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Respiration
What ist climate?
Our atmosphere is not only a prerequisite for our existence; any changes in its composition will have a direct effect on our health and well-being.
Some of its parameters include:
- Air temperature
- Humidity
- Composition (nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, as well as other traces of gas.)
- Pollution (especially in airborne particles)
- Ionization of the air
Temperature
Hair loss makes man far more sensitive to temperature fluctuations than other mammals. Although man does posses a kind of biological temperature gauge to ward off hyperthermia or hypothermia (i.e. shivering or sweating) and of course can cloth himself accordingly, the "feel-well" range of the body temperature is quite narrow.
The body is most comfortable in an environment with "just the right" temperature (approx. 22° C – 24° C), when it does not need to make any or little effort – meaning it uses up little energy to sustain the normal body temperature (36.9° C – 37.5° C).
Although airflow (i.e. wind) and humidity can also influence one's subjective feeling to temperature, it is important to note that the actual temperature may be different. For example, lying on the beach on a sunny day with temperatures of 30° C, might feel cooler if a wind was blowing.
Indoor temperature
Airflow in an enclosed environment is relatively irrelevant to one's subjective feeling. On the other hand, temperatures of the surrounding surfaces are. For instance, even when in a room with a regulated temperature of around 22° C, one would feel uncomfortable if the walls were cold and damp. The mind would perceive the cold walls to radiate a draft, even if none exists.
This particular phenomenon is particularly noticeable in rooms with improperly sealed windows. This results quite often in colds and shivers. This negative effect occurs when the temperature of the surface (i.e. walls, windows) differs by more than 10° C to the actual room temperature.
On the other hand, the body's temperature regulator also gets a bit irritated, when a heat source such as a fireplace radiates more warmth than the room's actual temperature.
Humidity
The atmosphere contains a certain amount of condensation, the retention of which depends on the temperature; the warmer the air, the greater the capability to store gaseous water. Upon a decrease in temperature, the condensation will form to fog and descend to earth, building dew on the surface.
Saturation is reached at a point where the air has reached maximum "relative" humidity (100%). However, because this value increases with climbing temperatures and decreases with falling temperatures, we also refer to "absolute" humidity, which is the actual water content in the air, regardless of the degree of saturation.
For the human body, it is the relative value that plays a key role as one's bodily functions depend on this value.
The dangers of very dry air
The indoor humidity should be between 30 and 65% of the relative humidity. In winters especially, it is not uncommon that through the dry cold air entering a room (i.e. opening the windows to air out), it will overwhelm the warm room temperature and thus provide a dry climate.
This is turn may cause one's mucous membranes, such as in the throat or sinuses to dry up. Furthermore, the lung's self-filtering (i.e. cleaning) capabilities become restricted.
The risks of too humid air
On the other hand, insufficient recycling of confined air may result in a polluted environment, which in turn can cause the build up of fungus and mildew, etc. on cold surfaces.
Airborne particles
Apart from its gaseous elements, the air also contains solid particles such as dust, which depending on size and weight will temporarily float in the atmosphere.
These particles play a factoring role in precipitation, in that the condensation sticks to them (refer to HUMIDITY). Without these particles (i.e. ions), neither fog, nor clouds, nor precipitation would exist.
The human respiratory organs are adapted to a certain amount of airborne particles. For example, tiny filter hairs in the bronchial tubes and lungs catch intruding particles and filter them back out, sometimes violently through coughing.
However, prolonged and excessive exposure to such alien elements may prove to be too taxing for the body and thus may result in a chronic cough, or even in illness to the respiratory tracts.
Biological airborne particles
Poorly ventilated rooms (ex. sealed walls, water proof or airtight paint, etc.) are in danger of elevated moisture, which can be caused by breathing, food preparations, washing and bathing, just to name a few possibilities. These are ideal conditions for moulds, which love to flourish in a warm, humid and poorly ventilated environment.
Of the roughly 10,000 known various types of moulds, approximately 1,000 can be found in domestic surroundings. These moulds generate spores, which are released into the atmosphere.
