as not to cause an overdose.

The use of oxygen in special pressure chambers is also useful - at elevated pressure, oxygen penetrates tissues more actively.

Mesotherapy

With this cosmetic procedure, oxygenated preparations are injected into the deeper layers of the skin. The result is the activation of the process of regeneration and renewal of the skin layers, and as a result, skin rejuvenation. The surface of the dermis is leveled, the color and tone of the skin improves, cellulite phenomena in the problem areas gradually disappear.

Oxygen baths or oxygen cocktail?

Oxygen bath - pleasant and healthy

Such bath also called pearl. It relaxes, gives strength to tired muscles and ligaments. The temperature of the water in the bath corresponds to the temperature of the body, which makes staying in it comfortable. The water is enriched with oxygen.

Pearl baths enrich the body with oxygen through the skin. As a result, the tone of the nervous system is normalized, stress , sleep is normalized, blood pressure levels out and the general condition of the skin and the whole organism improves.

The air we breathe, and to which we are accustomed on Earth, consists of a mixture of gases approximately as follows: 78 percent nitrogen, 20 percent oxygen, 1 percent argon, and a small amount of other gases.

We know that in this mixture, oxygen is the most important and necessary component for sustaining life. When breathing, a person consumes oxygen and exhales carbon dioxide that has arisen in the body in the process of metabolism. This means that the composition of the surrounding air changes with each inhalation and exhalation.

In an open place, the air is quickly refreshed, and its composition remains normal. The situation is different in a closed room, for example, in the cockpit of a spacecraft.

If the astronauts did not have the appropriate equipment for air freshening, they would die within a few hours from oxygen starvation, in which the lack of oxygen gives rise to various painful phenomena and even death, if only 7 percent of oxygen remains in the cabin air. The second harmful factor - excess carbon dioxide - also leads to significant complications.

It follows from this that the air in the cabin of the spacecraft must be constantly refreshed. But how? This is the main problem.

The easiest way would be to have cylinders, like scuba divers, but in this case it would be necessary to load the ship with a large number of bulky and heavy cylinders.

For short orbital flights, or even for a trip to the Moon, this is certainly possible, but completely unacceptable for long-term space flights.

For a person who is in a semi-lying position and does not perform heavy physical work, about 1 kilogram of oxygen per day is required. Thus, when planning a trip to Mars, a stay on this planet and a return to Earth, it would be necessary to provide for luggage in the amount of about 550 kilograms of oxygen per space traveler.

But the supply of oxygen is not everything, you need to think about the substance necessary to absorb carbon dioxide accumulating in it from the atmosphere of the cabin. If the air is not cleaned, the amount of carbon dioxide will increase, which will cause a disruption in the life of the astronauts, and at a concentration of 20-30 percent, it can cause their death.

To prevent the harmful effects of carbon dioxide, potassium dioxide is most often placed in the cabin, which absorbs carbon dioxide excellently and is convenient to use. But this method is not without drawbacks. The fact is that potassium dioxide is very quickly saturated so that a supply of this substance is needed in the amount of about 1.5 kilograms per day per person. This means that for two travelers to Mars, a supply of about 1650 kilograms of potassium dioxide would be required. Summing up this amount with the supply of oxygen needed for breathing, we get a weight of 2.8 tons, which is completely unacceptable for a spacecraft in which every gram of weight counts.

The difficulties that arise in the chemical absorption of carbon dioxide force us to look for other solutions to this problem.

It is known that plants in the course of their vital activity perfectly absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. It seems simple: just take the right amount of living plants with you into the cabin of the ship. However, the conditions in the cockpit are such that it is not so easy to solve this problem.

In order to supply one cosmonaut with the necessary amount of air suitable for breathing, it is necessary to place in the cabin a whole field with an area of ​​100 m 2 with a soil layer of 10 cm, which, of course, is practically unacceptable. Great hopes for a satisfactory solution of the problem are given by experiments carried out with algae.

