For decades, doctors and epidemiologists have recognized
the undeniable fact that permanent residents of
high altitudes have decreased occurrences of many
very common chronic diseases. Most of the longest
living civilizations in the world live at elevations
of greater than 10,000ft/3050m. This relationship
between altitude and health is not a coincidence,
and researchers have begun to uncover the science
behind the mystery.
The primary cause of aging and virtually all chronic
and degenerative diseases associated with age is
oxidative stress from Free Radicals or Reactive
Oxygen Species (ROS). ROS are highly reactive byproducts
formed in the body as a result of everyday processes
such as aerobic and glucose metabolism as well as
various forms of stress. They attack cellular and
mitochondrial DNA to create mutations, which often
destroy very important cellular functions, resulting
in disease and aging.
Mitochondria are the body’s primary defense
against oxidative stress as they produce most of
our anti-oxidative enzymes to break down ROS. However,
ROS can render mitochondria unable to produce these
enzymes, thus weakening the body’s tolerance
to oxidative stress further. It is a vicious cycle.
Hypoxic training through a proper IHT program can
disrupt this cycle. Through exposure to hypoxia,
one can create a selective pressure on the mitochondria,
destroying old, damaged mitochondria and promoting
the proliferation of new, healthy, “wild type” mitochondria. This leads to reduced production of
ROS and increased production of anti-oxidative enzymes,
thus minimizing oxidative stress.
Wild type mitochondria mediate improved
production of cellular energy and Human Growth Hormone
(hGH). They also promote biochemical transformation
of cholesterol into DHEA, the precursor to all steroid
hormones which becomes increasingly scarce with
age.
The combination of all these positive physiological
reactions allows IHT to provide both mind and body
with a feeling of intense rejuvenation. Each session
will revitalize you, leaving you feeling energetic
and contented for the rest of the day.
Individuals can expect the following benefits from
an IHT Wellness program:
•
decreased overall stress and fatigue •
improved sexual performance and libido •
reduced blood pressure and hypertension •
enhanced metabolism and increased weight-loss •
superior physical fitness •
boosted allergy resistance •
lower cholesterol levels •
strengthened immune system function
Research
This
bar graph displays the healing effects that IHT
can have toward a variety of different symptoms.
Sanatorium “orbita”,
Kursk Nuclear Power Station (4180 cases) Agadzhanian
et al., 1997
This is an extremely valuable review on the importance
of mitochondria in response to hypoxia. It cites
studies that show a 60% increase in mitochondrial
density as a result of hypoxic training. Moreover,
it places mitochondria at the center of the hypoxia
response as the oxygen sensitive element, which
signals for the stimulation of a variety of metabolic
pathways and expression of hypoxia inducible genes
(glucose transporters, glycolytic enzymes, angiogenic
factors and EPO).
This paper suggests an elevated “whole-body
response” to low oxygen partial pressures
at altitude as a conclusion of noticeable phenotypic
plasticity among all bodily organ systems.
This
study suggests that exposure to hypoxia may reduce
mortality from coronary heart disease in men.
In viewing mortality rates in towns from five
different counties in Mexico, split into groups
by 305m increments, they found a significant trend
showing decreased mortality with increased residence
altitude.
In the year 2003 the Center
for Disease Control published that an estimated
18.2 million Americans have diabetes and approximately
20 million more have pre-diabetes Type II Diabetes
Mellitus is one of the most common diseases among
Americans over the age of 60 even though it is preventable
in a large majority of cases. While it is currently
an incurable disease, it is fortunately one of the
most easily managed and controlled diseases that
we know.
Doctors and scientists have know for quite some
time that with proper diet and exercise, a person
can easily control their blood glucose levels and
reduce their risk for complications. Hypoxico is
glad to announce the use of hypoxic therapy as a
complimentary and extremely effective method for
managing and controlling diabetes.
Through the combination of a customized IHT program,
proper diet and nutritional maintenance as well
as light exercise, Type II diabetes and in some
case Type I Diabetes may be almost completely eliminated.
While the need to monitor the disease will remain,
the possibility of life threatening complications
as a result of the disease may be almost completely
eradicated.
