Featured EWOT Product
What an EWOT System Needs for Lyme & Bartonella
EWOT Staff
|27-01-2022
EWOT systems can come in a variety of configurations, and practically all will provide some benefit. After all, oxygen is a great detoxifier. However, while most other EWOT manufacturers are focused on the athlete market, we designed our system with a focus on the chronic illness market.
Check out our prior blog if you are looking to understand why an EWOT system is great for Lyme and coinfections like bartonella. This article is cover what you need in an EWOT system to tackle chronic illness. Let's dive in!
EWOT System Configurations for Chronic Illness
Below, I will walk you through our design considerations. In doing so, I hope you will understand a bit more of what you need from an EWOT system, regardless of manufacturer. Feel free to view our collections if you are interested in learning more about our EWOT products.
Let’s talk about an oxygen source
The first thing you will need is a source of high-concentration of oxygen. I would recommend breathing 90% of pure oxygen if possible. There are really two choices:
- An oxygen tank or
- An oxygen generator
Oxygen Tanks
A medical graded oxygen tank will require a prescription. The largest of tanks holds enough oxygen for 3 to 9 sessions, depending on your conditioning and size. The empty tank costs around $300 - $400 at most online retailers. This high cost makes oxygen tanks impractical for most people.
Oxygen Generators
Oxygen generators produce a nearly limitless amount of oxygen by concentrating it out of the air. They can be purchased in a variety of configurations and sizes, but the largest capacity units will generate either 5 LPM or 10 LPM.
Because 5 LPM are designed for home healthcare, they are sold at a much higher volume for as low as $600 to $700 brand new. You can also save $100 or more if you are willing to purchase a refurbished unit.
These are often a great buy because many units have low hours on them and over 90% of their useful life left. Because 10 LPM units are generally reserved for clinical settings, the volume is lower and the price is much higher. You can usually buy one for $1,200 to $2,000 or more.
Because the oxygen generator is a one-time investment, it can make an EWOT system much more affordable. The major drawback to oxygen generators is that they have a limited output. For instance, using a 5 LPM generator, von Ardenne showed it would take 36 hours of exercise over 18 days to get the reduce endothelial cell swelling. (As a reminder, von Ardenne is the inventor of the EWOT system who spent years researching and perfecting the technology.) With a 10 LPM generator, the timeline is reduced to 9 hours over three days. Since most of us don't have three hours to dedicate to exercise each day, these generators don't produce enough oxygen for desired results.
Why an EWOT Reservoir?
The solution to the relatively low flow of oxygen generators is to create a reservoir. That way, a large quantity of oxygen is captured over several hours for use in an EWOT session. When we do this, we can increase our oxygen consumption above the 25-30 LPM threshold. Remember this is above what von Ardenne showed was necessary to produce results in 15 minutes.
Dr. Artour, a breathing expert, explains that a typical adult will breath 50-100 LPM during exercise. However, those of us with chronic illnesses are often not in optimal conditioning when we start EWOT. We do have the ability to improve with this regiment, though. So, I recommend a reservoir that can hold at least enough for a 15-minute session at 50-65 LPM. That equates to a 750L – 1,000 L reservoir.
For those who are taller or more fit (thus with larger lung capacities and oxygen needs), I recommend focusing on the larger end of the spectrum. Many will not need this total volume for many months. However you also want this system to continue to serve you as you improve.
In addition, if you leave the generator running while you exercise, as most people do, that will provide you an additional 75 liters of capacity with a 5 LPM generator or double that for a 10 LPM generator. However, with the right sized reservoir, there is limited benefit to the more expensive 10 LPM generators, other than reservoir filling speed.
How long will the EWOT reservoir take to fill?
If you have a 750L reservoir and a 5 LPM generator, you are looking at 2.5 hours to fill the reservoir completely. For a 1,000 reservoir and 5 LPM concentrator, you are looking at 3 hours and 20 minutes. We find that most people prefer to do their EWOT either first thing in the morning or in the evening. If you are working or have many calls on your time (don’t we all?!), these fill times can become problematic. For this reason, I recommend using a system with a programmable timer that can turn on the oxygen generator several hours before you want to use the system so that it is ready and waiting for you when you need it. This will improve your consistency tremendously, and consistency is important to continue to accumulate benefits.
In addition, we have chosen a digital timer that allows multiple filling sessions per day. That way, you can share or do multiple session, if you need it. This allows you to program different schedules for different days of the week, and has a batter backup. Many people with Lyme disease or other chronic illnesses find that EMF affects them more acutely, and chose to turn off the circuit breaker at night. This battery backup will allow you to turn off your circuit breakers for the night without losing your program.
