Dear all, yesterday I stumbled across the following Peat quote (from the E-mail advice depository):
My question or concern is specifically about emphysema. Increasing the body's CO2 retention capabilities should help this condition and, in agreement, Buteyko practitioners claim that Buteyko breathing improves emphysema/COPD. From my limited understanding my initial guess was that high altitude would also help with emphysema but Peat disagrees according to the quote above. Does anybody know the specific reasons? Is it perhaps because the first few days (or weeks) after moving to high altitude are very strenuous and this would be an overkill for people with already poor lung health? Or, as @tara has put it:
So, is it all about adaptation, meaning that slowly increasing and adapting to higher CO2 levels is helpful for emphysema/COPD whereas suddenly changing your environment, i.e., moving to high altitude, is not ?
Thank you very much in advance!
charlie said:"Are there any conditions which high altitude is negative for? I think I remember saying something about asthma?"
Ray Peat said:"I should have said respiratory diseases, meaning things like emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis. Asthma is usually improved at high altitude, above 6000 feet, for several reasons. Even in polluted Mexico City, at 7500 feet, there's very little asthma, but people who vacation in Acapulco often get asthma."
My question or concern is specifically about emphysema. Increasing the body's CO2 retention capabilities should help this condition and, in agreement, Buteyko practitioners claim that Buteyko breathing improves emphysema/COPD. From my limited understanding my initial guess was that high altitude would also help with emphysema but Peat disagrees according to the quote above. Does anybody know the specific reasons? Is it perhaps because the first few days (or weeks) after moving to high altitude are very strenuous and this would be an overkill for people with already poor lung health? Or, as @tara has put it:
From other comments he has made about altitude, I read him as saying that being adapted to high altitude is protective (because this entails retaining more CO2). But not being adapted to altitude, and being hypothyroid, can make one prone to extra problems - I assume these include what is usually described as altitude sickness (which is known be dangerous), as well as slower degenerative processes.
So, is it all about adaptation, meaning that slowly increasing and adapting to higher CO2 levels is helpful for emphysema/COPD whereas suddenly changing your environment, i.e., moving to high altitude, is not ?
Thank you very much in advance!