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Some questions hyperventilate oxygen technique (Read 6720 times)
Stan1
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Some questions hyperventilate oxygen technique
Nov 18th, 2015 at 11:17am
 
Been using O2 for about 5 months and is the only thing that aborts headaches for me (about 75% effective).

Only very recently have I tried hyperventilate technique and it does seem to work faster and definitely uses less O2 but need some help on technique.

I have been trying Batch's technique of standing up, 10 breaths in 30 seconds (more or less) with forceful exhale then full then inhale of O2 and hold for 30 seconds.  What I am having trouble with is relaxing.

Between watching the clock/watch, standing, forceful exhale (requires a lot of effort and concentration) holding for 30 seconds, bracing against the wall or holding on the the valve of my M tank when lightheaded I find it hard to relax while doing all this.  The forceful exhale in particular is the opposite of relaxing.

After about 5 minutes I have then switched to full breaths of O2 with forceful exhale but not the 10 in 30 without O2.  Do this for about 3 or 4 minutes then a 10 minute break and usually need another session.

So how do you relax and are there any other techniques I should try?

I have not been particularly successful in aborting at first sign usually need to be deeper into headache for success.

I do not have typical cluster headaches (been diagnosed as atypical chronic cluster whatever that means) after many years of migraine diagnosis.  Triptans are like poison for me they work then I get a week or 2 of even more frequent headaches and often really bad ones.  When I get a full blown headache that does not abort it can often last 12-18 hours at full pain for the last 6 hours or so.  They always start off slow and build and can't tell the difference between   
the ones that escalate to horrible or the ones that are relatively mild and don't last too long (3 or 4 hours in my case).  In a typical month I might have 5 to 10 headache free days give or take.

I have no idea what my triggers are if indeed I have triggers but alcohol is usually but not always a trigger.

My D3 levels are high right near the top of the safe range, my crp test results (measure of inflammation) are off the charts low (which is good).

Taking 600mg (240 morning 360 evening) of verapamil for last few months and it has helped but not enough.

So any tips?
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Batch
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Re: Some questions hyperventilate oxygen technique
Reply #1 - Nov 18th, 2015 at 3:36pm
 
Hey Stan,

Relaxing while using this method of oxygen therapy is impossible... except while holding the lungful of oxygen for 30 seconds.  We CH'ers have the capacity to detect the slightest change in pain levels...  So concentrate on relaxing while holding the lungful of oxygen...  While you're doing this, you're going to detect the pain starting to drop.

Regarding the anti-inflammatory regimen...  Have you given Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) a try?  It's likely you have an allergic reaction cooking away and that will interfere with the preventative capacity of the anti-inflammatory regimen.  25 mg every 12 hours works wonders for most CH'ers including me.

Talk with your PCP or neurologist about this.

Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch
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Stan1
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Re: Some questions hyperventilate oxygen technique
Reply #2 - Nov 18th, 2015 at 4:32pm
 
I definitely have allergies although I have had them my whole left and only developed headaches I the last 13 years.  Are you suggesting the benadry ltwice a day for a period of time or permanently?

Any other O2 tips/ suggestions to what I described?
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Batch
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Re: Some questions hyperventilate oxygen technique
Reply #3 - Nov 19th, 2015 at 6:32am
 
Stan,

A single 25 mg tablet of Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) every 12 hours for a week to 10 days should be sufficient to give vitamin D3 a clear path to preventing your CH.  Check the local pollen count from all sources... If your CH return a couple days after stopping the Benadryl, another week or two shouldn't hurt. 

As always, check with your PCP and explain your present situation.  An annual physical exam with all the standard labs plus serum 25(OH)D, calcium and PTH is always a good idea.

Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch
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Re: Some questions hyperventilate oxygen technique
Reply #4 - Jan 1st, 2016 at 2:46am
 
Stan,
This may sound strange, but i just cured my last 3 CHs by using the Wim Hof method. And I am so grateful, I just had to share with the CH community. I saw the words "hyperventilate", and "o2" in your post so I thought you might benefit like me. Though Wim has probably never heard of CH, his method allows you to tap into, and control your hypothalamus. So i put 2 and 2 together and tried it when i felt a CH coming on. My life has just changed. here's the jist of it. from his website. it works for me.

1) Get comfortable
Sit in a meditation posture, whatever is most comfortable for you. Make sure you can expand your lungs freely without feeling any constriction. It is recommended to do this practice right after waking up since your stomach is still empty or before any meal.

2) 30 Power Breaths
Imagine you’re blowing up a balloon. Inhale through the nose or mouth and exhale through the mouth in short but powerful bursts. Keep a steady pace and use your midriff fully. Close your eyes and do this around 30 times or until you feel your body is saturated with oxygen. Symptoms could be light-headedness, tingling sensations in the body, electrical surges of energy.

3) The Hold, retention after exhalation
After the the 30 rapid succession of breath cycles, draw the breath in once more and fill the lungs to maximum capacity without using any force. Then let the air out and hold for as long as you can without force. Hold the breath until you experience the gasp reflex.

4) Recovery Breath
Inhale to full capacity. Feel your chest expanding. When you are at full capacity, hold the breath once more for around 15 seconds. Relax the body deeper as you move further inward, let everything go. Your body knows better than you do. After 15 seconds you have completed the first round. Repeat this for about 4 rounds.

Summary
- +-30 times balloon blowing
- Breathe in fully
- Breath out without force and hold until gasp reflex
- Inhale fully and hold for 10-15 seconds.
- Repeat until finished 

Bonus Power-ups
Add push-ups or yoga poses during the time you are holding your breath until you wait for the gasp reflex. Notice that you are stronger without air than you would normally be if you could breathe!