Hypoxic therapy works to combat Diabetes in a similar
fashion to exercise. Many of the benefits of exercise
come from the creation of a hypoxic state within
the body. While normoxic exercise may only bring
the body’s blood oxygen saturation (Sa02)
to around 95%, hypoxic therapy can more efficiently
reduce this value to 80-85% and lower. This distinction
provides hypoxic therapy with a unique advantage
over exercise in the promotion of:
The mechanism for these effects is as follows. An
acute state of hypoxia within the cells leads to
insufficient oxygen for energy production. In turn,
the cell increases production of non-insulin dependent
glucose transporters, allowing more glucose to be
taken into cells and transformed into energy. This
reaction is vital for diabetics who either don’t
produce enough insulin or can’t use it to
promote glucose uptake into cells.
Both exercise and hypoxic therapy can cause this
switch to anaerobic metabolism, stimulating fat
burning and weight-loss. However, there is another
mechanism related to the mitochondria and unique
to hypoxic therapy that also promotes weight-loss
(see weight-loss section for details). The virtually
non-existent effort requirement of hypoxic therapy
in promoting glucose uptake and weight-loss makes
it a superior treatment for diabetes, a disease
which is strongly associated with obesity and lack
of physical activity.
Sufferers of Type II Diabetes Mellitus can expect
the following benefits from the use of hypoxic therapy:
•
controlled blood glucose levels •
increased fat burning •
decreased blood pressure •
stress relief •
reduced probability of disease-related health
complications (eg. Renal failure, retinopathy
etc.)
Research
This study suggests that hypoxia is capable of
stimulating the glucose transport effecter system
not only in lean and obese human skeletal muscle,
but also in diabetic human skeletal muscle.
This study from the medical journal Diabetes supports
that hypoxia enhances glucose transport activity
through an up regulation of the glucose transporter
known as GLUT1. The graph from the article displays
the “dose” dependent increased expression
of the glucose transporter as a result of exposure
to hypoxia.
Bronchial Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease
for which the cause is largely unknown. Scientists
believe that the tendency for development of asthma
is hereditary and that asthmatic episodes are strongly
linked to the immune system’s response to
certain allergens. As there is not a consensus on
the cause of Asthma, there is no cure. There are,
however, treatments and ways to control symptoms
of this chronic disease.
Scientists understand that chronic bronchial inflammation
in asthma patients is a result of hyperventilation
and lower than normal blood CO2 levels. Therefore,
the key to a successful treatment is reduction of
hyperventilation and improved oxygen utilization.
The idea of using hypoxic therapy for treatment
of Bronchial Asthma has been studied in Russia for
years, and has recently made its way to the western
hemisphere. Studies have shown that a proper IHT
program can successfully minimize the symptoms of
asthma and the occurrence of severe asthmatic episodes.
Through its enhancement of mitochondrial (and thus
cellular) tolerance to oxidative stress via increased
anti-oxidative enzymes, hypoxic therapy can alleviate
asthmatic stress, which is largely a result of compromised
anti-oxidative defense. In addition, through improvement
of cardiovascular/respiratory fitness, hypoxic therapy
serves to reduce hyperventilation and hypocapnia
(low CO2 levels in blood). In turn, the desired
balance of CO2 and O2 in the blood is maintained,
and the severity of asthmatic episodes and chronic
bronchial inflammation is reduced.
This complementary treatment for asthma provides
significant benefits over conventional symptomatic
treatments. Patients can avoid negative side effects
of Corticosteroids (inhalers) such as increased
blood pressure, osteoporosis and weight-gain. Also,
by preventing asthmatic episodes before they occur,
patients can minimize chronic lung damage. Through
a proper IHT program, bronchial asthma patients
can expect the following benefits:
This Russian study shows that treatment with intermitten normobaric hypoxia (IHT) results in normalization of previously high free radical activity and positively influenced immunological status in bronchial asthma patients.
This New Zealand study found
an increase in FVC in both normal and asthmatic
athletes after the administration of an IHT program.
In addition, the asthmatic athletes noted a reduction
of symptoms and medication use after the hypoxic
therapy.
Losing weight and staying thin are primary concerns
of our society today. Aside from being a major concern
for individuals and their physical appearance, obesity
is a major alarm for doctors in relation to a variety
of health issues with which it tends to coincide
(eg. hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes).
With the emphasis on proper exercise and diet, there
are hundreds of programs and new concepts emerging
everyday aimed at making weight-loss easier and
more efficient.