In turn, these spores will invade humans through the skin or respiratory system and some of which may cause allergies and respiratory illnesses. In extreme cases, some spores will even cause cell poisoning, which can lead to severe damage of one's health.
Moulds
Moulds are widespread almost everywhere in nature. They reproduce by the growth of hyphae (fungus threads) to form a mycelium (fungus network) which produces billions of spores which hover like dust in the air and thus come into contact with the skin or pass into the inside of the human body by respiration and the ingestion of food.
Danger
Moulds can, above all due to their appearance in huge masses, cause illnesses even in healthy persons, such as asthma, allergies, colds, headaches, tiredness and irritations of the mucous membranes and spoil food. Moulds can also cause severe Infectious diseases.
Signs
Headaches, difficulties in breathing, allergies, asthma.
Is this something you too are familiar with? – efflorescent cellar or basement walls, the plaster is flaking off, there is a musty and mouldy smell, or you discover small black stains on the walls of your home.
If you have these phenomena you can be fairly certain that in your own four walls there is a danger from moulds! However, the greatest danger is from the spreading invisible spores that populate the air in the room and gradually contaminate your room climate.
This leads as far as irreversible clinical pictures. So far the detection of these invisible pathogenic enemies was a difficult and above all an expensive matter.
The Sporometer (Mould Contamination Test) is a quick microbiological test for determination of the mould contamination of your rooms.
Furthermore, you will get information’s about risks related to your health.
www.sporotec.de
Inhalation/ ultrasound- nebulization
Recommendations and information on inhalation
The nebulizer atomizes liquid drugs and carries them as fine aerosol to the place of action through a face mask or mouthpiece.
The nebulizer produces a very fine mist of the drug. The particle size is an important parameter of the treatment success. The particle size is indicated in micrometer units (µm).
Sit relaxed and erect in front of the nebulizer. Start the inhalation by controlling your breathing as follow: Breathe the drug in through the face mask or mouthpiece. Breathe deeply, slowly and through the mouth. Stop breathing (for less than 5 seconds) then exhale normally.
Never inhale for longer than 10 minutes. “Beginners” often breathe too quickly. This can cause dizziness.
Many drugs are available without prescription. Tell the doctor your problem and take his advice.
Atmospheric ions
The sun's ultraviolet rays, as well as gamma rays (whether made of natural or artificial radioactive substances), and cosmic radiation, are so full of energy, that they are able to eject single electrons from the molecule's atom-shells. At the same time, positive ions are generated. Combined, these rays are also characterized as "ionic radiation".
Through asymmetrical formations in atomic hydrogen, water molecules generate electrical dipoles. As such, these ions like to join steam molecules and create the so-called small ions. Small ions are very mobile and connect with aerosol particles (larger steam, dust and dirt particles) to form big ions.
The life-span of the small ion is only a few seconds long and as such would disappear accordingly, if it were not for the sun's rays which constantly reproduces these. Obviously this type of process does not occur in enclosures (i.e. rooms), making the degree of ions generally less indoors compared to outdoors.
The effectiveness of ions
Throughout evolution, the human organism has adapted itself to the ionization of the atmosphere. In deed, a person will be more alert and active, as well as generally feel better and be able to perform better. As such, one can generally conclude that a person's well-being is directly related to the exposure of ions.
Alternatively are the free radicals, which are also generated through intense radiation. Although free radicals can occur naturally in skin tissue through direct radiation, the splitting of molecules through ultra violet, x-ray and gamma rays leads to chemically extremely aggressive molecular remnants, which can cause early skin deterioration and even skin cancer such as melanoma.
Especially active are oxygen radicals (single oxygen atoms, which with normal oxygen molecules (two oxygen atoms) occasionally bind to Ozone (three oxygen atoms).
Ozone is a very potent cell poison and has a characteristic odor (it's been said to have an "electrical" smell to it). One can occasionally smell it in the winter, when letting in fresh air in poorly aired rooms, as well as when using a sun lamp.
