It is valuable, in my opinion, that Dr Mel C Siff whose authority on the
list is sensible has paid and attracted attention to high altitude
adaptation. I would add that this adaptation is worth not only for
"endurance athletes" but for our patients suffering from various chronic
diseases as well. RATHER for patients because the amount of athletes seems
to be somewhat less than that of sufferers.
And the matter is not a hemoglobin level or a rate of binding between oxygen
and hemoglobin, of course. These are particulars. The matter is a launching
of fundamental physiological responses (compensatory) of the body to high
altitude exposures. Since high altitude air contains a relatively low
content of oxygen, the body which breathes such air has in fact been
undergone a hypoxic stimulation. We all know well what hypoxia is as a
biological stimulus/threat. Accordingly, the organism launches very serious
actions to combat against hypoxia and to avoid possible hypoxia-related
tissue damages. As oxygen is involved in the situation, then vital
physiological systems responsible for oxygen delivery have inevitably been
affected (respiration, blood, circulation, tissue bioenergetics). As a
result, we will have a significant stimulation of these systems and, in case
of a series of consecutive hypoxic exposures, adaptation of the body to
hypoxic influence. Therapeutic effects of such exposures appear, in my
opinion, secondarily - as a result of useful adaptations (training) of the
mentioned vital physiological systems and other ones having close
relationships with them (nervous system, immunity, endocrinological
structures).
It is also valuable that today there are different machines producing an
"artificial mountain air" (hypoxic gas mixtures with lower contents of
oxygen - up to 10% as compared to 21% at sea level). Thanks to those
devices, we have an opportunity to use beneficial effects of simulated
altitude training without any visits to native mountains. Such machines
generate artificial mountain air even without changes of atmospheric
pressure, i.e. at normal barometric pressure ("normobaric hypoxic
training"). Please see more info on such websites as www.go2altitude.com ,
www.altitudetraining.com , www.hypoxico.com , www.tvrejuvenation.com .
Is it something from the realm of physiotherapy? Not simple question.
However, the approach named "Normobaric Hypoxic Therapy" has already been
included into one of modern medical university manuals on physiotherapy
[Bogoliubov VM, Ponomarenko GN (1996). General Physiotherapy (in Russian).
Stroilespechat', Moscow - Sankt-Peterburg, pages 276-278]. Anyway, this is
not surgery and not pharmacotherapy. You may call it "alternative medicine",
no matter. I am sure that we, as physiotherapists, are closer to this method
than other health professions.
Using this occasion, I would like to address to colleagues, potential
sponsors and prospective patients worldwide for collaboration and support in
conducting appropriate research and clinical trials of simulated altitude
training over the world. In particular, I have being dealing with normobaric
hypoxic training since 1993, however do not see serious opportunities as to
development of this approach in this country in the nearest future, and
intend to take part in relevant activities anywhere. Or, alternatively,
interested people or organizations can use facilities of our local Clinical
Sanatorium to carry out some research or/and clinical trials. Please contact
me on any items of relevance.
Stanislav A. Korobov
Physician-Biophysicist (M.D., M.Sc.)
Candidate of Medical Science (Ph.D.)
Category I Physician-Physiotherapist
'Mountain Air' Room
The 'Lermontovskii' Clinical Sanatorium
Odessa, Ukraine
P.O. Box 7, Odessa, 65089, Ukraine
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