The chemistry sounds very straightforward. Human body fat is 
a combination of three elements - hydrogen, carbon and oxygen 
molecules (plus other substances that are stored within the 
fat cells).

Add extra oxygen to the body fat, and in theory it should break 
down into two well known substances:

* Hydrogen & oxygen molecules (H2O - water, which enters the 
  blood stream, goes through the kidneys and is then excreted 
  via urination); &

* Carbon & oxygen molecules (CO2 - carbon dioxide, which is 
  excreted via respiration).


Oxygen or Ozone Therapies are used by a number of alternative 
medicine practitioners around the world. It is more popular in 
Europe than in the USA. Practitioners are also found in Canada 
and Mexico.

Despite being banned in some countries and certainly debunked 
by large sections of the "conventional" medical profession, 
there is plenty of evidence that oxygen therapy produces health 
benefits for many conditions far cheaper, much faster and 
without the side effects of patent drugs.

Oxygen therapy is usually administered in one of two ways:

* A facial mask attached to an oxygen tank, so that the patient 
  breaths in oxygen for many hours of the day; or

* Daily sessions of diluted hydrogen peroxide administered via 
  an intravenous drip.


Given the straightforward chemical composition of body fat 
discussed above, does Oxygen Therapy actually work for weight 
loss? I decided to contact a number of practitioners in various 
parts of the world and ask them if, when treating patients for 
other ailments using oxygen therapies, weight loss was ever 
seen as a side-effect of their treatment.

All the doctors who replied responded that no such weight loss 
factor has ever been observed that they could credit to the 
oxygen therapy itself, and not the condition they were treating.

It seems that empirical evidence to support the theory that 
oxygen therapy could reduce body fat into the easily excreted 
H2O and CO2 is lacking.

Still, not everyone is convinced. The chemistry appears fine on 
paper, so something is missing in the implementation. Finding 
that missing factor could be crucial in the battle of the bulge, 
the quest for weight loss, and conquering obesity.

Books have been written promoting special breathing techniques 
for weight loss. Although there are sceptics, there are also 
many people around the world who swear by the success they have 
achieved in losing weight via these breathing techniques.

The theory behind these breathing techniques is not merely due 
to the intake of the oxygen, but that the human body's metabolic 
process expels waste matter, including carbon dioxide, when we 
breath out. Our air intake is higher in oxygen than what we 
expire, and we breath out more carbon dioxide than we breath in.

The breathing technique therefore seeks to encourage and 
maximize the expulsion of carbon dioxide from our bodies - 
carbon dioxide that is the waste matter created when the 
oxygen dissolves body fat.

Personally, I must admit to being impressed though not 
thoroughly convinced. It is quite reasonable to assume that 
the people who are disciplined enough to follow this breathing 
technique diligently for several weeks or months are probably 
motivated enough to also be doing other things (dietary, 
psychologically, etc.) that will be causing the weight loss.

Still, it fits the basic (unproven) theory that adding oxygen 
to body fat should result in weight loss. Furthermore, it is 
harmless, so long as adequate dietary intake of antioxidant 
vitamins and minerals are being consumed. Whether the actual 
results are from the technique itself or of a more psychosomatic 
nature is immaterial if it works, is free and available to all, 
and has no adverse side effects.

By all means, add these deep breathing exercises to your overall 
toolbox of synergistic weight loss treatments.

Still, there is one more form of oxygen therapy (not usually 
recognized as such) that even the sceptics would have trouble 
disputing.

It is more commonly called exercise. More accurately, aerobic 
exercise. (Aerobic simply means "air breathing".) It is exercise 
that makes you huff and puff, deepening your breathing. It is 
and always has been one of the most fundamental parts of any 
successful weight loss program.