It turned out that one of the species of algae of the chlorella family can become an excellent tool for freshening the air in the cabins of spacecraft and at the same time can serve as a source of fresh vegetables and food for astronauts, which we write about in more detail below.

Unicellular algae of the Chlorella family, if they are properly cared for, grow at such a rapid rate that their mass increases by 5, 7 and even 10 times per day. A small aquarium with water and algae, with a capacity of 65 liters, is quite sufficient to supply one person with air and food for many days.

Chlorella has been undergoing comprehensive trials in many countries for several years now. In one of the laboratories, chlorella already passed the first test, supplying air to two mice that were in a hermetically sealed room for 17 days.

In another laboratory, an American scientist conducted an experiment with chlorella under conditions close to space travel. He locked himself in a pressurized cabin, in which a vessel with water and algae was installed, and remained there for 26 hours, consuming exclusively the oxygen released by the algae for breathing. After the experiment, the scientist said that "the air was constantly fresh and smelled pleasantly of damp hay."

Algae are generally very undemanding. All they need to live is water, light, carbon dioxide, and small amounts of certain chemicals. But besides the advantages, algae also have disadvantages. It is very difficult to cultivate them and careful care is needed for them - they are very tender and sensitive to all external influences, susceptible to viral and bacterial diseases, and die easily. Therefore, it is difficult to hope that algae will become the only source of air supply for the inhabitants of the spacecraft.

But the successes achieved by scientists in the cultivation of algae give rise to hope that many of these shortcomings can be overcome. It has already been possible to grow varieties of algae that are resistant to the harsh conditions of space flight, multiply faster, give more oxygen and absorb more carbon dioxide.

Removing water vapor from the cabin of a spacecraft is relatively easy. We know that too humid air makes it difficult for a person to breathe, reduces his endurance to high temperatures, reduces his ability to work, and leads to violations of the body's vital functions.

To clean the air of the space cabin from water vapor, it is enough to pass it through a special filter containing silicon dioxide. When the filter is completely saturated with water, it can be replaced with a fresh one, and the old one inserted into the apparatus to extract the accumulated water. Such filters can be used repeatedly.

Cleaning the air from carbon dioxide and water vapor is not all. There may be other gases in the cabin of a spacecraft, which, although few, can make it difficult for the crew to stay in it, leading to inconvenience and even illness. We are talking about ozone released during the operation of electronic equipment, odorous substances escaping from lubricating oils, liquids filling hydraulic networks, electrical insulation, rubber products, food, chemical compounds, human vapors, etc.

In order to eliminate these pollutions or, as they are called, harmfulness, additional filtering units are needed, which leads to an additional load of the ship with absorbing substances.

A person has adapted to normal pressure, which is about 1 atmosphere, but can live at a lower pressure, provided that he is prepared for this.

The issue of pressure for an astronaut is a matter of paramount importance. He needs to create a certain pressure in the cabin and protect it from a sharp drop when the cabin is depressurized, to provide the opportunity to exit into the cosmic void and stay on the surface of a planet devoid of atmosphere.

One can ask oneself the question, what is the most convenient pressure to maintain in the cabin of a spacecraft? Answering this question is not as easy as it seems. For many reasons, ground pressure aboard a spacecraft is undesirable. Experts believe that the pressure can be significantly lower, which will bring considerable benefits, namely: it will be easier for astronauts to breathe, the risk of cabin depressurization will decrease, and savings in the weight of the ship will increase.

Why will it be easier to breathe?

Ordinarily, on Earth, a person breathes a mixture of various gases, mainly nitrogen with a small (relatively) amount of oxygen. Although nitrogen is not needed for respiration, the body is still accustomed to its presence and reacts poorly to its absence in the mixture.

If a person is placed in a pressure chamber filled with pure oxygen, it will be difficult for him to breathe, and after a while he will show signs of a significant impairment of life and even poisoning. However, it turned out that as the pressure decreases, the human body tolerates the presence of a large amount of oxygen, and at a pressure of 0.2 atmospheres, the chamber can be filled with pure oxygen without any harm to its inhabitant. Therefore, if it were possible to use pure oxygen in the cabin of the spacecraft for crew breathing, it would be possible to use simplified breathing equipment, to refuse excess ballast in the form of nitrogen, to increase the degree of flight safety, and to obtain many other technical benefits.

