The idea of undergoing hydrogen oxygen therapy may sound novel and leave a lot of questions. One of these is to ask what it is about and how it works, while the second relates to the benefits.
To begin with, one thing almost everyone knows is that oxygen and hydrogen are two elements that combine to form water, with one atom of hydrogen and two of water, so their interaction is commonplace and, since our bodies are over 70 per cent water, central to our own physical functions.
What these machines do is generate a mixture and hydrogen and oxygen gas for inhalation, which it does through a process called electrolysis. If the latter word sounds familiar, it is because of the word electrolytes, which are contained in many drinks.
This hints at the process that the machine undertakes, which is to effectively reverse the process that binds hydrogen and oxygen to form water, instead taking water and converting it back into hydrogen and oxygen.
To carry out the process, two electrodes are placed in the water, usually with a proton exchange membrane between them. An electrical current is passed between them. This enables the anode on one side to collect oxygen molecules and the cathode on the other to accumulate hydrogen.
Fascinating as the process is, the key question is how it is meant to help your health. This arises from the capacity of hydrogen to act as an antioxidant to neutralise free radicals and oxygen to improve cell health.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that have one or more unpaired electrons. They are produced naturally in the body, but also through consuming unhealthy things like tobacco. They last for fractions of a second, but in that time, they can cause damage to cells and DNA.
However, antioxidants can combat them effectively, mainly by curbing their production in the body.
Another purpose of this therapy is to promote better cell health, speeding up the healing of damage after injuries.
The mixture produced by the machines brings both these benefits and more, enabling you to use it to pursue better health and combat the ageing process.