Cold Exposure
After the  body scan of the previous exercise you are ready let your body embrace the cold. It is very important to try to relax as much as you can, really be with the cold, only then can your body process the signals and start thermogenesis. As Wim says, “the cold is your warm friend!"

Cold Showers
If you are new to cold exposure, just end your warm shower with 15 - 30 seconds with cold water only. Begin with your feet and then follow with your legs, your stomach, shoulders, neck and back.. An initial shock, shivering and hyperventilation is normal. Try to remain calm and breathe easily. Close your eyes and really try to embrace the cold. Dont poor the cold water over the head if you are not known with cold exposure. If you feel any strong physical uncomfortableness, like heavy shivering, numbness or pain, get your body warm again as soon as possible. Cold exposure works like weight lifting, you get stronger over time. There are little muscles around your veins that contract when they get into contact with the cold. After some time (only 1-2 weeks according to Wim) these become stronger, making your veins healthier and reducing the force that your heart has to use to pump blood around your body. You can increase exposure over time. At one point the cold will feel just as comfortable as wearing your favorite pajamas and you can skip the warm shower completely. Notice how you feel amazing after a cold shower and sluggish after a warm one.   
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« Last Edit: Jan 1st, 2016 at 2:54am by justwannahelp »  
 
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maz
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Re: Some questions hyperventilate oxygen technique
Reply #5 - Jan 1st, 2016 at 11:51am
 
Hi Stan
I bought a cluster 02 mask from the CH.com store (yellow tab on the left of your screen).  Much more effective than the standard mask you get with your 02 tanks.
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Batch
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Re: Some questions hyperventilate oxygen technique
Reply #6 - Jan 1st, 2016 at 3:32pm
 
There's really nothing magic about the Wim Hof method...  It uses the same respiratory physiology as the latest method of oxygen therapy I suggest where the CH'er hyperventilates with air taking 10 deep breaths and exhales them at forced vital capacity tidal volumes (for 30 seconds) then inhales a lungful of 100% oxygen and holds it for 30 seconds...  then repeats this sequence until the CH pain is gone.

Hyperventilation casts of carbon dioxide (CO2) faster than the body generates it through normal metabolism.  Hyperventilating at forced vital capacity tidal volumes does this more efficiently.

This results in the arterial partial pressure of CO2 (PACO2) dropping below its normal level.  This also results in an increase of arterial pH (Less acidic and more alkaline) hence the name for this condition, respiratory alkalosis.

Chemical sensors in the large arteries and brain sense this low CO2 level and trigger the body's homeostatic control mechanism that controls arterial pH into action.  This homeostatic control mechanism in turn signals the heart to beat slower and the lungs to breathe slower. This homeostatic control mechanism also signals arteries and capillaries throughout the body and brain to constrict.  All these control activities slows the flow of blood to the lungs reducing the loss of CO2.  This allows arterial CO2 levels to build back up to normal levels.

By intentionally hyperventilating like this repeatedly overrides the body's respiration control system forcing longer periods of respiratory alkalosis.

The second beneficial physiological effect involves blood hemoglobin, the body's oxygen and carbon dioxide transport agent that carries oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body and CO2 from these tissues back to the lungs to be expelled in exhaled breath. 

An elevated arterial pH increases hemoglobin's affinity for oxygen and reduces its affinity for CO2.  When the CH'er inhales the 100% oxygen, hemoglobin uploads roughly 14% more oxygen molecules than normal and carries this oxygen to cells throughout the body and brain.  This super-oxygenated blood flow also acts as a vasoconstrictor further constricting arteries and capillaries throughout the brain including the hypothalamus and trigeminal ganglia.

As the pain phase of CH and migraine is characterized by rapid dilation of the arteries and capillaries in the hypothalamus and trigeminal ganglia, this method of oxygen therapy interrupts and reverses the CH and migraine pathogenesis resulting in very rapid aborts of both types of headaches.

This method of oxygen therapy as a CH abortive is very safe.  I've used it for 10 years and although I've gotten dizzy a few times, I have yet to pass out or loose consciousness...   even when I wanted to pass out to get away from the pain...

Some think hyperventilating like this and triggering vasoconstriction throughout the brain causes ischemia with a lack of oxygen available to cells in the brain and heart. Two studies conducted by anesthesiologists and neurosurgeons measured oxygen content in venous blood coming from the brain.  They found the venous blood coming from the brain of a patient hyperventilating with 100% oxygen contained more oxygen than normal arterial blood flow going to the brain.  They concluded that hyperventilating with 100% oxygen was safe and that it resulted in a decrease in cerebral inflammation and blood loss during neurosurgery.

Take care,

V/R, Batch
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« Last Edit: Jan 1st, 2016 at 5:07pm by Batch »  

You love lots of things if you live around them. But there isn't any woman and there isn't any horse, that’s as lovely as a great airplane. If it's a beautiful fighter, your heart will be ever there
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Guero30
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Re: Some questions hyperventilate oxygen technique
Reply #7 - Feb 21st, 2018 at 9:47am
 
Hi, just to verify as I have experienced full cluster headaches. and as I was reviewing oxygen treatment, as a possibility, could not help but notice the parallels between oxygen therapy and the Wim Hof method. Hence I tried the Wim Hof method for purposes of the cluster headache and it did work. It rid the cluster headache. Thank you.
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