Summary Results of Spirovital Study on Healthy Subjects
Changes in levels of neurotransmitters and other stress hormones as a result of inhalation of activated oxygen using the Spirovitalisation Therapy
Dr. K. Erpenbach, Medical Therapy Centre, Erftstadt
BACKGROUND: in patients with COPD, Spirovital activated inhaled air leads to complete normalisation of blood pressure with a concomitant improvement in sleep hygiene over a 4-week course of respiratory therapy. Regulation of both blood pressure and sleep is dependent on a number of stress hormones and neurotransmitters. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate whether use of Airnergy in healthy subjects can bring about a change in levels of neurotransmitters or other stress hormones. The possible effect of the site of administration (nasal versus oral) of the activated oxygen on the change in hormone levels was investigated at the same time.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: 6 female subjects underwent a daily 30-minute period of inhalation using the Professional Plus for 5 days. 3 subjects breathed the activated oxygen through the nose and 3 subjects breathed it through the mouth. Concentrations of the neurotransmitters serotonin, adrenaline and noradrenaline and of the stress hormones TSH, ACTH, cortisol and DHEAS in the serum were determined in each case before and 15 minutes after inhalation of the activated oxygen on day 1 and again 15 minutes after use of the respiratory therapy on day 5.
RESULTS: during the 5-day spirovital respiratory therapy with activated oxygen, stress hormone levels were reduced by 25% for TSH (from 2.4 to 1.8 mU/L), 33% for ACTH (from 26.8 to 18 pg/ml), 24% for cortisol (from 33.6 to 25.7 µg/dL) and levels of the neurotransmitter noradrenaline were reduced by 48% (from 595 to 311 ng/L) in all the subjects. The counter-stress hormone DHEAS and the neurotransmitters serotonin and adrenaline remained unchanged in the overall evaluation of the subjects. If the subjects’ results are considered separately by site of administration, the changes in the nasal inhalation group (IN) are more marked than those in the oral inhalation group (IO). TSH fell by 31% (IN) versus 14% (IO), ACTH by 30% (IN) versus 35% (IO), cortisol by 26% (IN) versus 21% (IO) and noradrenaline by 48% in both groups. Differences between the groups were evident with the hormones DHEAS, adrenaline and serotonin. DHEAS increased by 7% (IN) and fell by 6% (IO), adrenaline fell by 14% (IN) and rose by 12% (IO) and serotonin rose by 8% (IN) and fell by 13% (IO). Side effects were not reported during the study by any of the subjects.
CONCLUSION: during nasal inhalation of activated oxygen with Spirovital respiratory therapy, healthy subjects experience a marked improvement in their hormonal preparedness for stress (improved thyroid function, falling cortisol/adrenaline/noradrenaline, rising DHEAS/serotonin). The substantial fall in noradrenaline levels also explains the normalisation of blood pressure observed in COPD patients under Spirovital respiratory therapy.