CO2 Heals Lung Damage and Lung Injury

Lung Alveoli Hyperventilation (routinely found during medical investigations in lung patients) can cause additional lung damage or injury to lung tissue and worsen any chronic condition, including lung cancers (lung tumor), chronic obstructive lung disease, lung fibrosis, lung nodules, lung carcinoma, blood clots in the lung, fibrosis of the lung, fluid in the lung, cystic fibrosis, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and many others. However, these pathological changes can be prevented or treated with a supplementary therapy that involves breathing training. Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the lungs can heal lungs and prevent complications due to these conditions. As a result, many patients can avoid lung transplantation so that there is less need for lung transplants.

Minute ventilation rates (chronic diseases)

Condition	Minute ventilation	Number of people	All references or click below for abstracts
Normal breathing	6 l/min	-	Medical textbooks
Healthy Subjects	6-7 l/min	>400	Results of 14 studies
COPD	14 (±2) l/min	12	Palange et al, 2001
COPD	12 (±2) l/min	10	Sinderby et al, 2001
COPD	14 l/min	3	Stulbarg et al, 2001
Asthma	13 (±2) l/min	16	Chalupa et al, 2004
Asthma	15 l/min	8	Johnson et al, 1995
Asthma	14 (±6) l/min	39	Bowler et al, 1998
Asthma	13 (±4) l/min	17	Kassabian et al, 1982
Asthma	12 l/min	101	McFadden & Lyons, 1968
Cystic fibrosis	15 L/min	15	Fauroux et al, 2006
Cystic fibrosis	10 L/min	11	Browning et al, 1990
Cystic fibrosis*	10 L/min	10	Ward et al, 1999
CF and diabetes*	10 L/min	7	Ward et al, 1999
Cystic fibrosis	16 L/min	7	Dodd et al, 2006
Cystic fibrosis	18 L/min	9	McKone et al, 2005
Cystic fibrosis*	13 (±2) l/min	10	Bell et al, 1996
Cystic fibrosis	11-14 l/min	6	Tepper et al, 1983

As discovered by medical researchers from the Lung Biology Program (University of Toronto, Canada), "... elevation in microvascular permeability was greater in the hypocapnia versus control groups. Injury following ischemia-reperfusion was significantly worse in the hypocapnia versus control groups". Lung damage was proportional to the degree of hypocapnia (Laffey et al, 2000; Laffey et al, 2003).

Australian scientists from the Department of Thoracic Medicine, Royal Adelaide Hospital revealed, according to the title of their article that, "Airway hypocapnia increases microvascular leakage in the guinea pig trachea" (Reynolds et al, 1992) worsening airways injury.

American doctors from the University of Washington Medical School in Seattle found that "Hypocapnia worsens arterial blood oxygenation and increases VA/Q heterogeneity in canine pulmonary edema" (Domino et al, 1993), where VA/Q is the ventilation-perfusion ratio. This was the title of their publication.

On the other hand, the above-mentione Canadian researchers stated, "Deliberate elevation of PaCO2 (therapeutic hypercapnia) protects against lung injury induced by lung reperfusion and severe lung stretch" (Laffey et al, 2003). Note that, according to many studies, breathing CO2-rich air does not improve blood oxygenation and ventilation-perfusion ratio because CO2 is a powerful respiratory stimulant causing increased minute ventilation, which can worsen existing inflammation and lung injury. Hence, the alternative solution is to build up alveolar CO2. This can be achieved by slowing down breathing consciously (e.g., with the Buteyko breathing technique) or by using those breathing devices following the precautions and rules developed by Russian doctors for lung patients and patients with respiratory insufficiency symptoms. In fact, comparative studies suggest that breathing devices (e.g., the Frolov breathing device) produce superior results on lung function tests (see pages devoted to the Frolov device).

