EWOT - Exploring the Historical Evolution

Innovative therapies continue to appear looking to improve the body’s health, wellness, and performance. EWOT (Exercise With Oxygen Therapy) is one such therapy. With a long history, EWOT has exponentially gained wide acceptance in recent years. Rooted in a quest to improve the lives of cancer patients, a 1960s German scientist, Dr. Manfred Von Ardeene, observed that patients who were struggling with diseases also had oxygen and energy deficient cells. In addition, the Nobel Laureate, Dr. Otto H. Warburg, theorized that the lack of oxygen respiration in the body’s cells was a direct cause of cancer. #EWOT #healthandwellness #oxygentherapy #cancer 

EWOT traces its origins back to Dr. Manfred Von Ardenne in the mid-20th century. [1]. He developed the Oxygen Multi-Step Therapy which is the basis for today’s modern EWOT system. Dr. Ardenne recognized that combining exercise with oxygen supplementation could enhance the delivery of oxygen to the body’s tissues, improving overall utilization. The outcome was better cardiovascular health. Another benefit observed was enhanced athletic performance. It is in this realm that today’s modern EWOT systems first made its numerous benefits felt as athletes looked to gain a competitive edge by training with supplemental oxygen. Over time, EWOT evolved beyond athletics, finding applications in clinical settings improving health conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, and even cognitive enhancement. Today, EWOT systems can be found in gyms and chiropractic practices all over the country. #sportsperformance #oxygensupplementation, #cardiovascularhealth

Numerous studies have investigated the clinical efficacy of EWOT, providing compelling evidence of its benefits across a range of health parameters. For instance, research by the American College of Sports Medicine found that after exercise training with supplemental oxygen, patients demonstrated a significant increase in functional capacity, aerobic capacity, exercise tolerance, and quadriceps muscle strength. [2]. Another study, found in the American Journal of Medicine concluded that the increase in peak work rate was more than twice as high when patients exercised with supplemental oxygen. [3]. These studies emphasize the power of EWOT with regards to improving the body’s performance capabilities and underscore the potential of EWOT as a non-invasive adjunct therapy for managing various health conditions. #clinicalstudies #hypertension #COPD

Beyond established benefits, EWOT continues to be explored for other potential applications. Investigating EWOT’s impact on cognitive function and neuroplasticity, hypothesizing that increased oxygen delivery to the brain during exercise could enhance cognitive performance and potentially mitigate age-related cognitive decline is high on the list of possible clinical trials. Additionally, there is growing interest in using EWOT as part of integrative cancer care protocols as theorized by Dr. Warburg back in the last century with the aim of improving patients' overall well-being and resilience during treatment. #cognitivefunction #neuroplasticity #cancercare

Exercise With Oxygen Therapy (EWOT) has come a long way since the middle of the last century becoming more than a niche practice in sports performance to a recognized adjunct therapy for some health conditions. As medical and sports medicine researchers dig deeper into the benefits of EWOT, its role in health and wellness is likely to grow even sharper. #integrativemedicine #futureofhealthcare

References:

1. Ardenne, M. von. (1986). Oxygen Multistep Therapy: Physiological and Technical Foundations. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers.

2. Neunhäuserer D, Hudelmaier M, Niederseer D, Vecchiato M, Wirth W, Steidle-Kloc E, Kaiser B, Lamprecht B, Ermolao A, Studnicka M, Niebauer J. (2023). The Impact of Exercise Training and Supplemental Oxygen on Peripheral Muscles in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2023 Dec 1;55(12):2123-2131. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003268. Epub 2023 Aug 2.

3. Neunhauserer D, Steidle-Kloc E, Weiss G, Kaiser B, Niederseer D, Hartl S, Tschentscher M, Egger A, Schonfelder M, Lamprecht B, Studnicka M, Niebauer J. (2016). Supplemental Oxygen During High-Intensity Exercise Training in Nonhypoxemic Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Am J Med. 2016 Nov;129(11):1185-1193. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2016.06.023. Epub 2016 Jul 15.