'CO2 is Good and Nitric Oxide is Bad For You' - Was Ray Peat Right?

We're taught we breathe in oxygen, which gives us life, and breathe out Carbon Dioxide (CO2), which is a waste product. But is that true? Elwin Robinson discusses Dr Ray Peat's understanding of CO2, that it's an essential nutrient, without which we would quickly die, and the less we have, the less healthy we are.

Elwin also discussed how we got duped into thinking that nitric oxide is the main gas we need to dilate our blood vessels and reduce our blood pressure, when CO2 is actually a much safer way of achieving this.

You can follow Elwin on Facebook:
And on Twitter @therealelwin

Make sure you Like and Subscribe so you don't miss an episode, and if you have any feedback, questions or requests for future episodes, leave a comment underneath the video and Krissy or Elwin will do their best to reply personally.

Disclaimer:

This YouTube channel does not contain medical advice. I am NOT a doctor. The contents of this YouTube channel, such as videos, text, graphics, images and other material are intended for entertainment, informational and educational purposes only and not for the purpose of rendering medical advice. The contents of this YouTube channel are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Consult your physician for medical advice. Always seek the advice of a physician or qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition. Never disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice or treatment because of something you have heard in a YouTube video. Before taking any medications, over-the-counter drugs, supplements or herbs, consult a physician for a thorough evaluation. A qualified physician should make a decision on each person’s medical history and current prescriptions.

Executive Producers - Chad Newman, Krissy Hawkes

[TeyaSkae]

Buteyko breathing as taught by Buteyko certified instructor promotes increasing Breath holds gently. Breath holds are held up to first sign of air hunger. Holding breath until hyperventilation is discouraged. Maximum pause is only a measurement at the time. Buteyko is oxygenation 24/7 by increasing C02 in the blood, to make oxygen available to our tissues. Think Bohr's law. Proper buteyko practice involves mouth taping during sleep, exercising with nose breathing and doing various breathing exercises daily whilst walking. It's Not about holding ones breath until passing out 🙂In Wellness!

[strictlyroots]

Kind of odd to think of CO2 and O2 as being in some kind of competition as to which is more important. They are both crucial to life. You could say CO2 is used in numerous ways by the body - not just as metabolic 'fuel' as in the case of oxygen; so CO2 is multi-tasking where O2 is performing one function. But to put one ahead of the other is not a useful way to understand the dynamic. I like to think of the two as dance partners with CO2 leading.

Buteyko's theory of hyperventilation is that in many people it is ''hidden.' Many people aren't aware that they are hyperventilating. This is based on the medical definition of hyperventilation: breathing that drains CO2 from the body faster than it is being created. In a healthy person this may require obvious (to an observer) hyperventilation. In an unwell person the hyperventilation can be subtle and unnoticeable - their CO2 is already compromised (less than 37 mmHg arterial) so their breathing doesn't need to be dramatically excessive to cause CO2 pressure to drop further.

I don't understand the last part of the quote the woman read. Was she quoting Ray? "Situations that favour the production and retention of larger amounts of CO2 in the tissues are likely to REDUCE the basic tone of the parasympathetic NS..." Huh? CO2 is involved in the production of acetylcholine the main neurotransmitter of the PNS. CO2 enhances relaxation not the opposite. The guy has it right, but that's not what the quote implies.

But the main point of this video - that excessive nitric oxide can detrimental to the body - is bang on. Lot's of misunderstanding around this on the internet.

Maximum Pause has been dropped by many teachers of Buteyko's method. It can really backfire if used indiscriminately. My understanding is that Buteyko used it sparingly.

As for Wim Hof the purpose of volitional hyperventilation is to create tissue hypoxia, which can have therapuetic effects. But it is an extreme approach and some people (men I guess as the guy says) are attracted to extremes. The WH approach would be ill-advised for the cohort of people who would benefit from Buteyko.