My Experience With CO2 - My Routine, Knowledge, And Questions

[tankasnowgod]

Very interesting !
Have you ever been to high altidude for longer periods of time to compete it to ?

I've been to the himalaya for 3 weeks and fixed my thyroid, digestion for some time after it . Like I lost very stubborn weight but it was coming back little by little as soon as went down again . Since then I've been trying to replicate these results but nothing really helps. Even acetazolamide doesnt do much have your tried that ?

I have tried Acetazolamide, and I have found it to be a short term help for lowering water retention, but it has it's issues. I suspect longer term use can potentially make things worse. If you look up the "official" explanation, you see that it gets rid of bicarbonate in the urine. Long term studies also say that it depletes electrolites. That matches with my experience, as urine is always cloudy the day after use.

I suspect if you supplement with baking soda before using it (and maybe the day after too), Acetazolamide might be a more useful tool.

I've also seen quite a bit of studies showing that thiamine is much lower in obese folks.

My own thinking with this (and something I've started to experiment with) is this idea of combining both a CA inhibitor along with more of the raw material. So, thiamine and/or Acetazolamide combined with Baking Soda and/or CO2 breathing (with the jug method now being the most preferable).

I've been taking 500mg of thiamine 3 times a day (1500mg total). I've been doing some baking soda loading (aiming for 20-30g over the course of a day), and might add an acetazolamide to see how it goes.

 

[Coderr]

I would be very happy if someone explains this by video. Because I'm really confused

 

[tankasnowgod]

And when it's upside down and you decide to breathe the co2 How long can you breathe for like 20 minutes wouldn't the co2 be gone?

No, you are literally a CO2 producing machine.

 

[Jing]

No, you are literally a CO2 producing machine.

Yh I get that but wouldn't you need a closed bottle? And what with needing to store it upside down?

 

[tankasnowgod]

Yh I get that but wouldn't you need a closed bottle? And what with needing to store it upside down?

No, because CO2 is heavier than air. You don't want 100% CO2, just an increased level. This will give you that.

 

[Jing]

No, because CO2 is heavier than air. You don't want 100% CO2, just an increased level. This will give you that.

Ok and how big is the hole?

 

[tankasnowgod]

Ok and how big is the hole?

About the size of a quarter.

@Such_Saturation did a thread on a similar idea a while ago- Poor Man's Rebreather Kit

 

[Jing]

About the size of a quarter.

@Such_Saturation did a thread on a similar idea a while ago- Poor Man's Rebreather Kit

Thanks.

 

[Jessie]

Why would you think that sodium wouldn't be absorbed through the trans dermal route too?

It may do it, I don't really know. It seems to work much better for me though when I go the transdermal route. The few times I tried oral baking soda at dosages of 1/2-1 tsp I would get high BP. But I also eat a lot of salt, so I suppose I could lower my salt intake hypothetically and ingesting it wouldn't be so bad. To tell you the truth I never knew baking soda was that rich in sodium. I bet those times when I was using it orally I was probably getting around 7,000-10,000mgs of sodium each day.

Edit: not sure if it's economical or not, but I'm sure something like magnesium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate would be better to soak in for CO2.

 

[hierundjetzt]

Hey everyone,

Just wanna preface this by saying please bare with me as I do have a few questions.

so in Danny's weblogs, Ray has said that moving to a high elevation (which has high CO2 air content) is the best thing that one can do for their health. We know the CO2 automatically raises the metabolic rate - optimizing thyroid function and hormone profiles (like progesterone, specifically.)

In my experience, I've dabbled in bag breathing - for various periods, and have felt somewhat good to pretty good.

However, most recently, I learned about @haidut 's "CO2 tank" method, which involves cutting a quarter-sized hole in the bottom of an empty gallon container and breathing through the top, and then storing the container (daily) upside-down in order to settle the CO2 in the bottom of the container(because CO2 is heavier than air).

Since doing this, I've noticed small increases in temperatures. But beyond that, a couple more profound things have happened, and I apologize if this is TMI, but I really believe it to pertinent and valuable information.

First, i've noticed that my hair has come back in further than before, almost to complete regrowth from any lost areas. This anecdotal evidence completely supports Danny Roddy's hypothesis that CO2 is the "missing conductor" of hair loss. Additionally, given my history with Rogaine (~3 years, likely damaging my vascular system by increasing Nitric Oxide :/ ) I think that CO2 was definitely impaired or deranged. Additionally, I can feel blood pumping in my head more - especially in the frontal lobe. So for me, I believe that CO2 has been very beneficial for my vascular system. Last, I've noticed a huge positive impact on my erections - I am firmer, larger, just all-around so much better and that's been such a relief since I got really messed up from taking finasteride.

My routine with the CO2 tank is to breath in it for twenty minutes, 1-2x daily. I think people might think this is excessive, but perhaps for someone like me - with a long history of N. O. damage, it is appropriate. Additionally, I've never experienced any negative side effects from doing it - with the bag breathing, I would sometimes have discomfort or trouble breathing in it (which i know induces a stress response), but with the tank, nothing, ever. But how would i know if I've done too much or too little?

