First
off, if you are looking to understand why EWOT is great for Lyme and
coinfections like bartonella, please read my prior blog here.
EWOT systems can come in a variety
of configurations, and practically all will provide some benefit, after all
oxygen is a great detoxifier. While most
other EWOT manufacturers are focused on the athlete market, we designed our
system with a focus on the chronic illness market.
Below, I will walk you through our
design considerations, and in doing so, will help you understand a bit more of
what you need from an EWOT system, regardless of manufacturer. If you are interested in learning more about
our EWOT systems, you can find them here.
Let’s talk about an oxygen source
The first thing you will need is a
source of high-concentration of oxygen. I would recommend breathing 90%
of pure oxygen if possible. There are really two choices: an oxygen tank
or an oxygen generator. An medical graded oxygen tank will require a
prescription and the largest of tanks holds enough oxygen for 3 to 9 sessions,
depending on your conditioning and size, and the empty tank costs around $300 -
$400 when we checked here
and here. This high cost makes oxygen tanks impractical
for most people.
Oxygen generators, on the other
hand produce a nearly limitless amount of oxygen by concentrating it out of the
air. They can be purchased in a variety
of configurations and sizes, but the largest capacity units will generate
either 5 LPM or 10 LPM. Because 5 LPM
are designed for home healthcare, they are sold at a much higher volume and
they can be purchased for as low as $600 to $700 brand new. You can also save $100 or more if you are
willing to purchase a refurbished unit.
These are often a great buy because many units have low hours on them
and over 90% of their useful life left. Because
10 LPM units are generally reserved for clinical settings, the volume is lower
and the price is much higher – usually $1,200 to $2,000 or more.
Because the oxygen generator is a
one-time investment, it can make an EWOT system much more affordable. The major drawback to oxygen generators is
that they have a limited output. For
instance, using a 5 LPM generator, von Ardenne showed it would take 36 hours of
exercise over 18 days to get the reduce endothelial cell swelling. (As a reminder, von Ardenne
is the inventor of the EWOT system who spent years researching and perfecting
the technology.) With a 10 LPM generator,
the timeline is reduced to 9 hours over three days. Since most of us do not have three hours to
dedicate to exercise each day (nor would we want to), these generators do not
produce enough oxygen to get us where we desire to go.
Why a reservoir?
The solution to the relatively low
flow of oxygen generators is to create a reservoir to capture a large quantity
of oxygen produced by the generator over several hours and use it for an EWOT
session. When we do this, we can
increase our oxygen consumption above the 25-30 LPM threshold von Ardenne
showed was necessary to produce results in 15 minutes. Dr. Artour, a breathing
expert, explains that a typical adult will breath 50-100 LPM during exercise. Because those of us with chronic illnesses
are often not in optimal conditioning when we start EWOT, but we also have the
ability to improve with this regiment, I recommend a reservoir that can hold at
least enough for a 15-minute session at 50-65 LPM. That equates to a 750L – 1,000 L reservoir. For those who are more fit, or who are taller
(and thus have larger lung capacities and oxygen needs), I would recommend focusing
on the larger end of the spectrum. Many
will not need this total volume for many months, but you also want this system
to continue to serve you as you improve.
In addition, if you leave the generator running while you exercise, as
most people do, that will provide you an additional 75 liters of capacity with
a 5 LPM generator or double that for a 10 LPM generator. However, with the right sized reservoir,
there is limited benefit to the more expensive 10 LPM generators, other than
reservoir filling speed.
How long with the reservoir take to
fill?
If you have a 750L reservoir and a
5 LPM generator, you are looking at 2.5 hours to fill the reservoir
completely. For a 1,000 reservoir and 5
LPM concentrator, you are looking at 3 hours and 20 minutes. We find that most people prefer to do their
EWOT either first thing in the morning or in the evening. If you are working or have many calls on your
time (don’t we all?!), these fill times can become problematic. For this reason, I recommend using a system
with a programmable timer that can turn on the oxygen generator several hours before
you want to use the system so that it is ready and waiting for you when you
need it. This will improve your
consistency tremendously, and consistency is important to continue to
accumulate benefits.
In addition, we have chosen a digital
timer that allows multiple filling sessions per day (so you can share or do
multiple session, if you need it), allows you to program different schedules
for different days of the week, and has a batter backup. Many people with Lyme disease or other
chronic illnesses find that EMF affects them more acutely, and chose to turn
off the circuit breaker at night. This
battery backup will allow you to turn off your circuit breakers for the night
without losing your program.
