The healing power of Hydrogen PeroxideApril 19, 2002Hydrogen peroxide is usually used for cleansing scratches and cuts. However, this is not the only one possible application of this substance in medicine. The vapor of a low-concentrated peroxide solution containing oxygen radicals can be used as an inhalant for an additional treatment of many illnesses. This has been established by the research team headed by V.L. Voeikov, at Biological Faculty of Moscow State University. It is fashionable now to blame free radicals for all deadly sins, since it has been proved that their formation in the organism is connected with different illnesses and aging. On the one hand, it is true: the radicals act as "terrorists" and can harm a sensitive biochemical system through oxidizing lipids, damaging membranes, and destroying DNA and proteins. On the other hand, experiments on rats and mice have shown that animals put into the atmosphere containing no superoxide radicals die in one or two weeks. Later it was found that organism not only uses external sources of highly-reactive forms of oxygen, but also produces them with the aid of certain enzymes. Such forms of oxygen have been first found in the cells performing immune functions (neutrophiles and phagocytes). The researches studied radicals in blood. Upon the addition of the marking agent, the blood of a healthy man glows, which is indicative of continuous superoxide production and photon emission. The glow becomes several times brighter when alien protein is added to the blood. In this case, the oxygen radicals attack the alien and, thus, strengthen the immune response. The brightness of glow of non-treated blood is fluctuating. Such a fluctuating intensity is typical for the process of oxygen radicals` formation in the organism, as suppose the scientists. Free radical reactions are self-regulated: they speed up in case of a stress or an infection, but proceed at a usual rate all the time being an essential source of energy. The author believes that the production of highly-reactive forms of oxygen is the basic process of metabolism, because it supplies energy and dictates the rhythm to all other biochemical reactions. This statement explains the healing effect of the hydrogen peroxide vapor. The supersonic inhalator offered by the researchers is quite simple. If filled by water, the ultrasound causes "boiling" accompanied by the formation of free radicals of oxygen. If the inhalator reservoir is filled with a low-concentrated solution of hydrogen peroxide, the latter not only "boils", but turns into a vapor enriched in radicals. Inhaling this vapor gives an energy impulse to the organism that can help to recover from the acute respiratory distress syndrome or from influenza, to normalize the blood pressure, and to ease suffering from asthma, heart diseases, arthritis, allergy, and even diabetes. The impact of oxygen radicals is non-specific, that is why the range of medical application of peroxide is very wide. Studying the history of medicine, one would discover that positive effects of hydrogen peroxide were known very well long ago, and the peroxide solution was injected to patients using a dropper (in Russia this procedure was practiced until the middle 1930s). Inhalation is a simpler method than the use of a dropper with the peroxide solution. Within nine month, many patients have taken advantage of the new device. Moreover, Voeikov and his colleagues believe that it is necessary to revise the general opinion about antioxidants, which are considered now as a remedy for all diseases. They are undoubtedly helpful in cases of some illnesses, though in dozes modulating oxidation processes, but not suppressing them completely. Otherwise, metabolism will be just brought to a halt. Informnauka (Informscience) Agency |
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