Scientists began experiments with people to see how breathing pure oxygen at reduced pressure would affect the body.

The experiments were carried out with jet pilots, in groups of two. They were placed in a pressure chamber, from which air was pumped out, creating a vacuum. All this time people breathed through oxygen masks.

After a series of experiments lasting several hours and even days, it turned out that the human body, in general, satisfactorily endures the "rise" in the pressure chamber.

People were in a pressure chamber for 17 days at a pressure of about 1/5 normal, that is, at a pressure that prevails at an altitude of about 11 kilometers. All the pilots who were subjected to the experiments (in the amount of 8 in two groups), despite the very unusual conditions, withstood the experiment to the end, and the doctors, who carefully examined the pilots' organisms, did not find any unfavorable deviations from the norm. Still, it was not without discomfort. Almost all the pilots who underwent the experiment suffered from disorders typical of oxygen poisoning, they felt pain in the chest, ears, teeth, muscles. They felt tired, nauseous, impaired visual perception. However, all these symptoms completely disappeared within 7-10 days after leaving the pressure chamber.

What conclusions can be drawn from this? During a short space trip, such as to the moon and back, the crew of the spacecraft can safely be in low pressure conditions and breathe pure oxygen. If at the same time the crew members undergo special training, they will be able to avoid the unpleasant consequences of being in a space flight. Reducing the pressure in the cabin of a spacecraft will provide considerable technical benefit, as it will make it possible to reduce the thickness of the steel walls of the spacecraft and thereby significantly reduce its weight. However, it seems to us that another solution should be sought. Prolonged stay in the cockpit of a spacecraft without the complications of depressurization and oxygen supply creates many difficulties for the human body and is hardly worth aggravating.

Future cosmonauts need to create all the conditions for a normal, long stay in the spacecraft cabin, which would facilitate the maintenance of mental and physical health at the highest level. The problem of pressure inside the spacecraft's cabin must be solved taking into account the creation of maximum comfort for the cosmonauts.

In the meantime, given the short journey to the Moon, the efforts of designers and physiologists are aimed at creating the most perfect spacesuit to protect astronauts from all factors hostile to humans encountered in outer space.

Have you taken anti-radiation pills? asked Professor Janczar, turning to his eighteen-year-old son, Zbigniew. - We have already passed the inner belt of radiation, and passed quite safely, and in a few minutes we will enter the outer belt. We are in great danger there.

Yes, dad! I took all the pills exactly as prescribed three times a day: first the pink ones, then the white ones, and finally the orange ones. I think I'm already well protected. Yes, you promised to tell me in detail about the dangers of cosmic radiation. Do you have some time?

Good. Wait until I pass the watch to a comrade, then we will talk calmly.

After the second cosmonaut took a chair at the control panel, Professor Jančar, sitting down next to his son, took off his glasses and, after a short rest, began his story.

I believe that before the flight you studied the necessary materials that are in our library, so I will immediately get to the heart of the matter. We know that cosmic radiation floods our planet in a continuous stream. Streams, rivers, or rather entire oceans of cosmic rays rush to the Earth from the Sun and other stars of our Galaxy. We are constantly under fire from outer space. Although we call this bombardment radiation, it is very different from light. Cosmic rays are a stream of particles rushing at a fantastic speed, ten thousand times greater than the speed of our interplanetary spacecraft. These particles are nothing but atomic nuclei (or parts thereof) of the lightest gases, hydrogen and helium. It is from them that the bulk of the flow consists, that is, 85-90 percent; the rest are atomic nuclei of heavier elements.

What are the sizes of these particles?

