Breathing Disorders | Why Can't I Catch My Breath? External Factors
Posted: Monday, February 04, 2008
by Mike Anderson
Flamingo Contracting Inc.
'Breathing disorders' is the number four cause of death in the United States. Why does no one want to talk about it? All of the major article directories have dozens of subcategories under Health and Wellness - but no category like breathing disorders, respiratory diseases or lung diseases.
I am interested because I have copd, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In the vernacular, I smoked cigarettes. Oh there's a light bulb going off, I guess between big Tobacco (lung cancer, and emphysema) and the air pollution from the auto industry, no one wants to point a finger at the big Tobacco and Auto industries. Who can expect Tobacco or the Big 3 auto makers to take responsibility for causing millions of deaths each year either by the operation of their manufacturing plants or by the use of their products by the general population. If I sound a bit sour here, understand copd has no cure. Let's talk about why we can and can not breathe efficiently.
Before we even start breathing, there are a number of external factors which determine how effective our breathing will be. Depending on the elevation above sea level where you are living, the quantity of oxygen in the air differs. At sea level, the quantity of oxygen in the air is the highest - which is the best. You can probably remember an air hostess speech prior to an airplane take off - she talks about oxygen masks and altitude etc.
A second factor is pollution. However, pollution usually effects our breathing efficiency in other ways than by reducing the partial pressure of the oxygen in the air we are breathing. In other words , the quantitative amounts of pollution are not significant but they can have other disastrous effects later in the breathing chain of events.
Scientists use the term partial pressures when describing the components of a gas mixture such as air. The concept really is best understood as a competition. There are a limited number of spots in air at any given temperature and pressure. Once the temperature and pressure are set, then there can only be a fixed amount of gas mixture in total. Nitrogen and oxygen dominate. However other constituents like water, carbon dioxide and trace gases are naturally present. Finally you have pollutants and particles finishing the mixture. Please note that not only is some carbon dioxide is naturally present in the air mixture but it is necessary for life. However, our industrial activities can produce too much carbon dioxide. Our urbanization behavior often reduces the ability of the earth to conduct it's normal daily exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen. When pollution and urbanization occur simultaneously, there is the potential for an unhealthy air mixture.
A third factor is the temperature of the air we breathe. Again temperature will affect the partial pressure of oxygen but it also will cause contractions in the breathing tubes thereby limiting the amount of air inhaled. Again, this effect is realized later in the breathing chain of events.
Humidity, the percentage of water vapor in air, also competes for some of those 'spots' in the air mixture I mentioned earlier. Very dry air seems to cause breathing problems by drying out sinuses and airways or at the very least putting unreasonable demands on mucous generation. Very humid air seems to be 'heavy' and does not seem to have the same oxygen delivering effect as less humid air. I know this comment is very indefinite, but everyone has heard of someone who moved to a dry, warm climate because of asthma or another breathing malady.
If you know anyone with asthma, then you know that they suffer much more dramatically when the weather is windy. Before I contracted copd, the presence of wind did not affect my breathing. I did notice it affecting others with allergies or asthma. Now that I have copd, I notice a significant decrease in my ability to breathe during windy weather. I do not know why wind has this effect. Here are some suggestions:
- dust and allergens are disturbed from the leaves and the ground during windy weather
- still air in more easily inhaled
- windy weather often decreases the realized temperature (wind chill).
Mike Anderson is proactive supporter of natural solutions to our health and wellness issues. Please visit his blog for more information on breathing issues and copd.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Mike, Nicely laid out article. Clearly articulated. Be well.
Michael Jackson did not sleep in a hyperbaric chamber... he just said he did to sound more interesting.I believe you because that comment came from the gossip media. However, Terrell Owens said he did on an interview I saw on ESPN.
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