Choosing a mask
The mask is a very important part
of the system. Von Ardenne found that
masks that allowed mixing of air with the oxygen greatly diluted the impact of
EWOT. For this reason, nasal cannulas or
loose-fitting masks are not a good choice.
Users should look for a mask that
fits their face, is comfortable, and provide the oxygen in quantities that are
needed. Historically, most EWOT system
manufacturers supplied a standard EWOT mask that looked similar to this:
Standard
EWOT mask – limits many people
This is a very economical choice; however,
it can be a poor choice for many people. This mask is designed for stationary
applications while a person is sleeping or sedentary. As such, the mask valves can throttle the
oxygen flow to users, especially as they increase their conditioning and require
flows much higher than the mask is designed to provide. People will often even notice the resistance
to exhale with this mask (the exhale valve is the bottom, larger port on the mask). Because the inhale port (upper port) is even
smaller, often conditioned users will need to throttle their exercise to meet
the oxygen supply. This is a situation
we do not want, as heavier conditioning will increase vasodilation (enlarge the
blood vessels) and increase the effectiveness of the EWOT session. However, for those who will only be able to
do moderate exercise such as fast walking or a very slow jog, for instance,
this mask may be an economical choice.
Newer masks have come on the market
that are designed to be worn in an exercise environment. These masks often have a separate valve that
attaches to these masks and allows the user a much greater flow of oxygen and
greater ease of exhaling. Our goal
should be minimal breathing effort while exercising to reap the maximum benefits. Our 2000 series offers one of these new masks
at the lowest point of anyone in the EWOT market.
Greatly improved
new-style mask
Other considerations
One of the first considerations
should be the materials that the EWOT system uses. If you are chronically ill, the last thing
you want to do is be breathing toxins in a closed system while you elevate your
heart rate. That will not be conducive
to healing. I recommend you do your
research and ensure the reservoir, hoses, and mask are all medical grade
materials. In addition, many EWOT
manufacturers use a cork stopper to plug the oxygen supply hose (hose that goes
to the mask) while the reservoir is filling.
Cork can often have nasty chemicals that you do not want to breath. For someone dealing with a toxic body from
chronic illness, it is one more chemical for our over-burdened bodies to deal
with. We offer silicone stoppers to eliminate
the risk of breathing these chemicals.
Some other manufacturers offer compression
bands on their reservoir (think large rubber bands). The purpose of these is to increase oxygen
flow. These manufacturers built these
compression bands to overcome the limitations of the valves on the standard EWOT
mask (top mask picture above). With new-style
masks, this feature is no longer needed.
Some manufacturers also offer an oxygen
deprivation setting. This allows you to
flip a switch to breath low oxygen concentration. The premise of this is that the oxygen deprivation
will force your body to dilate your blood vessels and allow more oxygen in when
you flip back to high oxygen. This same
technique is used for elite athletes when they train at altitude. This
can be a valuable feature for those seeking peak athletic performance. However, it needs to be paired with a large
valve that allows these athletes to exercise near their limits. For those of us with chronic illness, the $1,000
- $1,500 additional cost makes this feature an expensive option. Others have simulated the oxygen deprivation
by simply holding their breath for 5-7 seconds every minute or two while exercising. For me, both methods have given me a headache
that lasted all day. So, I am partial to
avoiding this.
Lastly, the benefits do accumulate over
time, so keep with it and try to be consistent.
I recommend a minimum of 3 times per week, and a target of 5 times per
week. There are some folks who will do 7
times per week, or even twice a day for some period of time. But, if you can do it 3-5 times per week, you
should start to see good benefits. Also,
start slowly, EWOT has the ability to create detox reactions, and in cases
where anaerobic pathogens (such as Lyme) are reintroduced to high levels of
oxygen, it can also cause a herxheimer (die-off) reaction. If you find yourself feeling ill after your
first few sessions, back down on your intensity and keep at it. If you are really overwhelmed, it may be
smart to take a break before proceeding.
Whatever you do, listen to your body, and if you don’t feel well, call
you doctor. Over a series of sessions, you
will find the detoxing and herxheimer reactions will fade, and your health should
begin to improve.
Our Systems
If you are interested in learning more
about our systems, you can find them here.