If I began to give numbers, some billionths, or trillionths of a micron, it would give nothing to your imagination. I will try to show the sizes of cosmic particles more clearly. Imagine that a particle of cosmic radiation has grown to the size of a grain of sand. So, if everything on earth were to increase in the same proportion, then a real grain of sand would increase to the size of the globe. The speed with which particles of cosmic radiation rush through space gives them colossal energy; to present it, we must again turn to comparison. Scientists are building giant accelerators in which particles are accelerated to very high speeds. For several years now, a huge accelerator has been operating in Dubna near Moscow, delivering an energy of 10 billion electron volts; the second accelerator - in Switzerland - gives 29 billion, the third - in Brookhaven (USA) - 23 billion. In addition, an even more powerful accelerator is being designed in America.

However, the existing accelerators on Earth, and even those that are planned to be built in the near future, cannot be compared with the power of a natural space accelerator. In nature, cosmic particles have energies several hundred million times greater. Maybe you multiply several tens of billions by several hundred millions? Not? I thought so. It can be hoped that in the future this colossal energy will be tamed, which will, in all likelihood, give us a source of such power that will exceed the most fantastic hopes of mankind associated with the mastery of a thermonuclear reaction.

I'm sorry, dad, but you've been transported back into the future.

Yes, I'm sorry, I've always been interested in the future. Let's return to our topic. The fact is that cosmic radiation is a very serious problem of space travel. Cosmic radiation by its nature is very close to radioactive radiation, which, as you know, is very dangerous for the human body. Too much radiation dose causes a serious radiation sickness in a person, which often leads to death.

You said that cosmic rays are constantly bombarding the Earth, but humanity exists.

This is another matter. I told you that the Earth is constantly flooded with a stream of cosmic rays. Fortunately, the Earth is wrapped in a reliable protective screen in the form of a layer of the atmosphere 100 kilometers thick, and, in addition, also a magnetic screen. Particles rushing towards the Earth from outer space are by no means identical in nature. Some of them - let's call them "slow" - while still at a very large distance from the Earth, deviate from the trajectory of their flight and fall into the so-called trap of the Earth's magnetic field. Other particles with sufficiently high energy penetrate the atmosphere, where they collide with atoms of oxygen, nitrogen and other gases, turning them into ions. At the same time, these particles lose some of their energy and dissipate in the atmosphere. There are also particles with truly colossal energy, the speed of which is close to the speed of light - these do not linger, do not change their trajectory, even if atoms are broken along the way. At the same time, the atoms explode, their particles scatter in all directions with great energy, hit neighboring atoms and cause new explosions, although not so powerful. This is called a cascading process. The fragments of atoms resulting from this process fall to the Earth in the form of secondary cosmic radiation. In all likelihood, during a calm walk on Earth, you do not feel at all that thousands of these cosmic particles permeate your body every second. Over a period of many millions of years, that is, from the time when life originated on Earth, plants, animals and people have adapted to this continuous, invisible cosmic rain and endure it without any damage to themselves. This is on Earth. On other planets, where there is no atmospheric protective screen, or if there is one, then it is very rarefied, a person will be exposed to dangerous doses of radiation. There is something you would like to know about Van Allen belts? As you know, the Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field, which consists, as it were, of two layers that have the characteristic shape of an apple, that is, with a depression at the poles. The thickness of the belts is greatest over the Earth's equator, it gradually decreases and becomes the smallest over the poles. On their way to Earth, cosmic rays must pass through a magnetic field that acts like a trap to trap particles and trap them. These particles begin a long journey inside the layers of the magnetic field, moving from one pole of the Earth to another; only a small part of the radiation breaks through the first belt, but immediately falls into another trap - the second belt. These magnetic zones, which capture cosmic rays, are called the Van Allen belts, after the American scientist who discovered them with radiosondes and developed their map.

It follows from this that orbital flights around the Earth are fraught with great danger. But, as far as I remember, the Soviet cosmonauts, who were in flight for several days, did not suffer at all, and the instruments noted only minimal radiation doses.