That brings me to my next question, I have a pulse counter thing for my finger which also measures "blood oxygen saturation". I've only ever gotten 98%, 99%, or 100%. I read somewhere that Peat feels best when his is at 89%. Should i ramp up the tank breathing until I go lower? Or should I invest in a capnometer if the pulse recorder isn't an accurate metric? These are my most important questions.

So with that being said, is my current technique appropriate or helpful for my system? so far, it seems to be.


Finally, right before I began the CO2 routine, I got 138 as my top number for BP. I was told this is high. Is optimizing CO2 good for remedying it?

I would greatly appreciate anyone's feedback and I look forward to discussing!

Happy Peating!

best,
Fever

Ok, I think your description is pretty clear, except: Do you put your mouth over the entire opening (lips around the whole opening), or do you pretend you are drinking and leave a small space at the opening (as you would if drinking from a milk jug)?

 

[fever257]

@tankasnowgod intriguing proposal, you'll have to let me know how that goes. Also, I appreciate you answering all the questions in this thread - I wrote the original post on the fly and I guess I wasn't very descriptive.

@hierundjetzt I make sure my lips are sealed around the opening (pouring hole) of the container.

@Jessie baking soda baths increase body CO2 as well, but I've found that the breathing methods are much more powerful.

 

[fever257]

@Vinny @revenant @Coderr

So this is the photo of the “CO2 tank”. i apologize for my bad explanation. As you can see, it’s very rudimentary. Literally just a cleaned, empty milk gallon jug with a quarter-sized hole cut in the bottom. stored on a shelf how it is positioned in the photo. held by handle horizontally when in use. I use for 20 minutes, 1-2x daily.

 

[fever257]

@Trambak noticed benefits within 2 days of use. Like i said, i found it to be completely superior to the bag. Like you said - no stress reaction, no difficulty, no bad feelings.

@cokgnu i take notes on Ray’s articles, random Peaty content, and Danny’s webisode things. Ray says the highest level of human engagement is to learn for understanding. :)

@Jessie i think baking soda is a good way to get increased CO2 but overall i don’t think any supplements can compare to the breathing devices.

@TheSir thank you for your input, i found it so very valuable. i will keep these guidelines in mind as i probably up my duration to 30 mins, 1-2x per day. you’ll have to keep me updated on your Buteyko endeavors.

@Mauritio i have not lived at high elevations or used the acetazolamide.

 

[Uselis]

There is may not be such thing as too much or too long, given that you are able to stay relaxed and feel good. During breathing exercises it is important not to go beyond the point where your muscles begin to tense, especially in the stomach area. If you can follow this principle, you should be able to go all day long with zero negatives. In Buteyko the reduced breathing is eventually assumed as a permanent part of your regular daily life. In that framework it usually requires at least 30-60 min of practice per day to make progress. I've progressed at a steady pace with doing 20 mins twice a day. The only downside to progressing faster is that you may have a stronger "cleansing reaction", but not everyone gets such reactions in the first place.


Oxygen saturation does not necessarily correlate with CO2 saturation (though it can). It is possible to have high O2 saturation and still have good levels of CO2. I have experimented with descending down to 88-86% O2 saturation and by that point I would feel very strong air hunger and my body would be be tensed up -- it would be impossible to relax at that point.

Rather than going by objective metrics, go by how you feel. If the session makes you feel more alert, relaxed and warm, you are on the right track!


It definitely can be.

Hey,

I wonder if you tried Frolov and if so did you notice any difference feeling/performing wise vs traditional method?

Thanks

 

[ken]

I had been doing Epson salt soak's and decided to add a cup of baking soda one night. After the water cooled when I tried to get out, the tub was so slick I was like a beached whale. There weren't any grab bars, and the flexibility of my knees was so bad I couldn't get them under me. I think I drained the tub rinsed it out with me in it and managed to grab towel to work under me. I won't be forgetting the experience.

 

[TheSir]

Hey,

I wonder if you tried Frolov and if so did you notice any difference feeling/performing wise vs traditional method?

Thanks

I don't have personal experience with it, but from what I understand, Frolov can be very helpful in the beginning when your breathing technique is still not that good. Once your breathing improves, there shouldn't be much difference between Frolov and reduced breathing in terms of benefits. So it's mostly a matter of whether you find it more convenient to simply breathe less or to breathe through an appliance.

 

[chester]

Hey man, this may be a stupid question but I just want to make sure I get it right: Are you supposed to breathe in and out of the bottle with your mouth only or do you breathe in with your nostrils?

 

[fever257]

Hey man, this may be a stupid question but I just want to make sure I get it right: Are you supposed to breathe in and out of the bottle with your mouth only or do you breathe in with your nostrils?

not a dumb question at all! in the beginning, i was just breathing normally - probably a combo since i usually breathe through my nose but my mouth was open. Recently i have tried to block my nostrils and experienced kind of a stressed feeling / stress response like with the bag. So i would recommend just breathing into it normally but maybe with an intent (here and there) to breathe through your mouth.

 

[Mauritio]

Has anybody been able to replicate those results ?

 

[Peroxphos]

Has anybody been able to replicate those results ?

No effect noticed so far after 7 days (3 days with quart-sized bottle, 4 days with gallon-sized container, 20min 2-3x/day)