Your body is a collection of cells which depend on oxygen in order to stay alive. Being able to think and move require your body to possess oxygen. Oxygen is present in the air around you, along with nitrogen and other gases. Oxygen enters your body through your mouth and gets processed by your lungs and distributed throughout your body via blood with the aid of your heart. A decrease of oxygen in your blood can lead to respiratory problems and if prolonged, can cause cell dysfunction and death of brain cells. However, you apply many natural methods to increase your oxygen intake on a daily basis to maintain optimal cellular health.
Consume foods high in antioxidants. Antioxidants help your body utilize oxygen more efficiently by dilating your blood vessels, enabling blood to release more oxygen to your different tissues.
Breathe fresh air. You can increase blood oxygen by breathing fresher air. Allow fresh air to permeate all the rooms of your office, home and car. Open the windows in your bedroom before you go to sleep.
Eat foods high in Vitamin F (essential fatty acids). This vitamin increases the oxygen holding capacity of the hemoglobin (the chemical that holds oxygen) in your red blood cells. Foods rich in Vitamin F include avocados, walnuts and soybeans.
Exercise frequently. Exercising increases your heart’s capacity to pump more blood into your lungs, enabling more oxygen to be distributed to your tissues. Perform aerobic exercises every day.
Do deep breathing exercises, such as those utilized in yoga. Improper breathing deprives your body of oxygen. Yoga breathing can increase your lung capacity which increases the oxygen in your blood. Do these exercises every day (See Resources).
Tip
Consult your physician before embarking on any natural therapy.
References
- The Book of Herbal Wisdom: Using Plants as Medicines; Matthew Wood; Sep 15, 1997
- The Complete Guide To Herbal Medicines; Juan R. Avila and Charles W. Fetrow; Aug 29, 2000
Writer Bio
Frank Dioso is a trained medical technologist working for prominent research institutions such as Quest Diagnostics and California Clinical Trials. He has, for many years, ghostwritten clinical trial reports for confidential pharmaceutical drugs and is currently contributing his clinical laboratory science knowledge to online how-to articles.