Apparently you didn't read the posts very carefully. Indeed, the astronauts received a small dose of radiation. After they landed, control devices, the so-called dosimeters, showed such small doses of radiation that they could not have any noticeable effect on the body. So, for example, the Soviet cosmonaut Popovich, who was in outer space for 71 hours, received a radiation dose of only 50 billion, and Nikolaev, while in orbit for 94 hours, received 65 billion. But it must be remembered that Popovich and Nikolaev, like all other cosmonauts, flew at low altitudes, about 150-330 kilometers above the Earth, that is, where cosmic rays are very weak. The Van Allen belts begin at an altitude of 700 kilometers. This means that the astronauts flew in a safe zone. Where is the greatest intensity of cosmic rays? I have already said that the danger zone begins at an altitude of about 700 kilometers and extends very far. The first belt, thickened in the region of the earth's equator, at an altitude of about 3200 kilometers, has the highest radiation intensity. A little higher, the intensity decreases, and then, passing into the second Van Allen belt, it increases again. The highest intensity of cosmic radiation was noted here at an altitude of about 20,000 kilometers above the equator of the globe. Now back to our flight. We have already passed the first belt, and I was just then asking you about anti-radiation pills. The second belt is much more dangerous than the first, and we still have to go through it. When perturbations arise on the Sun and prominences appear, astronauts can be sure that they will soon fall into a stream, or, as it is sometimes called, a shower of enhanced radiation with extraordinary penetrating power. At the beginning of the era of space flights, people could not solve the problem of protection from such strong radiation for a long time.

How was this problem solved?

Initially, they tried to use special shells made of solid steel with an admixture of other metals. Spaceships were built from two steel shells with an insulating layer of some chemicals; additionally protected the astronauts with steel shields installed around the seats. But these methods proved to be imperfect. The armor plates were too heavy and provided little protection from the strong radiation flux, especially during the appearance of prominences on the Sun. High-energy particles easily penetrated the steel plates and hit the cosmonaut's body, causing, in addition, secondary radiation from all metal parts in the spacecraft's cabin, including shields. So I had to look for other methods of protection. Thousands of chemists and biochemists set to work to find medicines against the harmful effects of cosmic radiation.

Tell me more about it.

Let's first look at the effects of exposure. In biology, the unit of irradiation is the value "rad", denoting the radiation intensity of 100 ergs per 1 gram of human tissue. According to industry standards, when working with x-ray machines or isotopes of various radioactive substances, radiation harmless to humans is in the range of up to 25 rad.

An increase in the radiation dose to 100 rad causes a number of painful phenomena in a person - nausea, headache and vomiting; exposure to 800 rads causes damage to blood cells, disrupts the functioning of the stomach and spinal cord; when exposed to about 1000–1200 rads, a person dies. According to modern data, daily exposure in the amount of 1/25,000 lethal dose is safe for humans, even if they stay in the radiation zone for a long time. True, even such a minimal dose leads to damage to some cells of the body, but the defenses can easily cope with them, and the damaged cells are replaced by new ones. However, it should be remembered that the issue has not yet been sufficiently studied, and the views of scientists in this area differ. It has been established that the adaptability of individuals to radiation is different. A dose of 1000 rads, which for one cosmonaut can be fatal, for another will only cause illness. In addition, the radiation itself affects the body in different ways. A lot depends on what particles - alpha, beta, or gamma cosmic rays consist of, whether they are a stream of neutrons or protons. Some of these rays, relatively harmless, are called "soft", others - "hard".

How do such small particles affect the body?

