YOUR NUMBER ONE RELAXER- CARBON DIOXIDE Date: 02/08/2008 Carbon dioxide is one the main ways the body relaxes. When blood levels are low as in 20-

Date: 02/08/2008

How might we increase our C02 level and how would we know how much we are retaining.

Carbon dioxide is one the main ways the body relaxes. When blood levels are low as in 20-30 mmHg, you can expect panic or anxiety; 40mmHg is the textbook normal and where you should be and 50-60mmHg might be the Tibetan Lama chanting his sanscrit at the low communal table in the monastery.

Carbon Dioxide is nature`s tranquilizer. What effect does it have on the body? When there is enough in the body, muscles relax. Our skeletal and cardiac blood vessels are muscles and when these relax we will increase our volume of blood flow and thus receive more oxygen to certain body areas. The heart`s blood vessels will relax, giving the heart more blood and oxygen. When C02 levels are low the opposite happens with angina or even a heart attack.

The peripheral blood vessels in the hands and feet will relax and hands will become warm. In my former Biofeedback practice I witnessed hand temperatures between 58 degrees and 97 degrees. The 58 degrees occurred in a diabetic and the 97 in a very, very relaxed person. Biofeedback practitioners consider anything above 94 to indicate a fully relaxed person or one in a parasympathetic relaxed state.

A good healthy level of carbon dioxide in the blood will cause brain blood flow to increase with more oxygen leading to sharper thinking, better memory and creativity. Less oxygen to the brain with over-breathing can mean poor thinking, memory loss, fatigue, problems with eyesight and hearing, depression, headaches, and even a stoke. Those with attention deficit disorder have been shown to cut off blood flow to their pre-frontal cortex when demands are placed on their brains. Mountain climbers who go to altitude when oxygen is already at a deficit, further constrict their brain blood flow by hyperventilating. They are known to make poor decisions, and experience cerebral and pulmonary edema.

Tibetan Lamas who practice Tomo Yoga are known for their ability to enter a cool mountain stream, get their clothes wet and then sit and breathe for several hours drying off their clothes by virtue of their body heat. This happens as they increase blood levels of C02 and dilate their peripheral arteries.

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