Speleotherapy

[KeyserSoze]

A link to this article about Speleotherapy was posted on a caving website that I frequent. At first glance it sounded like total woo to me, but after reading the explanation for how it "works", it seems like it could be plausible. This topic really interests me because I do a lot of caving, so I was hoping to get some extra information or opinions on the matter.

I guess the best question to ask is if it is even true that the body will actually heal better when irritating symptoms are suppressed.

http://www.showcaves.com/english/explain/Misc/Speleotherapy.html

[trvlr2]

KS- in my humble opinion, they are barking nutjobs.
You breathe differently when your co2 levels are high because you are struggling to get enough oxygen. Anyone advocating this for pregnant women, see 1st sentence. And, while you wouldn't get enough Radon to hurt you, *probably*, folks who live in areas where Radon collects in their houses get cancer. Why push it?

[Gravy]

If reducing dust and forcing the lungs to work harder cured these respiratory diseases, wearing a half-face respirator should do the same, without the cave-dwelling. I can see breathing exercises as being potentially beneficial, but curative? I'm skeptical.

Where is the evidence for these cures? The Cochrane review (1999, updated 2001) didn't find any, and only found one trial with "reasonable" methodological quality. A review of "alternative" chronic asthma treatments from 2002-2004 says this:

Complementary and alternative medicine for bronchial asthma: is there new evidence?Curr Opin Pulm Med. (http://javascript%3cb%3e%3c/b%3E:AL_get%28this,%20%27jour%27,%20%27Curr%20Opin %20Pulm%20Med.%27%29;) 2004 Jan;10(1):37-43.
Györik SA (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Search&Term=%22Gy%C3%B6rik%20SA%22%5BAuthor%5D&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus), Brutsche MH (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Search&Term=%22Brutsche%20MH%22%5BAuthor%5D&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus). Division of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Complementary and alternative medicine is widely used in bronchial asthma. Data on efficacy of these treatment modalities are lacking.

RECENT FINDINGS: Studies published since June 2002 on complementary and alternative medicine in bronchial asthma were systematically reviewed.

SUMMARY: Studies do not support the use of homeopathy, air ionizers, manual therapy, or acupuncture for asthma. These methods bear some risks to patients related to undertreatment and side effects. There might be a possible, but so far not clearly established, role for antioxidant dietary supplementation, and some natural antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory remedies. However, their effect size compared with the classical treatment and side-effect profile is not clearly established. Strategies influencing breathing technique or perception, such as breathing or retraining exercises, need to be studied over the next few years to establish their additive role in the treatment of asthma. Breathing exercises could improve lung function and quality of life in different studies. Psychotherapy-related methods such as relaxation, hypnosis, autogenic training, speleotherapy, and biofeedback might have a small effect in selected cases, but have not proven to be superior to placebo. Nevertheless, more randomized controlled trials of good methodological quality are required to allow firm conclusions.Bolding mine.

[sphenisc]

KS- in my humble opinion, they are barking nutjobs.
You breathe differently when your co2 levels are high because you are struggling to get enough oxygen. Anyone advocating this for pregnant women, see 1st sentence.



No you don't. You breathe differently when you're CO2 levels are high because your CO2 levels are high - oxygen levels are irrelevant.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080312065832AAhBY4z

[Almo]

I thought another issue with radon is that it decays into lead.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nuclear/radon.html

Don't really want lead in your lungs, either.

[trvlr2]

No you don't. You breathe differently when you're CO2 levels are high because your CO2 levels are high - oxygen levels are irrelevant.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080312065832AAhBY4z

Yes. Co2 and o2 levels are complementary. High co2 tells you to breathe differently to get rid of co2, which raises o2 levels. Kind of backhanded,no? And, if the co2 is not expelled sufficiently, you lose consciousness, death extreme case.
Wiki shallow water blackout quote from passage-
"The primary urge to breathe is triggered by rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the bloodstream.[5] CO2 builds up in the bloodstream when O2 is metabolized and it needs to be expelled as a waste product. The body detects CO2 levels very accurately and relies on this to control breathing.[5] Hyperventilation artificially depletes this (CO2) causing a low blood carbon dioxide condition called hypocapnia. Hypocapnia reduces the reflexive respiratory drive, allows the delay of breathing and leaves the diver susceptible to loss of consciousness from hypoxia. Although the body is able to detect low oxygen levels for most healthy people the first sign of low O2 is a brownout or unconsciousness; there is no bodily sensation that warns a diver of an impending blackout."

[trvlr2]

No you don't. You breathe differently when you're CO2 levels are high because your CO2 levels are high - oxygen levels are irrelevant.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080312065832AAhBY4z

Yes. Co2 and o2 levels are complementary. High co2 tells you to breathe differently to get rid of co2, which raises o2 levels. Kind of backhanded,no? And, if the co2 is not expelled sufficiently, you lose consciousness, death extreme case.
Wiki shallow water blackout quote from passage-
"The primary urge to breathe is triggered by rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the bloodstream.[5] CO2 builds up in the bloodstream when O2 is metabolized and it needs to be expelled as a waste product. The body detects CO2 levels very accurately and relies on this to control breathing.[5] Hyperventilation artificially depletes this (CO2) causing a low blood carbon dioxide condition called hypocapnia. Hypocapnia reduces the reflexive respiratory drive, allows the delay of breathing and leaves the diver susceptible to loss of consciousness from hypoxia. Although the body is able to detect low oxygen levels for most healthy people the first sign of low O2 is a brownout or unconsciousness; there is no bodily sensation that warns a diver of an impending blackout."
Re: Radon daughters- I don't think any of the breakdown products are good for you.

[Zytheran]

OK. So they claim the CO2 is 10 times higher than normal (380ppm) , so let's say 3,800 ppm.
1.2% CO2 is 12,000 ppm. Here's the abstract on what 1.2% CO2 does to you.
It would appear nothing much...:eek:

Low level CO2 effects: dead space, gas mixing, and closing volume.

Strohl KP, Mueller K, Sexton J, Elliott A, Prisk K, Gerzer D.
ASGSB Bull. 1995 Oct; 9: 58.

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44122, USA.

The purpose was to determine if chamber exposure to low levels of CO2 results in functional alterations in dead space, gas mixing, and closing volume in healthy human subjects. Four healthy volunteer subjects, the same as were exposed to 0.7% CO2 in a previous study, were exposed to 1.2% CO2. Spirometry, lung volumes, single breath nitrogen washout, DLCO by two methods, and cardiac output were measured in triplicate. DLCO and cardiac output were added to the protocol due to the capability of the Sensormedics 2200. Measurements were obtained over two non-consecutive days during the training period (control) and on days 2,4,6,10,13, and 23 of exposure to 1.2% CO2. Measurements were made during the same time of day. There was one day of testing after exposure: while in the chamber but off carbon dioxide. The order of testing (up until measurements of DLCO and cardiac output) were randomized to avoid presentation effects. The consistent findings between the first and second campaigns were a very small increase in RV/TLC ratio and reduction in diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide; an increase in FVC, observed in 3/4 subjects in the first campaign, was seen in only one subject on the second campaign. There was no indication of major effects on gas mixing or dead space. Overall, there appears to be a small change in ventilation and/or ventilation-perfusion matching. The likelihood of pathophysiologic changes in lung function or structure with low level CO2 exposure for this period of time is low.


From the German website we have "However, the Cochrane report cited below, could not find any significant outcomes in a reliable manner, despite a beneficial short-term effect on lung function."
...which probably sums things up nicely.