It is difficult to explain it in every detail. But suffice it to say that ion radiation leads to chemical changes in the particles of living matter, that is, in the molecules of protein, nucleic acids and carbohydrate compounds. We have known for a long time that if the cells of the body feel a lack of oxygen, then cosmic radiation damages them to a lesser extent. With an abundance of oxygen in the cells, the consequences of irradiation can be dangerous. During one experiment, a rat received a dose of 800 rads of radiation while breathing a lean mixture (only 5 percent oxygen instead of 21 percent in normal air). The rat lived for 30 days, while other rats given the same dose but breathing normal air died immediately. It is also known that there are chemical compounds that reduce the oxygen content in body tissues. From this, it would seem, one can draw a simple conclusion: it is necessary to find a medicine that would reduce the amount of oxygen in the body and increase its resistance to radiation. But doing so was not as easy as it seems. After all, oxygen is necessary for the life of the body, and any decrease in the supply of oxygen to the body leads to very serious consequences. Scientists tested over 1800 chemical compounds, from which they selected several suitable ones. These include cyanide, serotonin, pyrogallone, tryptamine, cysteine ​​and others with very difficult names to remember. But for a long time it was not possible to solve the problem of the harmful side effects of these drugs on the body. Experiments on animals and humans have shown that these drugs worked perfectly against radiation, but they themselves had an undesirable, harmful effect. And only very recently it was possible to create a complex chemical compound that turned out to be harmless and excellently acted against a large dose of radiation. It was the tablets made on the basis of the mentioned compound that you took today and a few days before the start of our journey. Thanks to this remedy, we are perfectly protected from the harmful effects of cosmic rays.

I should also add that during the search for an effective remedy against radiation, scientists accidentally discovered an excellent remedy for cancer.

The reader, apparently, has already guessed that the conversation between father and son on board the spacecraft was invented by the author. The fact is that the author wanted to demonstrate the danger of cosmic radiation and the possibility of counteracting its consequences with the help of chemical means of protection, which are being searched all over the world. Over 2,000 different chemical compounds have already been tested, with encouraging results. But so far no safe and effective anti-irradiation pills have been found; no cure has yet been found against the scourge of mankind - cancer.

Protection from cosmic radiation has become the main problem of cosmonautics, cosmobiology and cosmomedicine. Even now we have to take care of protecting the crews of spacecraft from the action of cosmic radiation. And in the near future, one must assume, the danger from cosmic radiation during flights into deep space will be greater than now. The most dangerous should be considered solar prominences - a source of very intense radiation, so powerful that in space it can freely penetrate the walls of a spacecraft and hit the astronauts on board.

It is possible that in space there are zones or clouds of cosmic particles captured by magnetic fields. It can be feared that such clouds far from the Earth will be more dangerous than the Van Allen belts.

It is possible that such belts surround not only the Earth. We know for sure that they are not around the Moon, but as for other planets, we have no confidence in the absence of dangerous belts around them.

It is difficult even to entertain the hope that a material will be found that can protect astronauts from harmful cosmic rays penetrating inside the ship or space suit. Apparently, it is more realistic to obtain medicines capable of preventing the consequences of exposure, especially since the astronauts will not always be in the cabin of the spacecraft. After all, during a long space flight, it may always be necessary to go outside to repair the ship in outer space. In the presence of powerful radiation, the astronaut would be in great danger.

It seems to be the case on the surface of the Moon, where there is no atmosphere and no magnetic belts. Cosmic rays hit the moon unimpeded, since they do not encounter any interference here. But it's hard to imagine that after the "lunar landing" astronauts will move around the moon in clumsy armored vehicles. They will also have to perform many complex operations and work, which requires a certain freedom of movement.

The whole problem of protecting man from cosmic radiation requires many more efforts on the part of researchers, it requires the disclosure of many secrets, the solution of major problems. We know that humanity is on the verge of a trip to the moon, and that such a trip can be done with the current state of the art. But the biological problems are still very far from being satisfactorily resolved.

Astronomical studies have shown that the activity of the Sun changes periodically, and that the cycle of changes is approximately 11.2 years. As a rule, spots appearing on the solar disk are a symptom of an increase in solar activity. These spots have been observed for hundreds of years, but only recently have some regularities associated with them been revealed.

If we consider the immediate past, then the maximum solar activity was observed in 1958, when 250 sunspots were noted on the Sun. After a very turbulent period, spots on the Sun began to gradually disappear, and their minimum number was observed in June 1964.

