Some studies show that the earth’s atmosphere contains less oxygen today than there was a hundred years ago, but not by too much. It’s enough, however, to cause a rise in certain illnesses such as migraines, fibromyalgia, and dizziness/vertigo.
Is there any connection between the rise in these illnesses and the fact that most people in the world live in crowded, congested, polluted cities?
It’s tempting to attribute the rise in these illnesses to the overuse of fossil fuels, which saturate the air with particles and chemicals. With so much crud in the air we breathe, we tend to take in less oxygen, which in turn raises the likelihood of these illnesses, right?
Well, not quite.
Another factor to consider about city life is the rise in stress levels. Living day-to-day in a cutthroat rat-race gets to us all after a while. And when we’re under a lot of stress, we tend to take quicker and shallower breaths.
In addition to that, the way we basically sit through our days (on the breakfast table, in transit, on the workdesk, when cooling down after the day… the list goes on) isn’t doing much to help things. Our bodies were designed to be erect – the spine straight and the head held straight above the neck – and not to slouch forward over our work or backward on the sofa in front of the TV.
What does this do? Several things.
First, the muscles designed to hold our head up (those in the neck and shoulders) tend to get used to the reduced weight of the head, and degenerate more quickly than normal. In contrast, other muscles (those in the jaw and tongue) have to tense up to compensate to the shift in balance. These muscles are essential to the breathing process, and thus are forced to split their time between making sure we get all the oxygen we need and doing the work of the neck and shoulder muscles.
In the end, bad lifestyle habits cause oxygen deprivation more than air pollution.
Oxygen deprivation is a major health issue. That’s the reason why most of my health programs, including those for migraine, fibromyalgia, and dizziness/vertigo, - even my weight loss program - focus on countering oxygen deprivation through breathing practices and exercises that restore the body’s posture to the way nature designed it.
If you’re suffering from any of these illnesses and are wondering why none of the prescribed medications and therapies are working, well… now you know why.
My health programs are listed on the upper-right hand corner of this website. Whatever it is you’re suffering from, I’m sure I have the help.
Warm Regards,
Christian Goodman