Lung damage, due to alveolar hyperventilation, has a biochemical basis. As we discussed before, alveolar hypocapnia leads to systemic cell hypoxia, generation of free radicals, and immune system dysfunction. Hence, hypocapnia (reduced CO2 in the alveoli of the lungs) can cause cellular lung damage due to biochemical reasons independent from the minute ventilation. On the other hand, hypercapnia (increased CO2 content) or "permissive hypercapnia", as many respirologists call it, improves the state of the immune system preventing lung damage and promoting lung tissue healing. (Similar CO2-healing effects were discovered for tissues of the skin and colon, and tooth abscesses.)

Treatment of lung damage with normal CO2

Apart from the known and popular Buteyko breathing method, there are other methods for treatment of lung damage. Available, but still limited clinical experience suggests that the application of positive pressure during the Amazing DIY breathing device or the Frolov breathing device therapies should be particularly beneficial for lung patients, especially for the following conditions: collapsed lung, fluid in the lungs, respiratory insufficiency and mass on the lungs. This is a natural way to heal, treat, and prevent damage to the lungs.

All mentioned references with abstracts can be found here: References for Lung Damage.

Reference pages: Breathing norms and medical facts:
- Breathing norms: Parameters, graph, and description of the normal breathing pattern
- 6 breathing myths: Myths and superstitions about breathing and body oxygenation (prevalence: over 90%)
- Hyperventilation: Definitions of hyperventilation: their advantages and weak points
- Hyperventilation syndrome: Western scientific evidence about prevalence of chronic hyperventilation in patients with chronic conditions (37 medical studies)
- Normal minute ventilation: Small and slow breathing at rest is enjoyed by healthy subjects (14 studies)
- Hyperventilation prevalence: Present in over 90% of normal people (24 medical studies)
- HV and hypoxia: How and why deep breathing reduces oxygenation of cells and tissues of all vital organs
- Body-oxygen test (CP test) : How to measure your own breathing and body oxygenation (two in one) using a simple DIY test
- Body oxygen in healthy: Results for the body-oxygen test for healthy people (27 medical studies)
- Body oxygen in sick : Results for the body-oxygen test for sick people (14 medical studies)
- Buteyko Table of Health Zones: Clinical description and ranges for breathing zones: from the critically ill (severely sick) up to super healthy people with maximum possible body oxygenation
- Morning hyperventilation: Why people feel worse and critically ill people are most likely to die during early morning hours

References: pages about CO2 effect:
- Vasodilation: CO2 expands arteries and arterioles facilitating perfusion (or blood supply) to all vital organs
- The Bohr effect: How and why oxygen is released by red blood cells in tissues
- Cell oxygen levels: How alveolar CO2 influences oxygen transport
- Oxygen transport: O2 transport is controlled by vasoconstriction-vasodilation and the Bohr effects, both of which rely on CO2
- Free radical generation: Reactive oxygen species are produced within cells due to anaerobic cell respiration caused by cell hypoxia
- Inflammatory response: Chronic inflammation in fueled by the hypoxia-inducible factor 1, while normal breathing reduces and eliminates inflammation
- Nerve stabilization: People remain calm due to calmative or sedative effects of carbon dioxide in neurons or nerve cells
- Muscle relaxation: Relaxation of muscle cells is normal at high CO2, while hypocapnia causes muscular tension, poor posture and, sometimes, aggression and violence
- Bronchodilation: Dilation of airways (bronchi and bronchioles) is caused by carbon dioxide, and their constriction by hypocapnia (low CO2)
- Blood pH: Regulation of blood pH due to breathing and regulation of other bodily fluids
- CO2: lung damage: Elevated carbon dioxide prevents lung injury and promotes healing of lung tissues
- CO2: Topical carbon dioxide can heal skin and tissues
- Synthesis of glutamine in the brain, CO2 fixation, and other chemical reactions
- Deep breathing myth: Ignorant and naive people promote the idea that deep breathing and breathing more air at rest is beneficial for health
- Breathing control: How is our breathing regulated? Why hypocapnia makes breathing uneven, irregular and erratic.

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