Whether the appearance of prominences on the Sun is connected with the appearance of sunspots remains to be seen. The opinions of scientists on this matter differ. It is known, however, that not all prominences are equally dangerous for space travel. During 1955–1959, about 30 large eruptions were observed on the Sun, of which only 6 were a source of radiation dangerous for astronautics. The remaining 24, although they were the cause of the appearance of streams of cosmic particles (mainly protons), but even with the current level of protective equipment, their danger was relatively small.

After a period of increased activity on the Sun, there is a period of relative calm. An accurate study of these periods is very important for astronautics, since it makes it possible to establish such flight dates that would guarantee their maximum safety. When this book was written (1964-1965), we were in a period of "quiet Sun." Scientists intensively worked on the study of solar activity in order to use the data obtained later for space flights. In the matter of such study, international cooperation is of great importance - after all, the volume of tasks exceeds the capabilities of any one country. Fortunately, cooperation is developing successfully. Following the example of research carried out during the International Geophysical Year, when scientists from several dozen countries, simultaneously and jointly, studied the phenomena of life on our planet, many scientists are now collaborating in research under the program of the “year of the quiet Sun”.

These studies are progressing well. Soviet specialists from the Crimean Observatory established that the appearance of prominences on the Sun is accompanied by a characteristic change in sunspots. It turned out that, based on the study of these changes, it is possible to predict in advance, with a high degree of accuracy, the radioactive "weather" in space, which makes it possible to consciously choose the time of launch of spacecraft.

Probably, already in the near future it will be possible to organize the International Bureau of Cosmic Radiation (on the model of the meteorological stations currently operating), on the predictions of which the launch date of spacecraft will depend.

Notes:

By the time this book was published in Russian, an accelerator had begun to operate in the USSR, delivering an energy of 70 billion electron volts.

These belts were discovered at the same time by the Soviet scientist Vernov, so it would be more correct to call them the Van Alpen-Vernov belts. According to the latest information, these belts are not two, but three.

The news has recently spread across the country: the state corporation Rosnano is investing 710 million rubles in the production of innovative drugs against age-related diseases. We are talking about the so-called "Skulachev ions" - a fundamental development of domestic scientists. It will help to cope with the aging of cells, which causes oxygen.

"How so? – you will be surprised. “It is impossible to live without oxygen, and you claim that it accelerates aging!” In fact, there is no contradiction here. The engine of aging is reactive oxygen species, which are already formed inside our cells.

Energy source

Few people know that pure oxygen is dangerous. It is used in small doses in medicine, but if you breathe it for a long time, you can get poisoned. Laboratory mice and hamsters, for example, live in it for only a few days. The air we breathe contains about 20% oxygen.

Why do so many living beings, including humans, need a small amount of this dangerous gas? The fact is that O2 is the most powerful oxidizing agent; almost no substance can resist it. And we all need energy to live. So, we (as well as all animals, fungi and even most bacteria) can get it by oxidizing certain nutrients. Literally burning them like firewood in a fireplace insert.

This process takes place in every cell of our body, where there are special "energy stations" for it - mitochondria. This is where everything that we ate (of course, digested and decomposed to the simplest molecules) ultimately ends up. And it is inside the mitochondria that oxygen does the only thing it can do - it oxidizes.

This method of obtaining energy (it is called aerobic) is very beneficial. For example, some living beings are able to receive energy without being oxidized by oxygen. Only now, thanks to this gas, several times more energy is obtained from the same molecule than without it!

Hidden catch

Of the 140 liters of oxygen that we breathe in a day from the air, almost all goes to energy. Almost, but not all. Approximately 1% is spent on the production of ... poison. The fact is that during the beneficial activity of oxygen, hazardous substances, the so-called "reactive oxygen species", are also formed. These are free radicals and hydrogen peroxide.

Why did nature want to produce this poison at all? Some time ago, scientists found an explanation for this. Free radicals and hydrogen peroxide, with the help of a special protein-enzyme, are formed on the outer surface of cells, with their help our body destroys bacteria that have entered the bloodstream. Very reasonable, considering that the hydroxide radical rivals bleach in its toxicity.

