Oxygen bar
A Oxygen (or "oxygen gas station") is a device on which is carried a mouth cap or a nasal cannula 50 to 99% strength oxygen can inhale. This should have a positive influence on health and well-being. So-called oxygen showers, which are said to have similar effects, are also commercially available.
Oxygen bars have been around in many major Asian cities like Tokyo since the early 1980s , where people suffer from smog and air pollution on a daily basis. Since 1997 this trend has spread to America, where the first bar was opened in Los Angeles .
effect
Inhaled air normally consists of 78% nitrogen , 1% argon and 21% oxygen, but only a quarter of this is actually used up in one breath. A higher oxygen content in the air should lead to better performance and concentration as well as better blood circulation. Promises include an improvement in the body's immune defense, an improvement in physical resilience and various positive effects in the "wellness and beauty" area.
criticism
Normally the blood is sufficiently saturated with oxygen (normal values 92 to 100 percent depending on age). Excess oxygen is exhaled again. The above effects are scientifically not justified and are based on suggestive effects . The "showers" are unsuitable for long-term oxygen therapy . The air problem in metropolitan areas is not a lack of oxygen, but a high level of pollution ( nitrogen oxides , fine dust , ozone ). Even with smog , the oxygen content of the air is sufficient.
In addition, there is a risk of infections, and previous illnesses can lead to a deterioration in health.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sabine Schreiber: Oxygen bars - wellness or health prophylaxis? FAZ, April 1, 2001
- ↑ Sabine Schreiber: Wrong promises at the oxygen bar . FAZ, August 3, 2001
- ↑ US Food and Drug Administration Consumer magazine (November-December 2002): Oxygen Bars: Is a Breath of Fresh Air Worth It?