Choosing an EWOT mask
The mask is a very important part of the system. Von Ardenne found that masks that allowed mixing of air with the oxygen greatly diluted the impact of EWOT. For this reason, nasal cannulas or loose-fitting masks are not a good choice.
What to Look for in an EWOT Mask
Look for an EWOT mask that:
- Fits your face
- Feels comfortable
- Provides the quantities of oxygen you need
Historically, most EWOT system manufacturers supplied a standard EWOT mask that looked similar to this:
Standard EWOT mask – limits many people
This is a very economical choice; however, it can be a poor choice for many people. This mask is designed for stationary applications while a person is sleeping or sedentary. As such, the mask valves can throttle the oxygen flow to users, especially as they increase their conditioning and require flows much higher than the mask is designed to provide.
People will often even notice the resistance to exhale with this mask (the exhale valve is the bottom, larger port on the mask). Because the inhale port (upper port) is even smaller, often conditioned users will need to throttle their exercise to meet the oxygen supply. This is a situation we do not want, as heavier conditioning will increase vasodilation (enlarge the blood vessels) and increase the effectiveness of the EWOT session. However, for those who will only be able to do moderate exercise such as fast walking or a very slow jog, for instance, this mask may be an economical choice.
The designs of newer masks on the market are for an exercise environment. These masks often have a separate valve that attaches to these masks and allows the user a much greater flow of oxygen and greater ease of exhaling. Our goal should be minimal breathing effort while exercising to reap the maximum benefits. Our 2000 series offers one of these new masks at the lowest point of anyone in the EWOT market.
Learn more about how to choose the best EWOT mask for you.
Greatly improved new-style mask
Other considerations for your EWOT system
One of the first considerations should be the materials that the EWOT system uses. If you are chronically ill, the last thing you want to do is be breathing toxins in a closed system while you elevate your heart rate. That will not be conducive to healing. I recommend you do your research and ensure the reservoir, hoses, and mask are all medical grade materials.
The Use of Cork
In addition, many EWOT manufacturers use a cork stopper to plug the oxygen supply hose (hose that goes to the mask) while the reservoir is filling. Cork can often have nasty chemicals that you do not want to breath. For someone dealing with a toxic body from chronic illness, it is one more chemical for our over-burdened bodies to deal with. We offer silicone stoppers to eliminate the risk of breathing these chemicals.
Compression Bands
Some other manufacturers offer compression bands on their reservoir (think large rubber bands). The purpose of these is to increase oxygen flow. These manufacturers built these compression bands to overcome the limitations of the valves on the standard EWOT mask (top mask picture above). This feature is no longer needed with new-style masks.
Oxygen Deprivation Setting
Some manufacturers also offer an oxygen deprivation setting. This allows you to flip a switch to breath low oxygen concentration. The premise of this is that the oxygen deprivation will force your body to dilate your blood vessels and allow more oxygen in when you flip back to high oxygen. Elite athletes use this same technique when they train at altitude. This can be a valuable feature for those seeking peak athletic performance.
However, it needs pairing with a large valve that allows these athletes to exercise near their limits. For those of us with chronic illness, the $1,000 - $1,500 additional cost makes this feature an expensive option. Others have simulated the oxygen deprivation by simply holding their breath for 5-7 seconds every minute or two while exercising. For me, both methods have given me a headache that lasted all day. So, I am partial to avoiding this.
Sticking With EWOT Sessions
Lastly, the benefits do accumulate over time, so keep with it and try to be consistent. I recommend a minimum of 3 times per week, and a target of 5 times per week. There are some folks who will do 7 times per week, or even twice a day for some period of time. But, if you can do it 3-5 times per week, you should start to see good benefits.
Also, start slowly, EWOT can create detox reactions, and in cases where anaerobic pathogens (such as Lyme) are reintroduced to high levels of oxygen, it can also cause a herxheimer (die-off) reaction. If you find yourself feeling ill after your first few sessions, back down on your intensity and keep at it. If you feel overwhelmed, it may be smart to take a break before you proceed.
Whatever you do, listen to your body, and if you don’t feel well, call you doctor. Over a series of sessions, you will find the detoxing and herxheimer reactions will fade, and your health should begin to improve.
One Thousand Roads EWOT offers high-quality, affordable EWOT systems & support. Shop our EWOT products.
Author Bio
Brad Pitzele
We wanted to make the high-quality, affordable EWOT systems to help people like myself, suffering through chronic illnesses, to regain their health and their quality of life.