However, not all poison is outside the cells. It is also formed in those very “energy stations”, mitochondria. They also have their own DNA, which is damaged by reactive oxygen species. Then everything is clear and so: the work of energy stations goes wrong, DNA is damaged, aging begins ...

Unsteady balance

Fortunately, nature took care to neutralize reactive oxygen species. Over billions of years of oxygen life, our cells have basically learned to keep O2 in check. Firstly, it should not be too much or too little - both provoke the formation of poison. Therefore, mitochondria are able to “expel” excess oxygen, as well as “breathe” so that it cannot form those very free radicals. Moreover, in the arsenal of our body there are substances that fight well with free radicals. For example, antioxidant enzymes that turn them into more harmless hydrogen peroxide and just oxygen. Other enzymes immediately take the hydrogen peroxide into circulation, turning it into water.

All this multi-stage protection works well, but over time it starts to falter. At first, scientists thought that over the years, the protective enzymes against reactive oxygen species weakened. It turned out, no, they are still alert and active, however, according to the laws of physics, some free radicals still bypass the multi-stage protection and begin to destroy DNA.

Can you support your natural defenses against toxic radicals? Yes, you can. After all, the longer certain animals live on average, the better their protection is honed. The more intense the metabolism of a particular species, the more effectively its representatives cope with free radicals. Accordingly, the first help to yourself from the inside is to lead an active lifestyle, not allowing the metabolism to slow down with age.

We train youth

There are several other circumstances that help our cells cope with toxic oxygen derivatives. For example, a trip to the mountains (1500 m and higher above sea level). The higher, the less oxygen in the air, and the inhabitants of the plain, once in the mountains, begin to breathe more often, it is difficult for them to move - the body tries to compensate for the lack of oxygen. After two weeks of living in the mountains, our body begins to adapt. The level of hemoglobin (a blood protein that carries oxygen from the lungs to all tissues) rises, and cells learn to use O2 more economically. Perhaps, scientists say, this is one of the reasons why there are many centenarians among the highlanders of the Himalayas, Pamirs, Tibet, and the Caucasus. And even if you only get to the mountains for a holiday once a year, you will get the same beneficial changes, even if only for a month.

So, you can learn to inhale a lot of oxygen or, on the contrary, not enough, there are a lot of breathing techniques in both directions. However, by and large, the body will still maintain the amount of oxygen entering the cell at a certain average, optimal level for itself and its load. And that same 1% will go to the production of poison.

Therefore, scientists believe that it will be more effective to go from the other side. Leave alone the amount of O2 and enhance cellular protection against its active forms. We need antioxidants, and those that can penetrate into the mitochondria and neutralize the poison there. Just such and wants to produce "Rosnano". Perhaps in a few years, such antioxidants can be taken, like the current vitamins A, E and C.

Rejuvenating drops

The list of modern antioxidants is no longer limited to the listed vitamins A, E and C. Among the latest discoveries are the SkQ antioxidant ions developed by a group of scientists led by a full member of the Academy of Sciences, honorary president of the Russian Society of Biochemists and Molecular Biologists, director of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Biology named after . A. N. Belozersky Moscow State University, laureate of the State Prize of the USSR, founder and dean of the Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics of Moscow State University Vladimir Skulachev.

Back in the 70s of the twentieth century, he brilliantly proved the theory that mitochondria are the "power plants" of cells. For this, positively charged particles (“Skulachev ions”) were invented, which can penetrate into the mitochondria. Now Academician Skulachev and his students have "hooked" an antioxidant substance to these ions, which is able to "deal" with toxic oxygen compounds.

At the first stage, these will not be “pills for old age”, but drugs for the treatment of specific diseases. First in line are eye drops to treat some age-related vision problems. Similar drugs have already given absolutely fantastic results when tested on animals. Depending on the species, new antioxidants could reduce early mortality, increase life expectancy, and prolong maximum age—enticing prospects!