Hypoxic training ranks among these concepts as possibly
the most effective and universally beneficial method
of promoting weight-loss. Scientists and mountain
climbers alike have known for years that acute and
prolonged exposure to high-altitude leads to weight-loss.
Sherpas and other permanent residents of high-altitude
are inherently thinner and contain less overall
body mass than sea-level residents. The fact is
that through a proper hypoxic exercise regimen,
IHT program, or a combination of the two, individuals
can lose weight quickly and efficiently while maintaining
safety and overall health.
The scientific mechanisms behind weight-loss through
hypoxic training are two-fold. The basis behind
these effects is the creation of a hypoxic state
within the body, measured by arterial oxygen saturation
(Sa02). As described in the general section, hypoxic
exercise or IHT can bring the Sa02 down to 80-85%,
rather than only about 95% with conventional normoxic
exercise. As a result of this lack of oxygen, which
is more severe in hypoxic exercise, the skeletal
muscle is forced to turn to anaerobic metabolism
for energy production.
Thus, the body will burn calories in the form of
fat stores in order to produce energy during exercise.
Also, this method results in increased damage of
myofibrils, experienced as soreness after a workout.
The body will then burn even more calories after
the workout in an attempt to rebuild and fortify
these muscles, thus protecting them for future workouts.
This
is how weight-lifters build muscle and the specific
reason for why they can consume so much food. Moreover,
a hypoxic workout can promote the burning of 3 times
as many calories as a normoxic workout, as calories
continue to be burned for up to 15 hours after the
workout. The graph below provides and nice visual
explanation.
The second mechanism for weight-loss
ties in with the science in the wellness section.
Such extreme reduction of Sa02 (80-85%) promotes
a rejuvenation of the cell’s mitochondria.
The destruction of old dysfunctional mitochondria
is coupled with stimulated production of new healthy
ones. These healthy mitochondria contain genes for
fat metabolism that the old mitochondria have lost
via oxidative damage of mitochondrial DNA. In turn,
the proliferation of new mitochondria provides a
vehicle for increased fat metabolism in energy production
and thus, increased weight-loss.
The beauty of hypoxic training for weight-loss is
its convenience. Hypoxic workouts are more effective
than regular workouts even when performed at moderate
intensity for half the duration. In addition, IHT
programs can promote weight-loss for an individual
in a sedentary and completely relaxed state.
Individuals who take advantage of hypoxic training
for weight-loss purposes can expect the following
benefits:
•
increased weight-loss through burning of
fat and lipid stores •
superior physical fitness •
strengthened immune system •
reduced blood pressure and hypertension •
decreased overall stress and fatigue
Research
This study joins many which have shown
reductions in bodyweight in individuals from sea-level
exposed to high-altitude for prolonged periods
of time. It notes an average 10.2% body weight
reduction in construction workers that reside
at sea-level after working a job for one month
at an altitude of 4600m. The researchers suggest
that exercise centers at high altitude may be
beneficial for people who suffer from obesity.
This review evaluates the ability of high altitude
to influence certain satiety (lack of appetite)
signals within the body in its promotion of weight-loss.
It also notes that these weight-loss promoting
effects are independent of Acute Mountain Sickness.
Exposure to hypoxia results in
a shift of muscle metabolism toward reliance on
carbohydrate and lipid stores for fuel according
to this review on skeletal muscle and hypoxia.
Mitochondria are the body’s primary defense
against oxidative stress as they produce most of
our anti-oxidative enzymes to break down ROS. However,
ROS can render mitochondria unable to produce these
enzymes, thus weakening the body’s tolerance
to oxidative stress further. It is a vicious cycle. 
Scientists understand that chronic bronchial inflammation
in asthma patients is a result of hyperventilation
and lower than normal blood CO2 levels. Therefore,
the key to a successful treatment is reduction of
hyperventilation and improved oxygen utilization.
Hypoxic training ranks among these concepts as possibly
the most effective and universally beneficial method
of promoting weight-loss. Scientists and mountain
climbers alike have known for years that acute and
prolonged exposure to high-altitude leads to weight-loss.
Sherpas and other permanent residents of high-altitude
are inherently thinner and contain less overall
body mass than sea-level residents. The fact is
that through a proper hypoxic exercise regimen,
IHT program, or a combination of