There are two substances in the human body that are harmful, one is lactic acid and the other is oxygen free radicals.
During my research at the Provincial Academy of Sciences, I frequently came into contact with these two medical terms. Many years ago, I mainly engaged in the development of pacemakers, extracorporeal counterpulsors, catheters and stents for minimally invasive cardiac surgery, as well as television endoscopic surgical systems. So there is less awareness.
Today we will first introduce lactic acid, which belongs to carboxylic acids. (AHA) contains hydroxyl groups and can release a proton from its carboxyl group in aqueous solution to produce lactic acid.
The production of lactic acid cannot be avoided, as long as the human body is metabolized and exercising, lactic acid will be produced. Lactic acid is a waste generated by human movement.
The chemical reaction process will be omitted. When the human body is not exercising, the lactate in the blood is maintained at 1-2 mmol/L, and when it is strongly exercised, it will rise to 20 mmol/L.
This is because the energy of the body's tissues cannot be satisfied through aerobic respiration, or in other words, the tissues cannot process oxygen quickly enough, resulting in an increase in lactate concentration. In this case, pyruvate dehydrogenase cannot convert pyruvate into acetyl CoA in a timely manner, and pyruvate accumulates (acidic substance).
In muscle cells with sufficient oxygen, lactate is directly used as fuel for the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Glucose can also be generated in the hepatic gluconeogenesis cycle.
When it comes to fuel, there will be "combustion". We can explain the "combustion" of lactic acid in the human body by giving a familiar phenomenon. For example, natural gas combustion. The chemical formula of natural gas is CH4, which contains 4 hydrogens and 1 carbon that can be burned. Let's first take a look at the chemical formula of lactic acid: C3H6O3， There are still 3 carbons, 6 hydrogens, and 3 oxygens that can be burned. That is to say, lactic acid can really be "burned" by tissues in the human body.
Just like carbon monoxide (CO), when it enters the bloodstream, it easily combines with hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin, causing it to lose its ability and efficacy in carrying oxygen, leading to tissue suffocation and necrosis, and in severe cases, death. If CO is enriched with oxygen and "burned" to become carbon dioxide (CO2), all the thermal energy of CO can be burned off and discharged from the body.
The same principle applies to the combustion of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in lactic acid. When the thermal energy of lactic acid is lost, it means it has been destroyed.
At this point, everyone will understand:
The fundamental premise is to reduce the production of lactic acid.
The most cost-effective way to reduce lactate is to lie down and rest, keeping metabolism in the slowest state, with low oxygen consumption and relatively high blood oxygen saturation. The high cost is to use small oxygen cylinders to provide oxygen to muscle cells.
2. The second is to enrich cells with oxygen as much as possible, helping to "burn" lactate in the body through oxygen enrichment, which is why we advocate for "oxygen enriched exercise".
In addition to the above-mentioned oxygen therapy, hot compress, hot bath, massage, etc. can also be used. The principle is the same as above, which is to disperse lactic acid out of the body through heat.
However, in the case of being infected with the virus, it is recommended to take fewer showers because at this time, people's physical condition is poor and they are prone to catching a cold, which can cause the condition to recur. But soaking feet in hot water can also have an effect.
3. Another way is to drink more alkaline water, eat alkaline fruits, food, etc. When a person is in an alkaline state, they are relatively healthy.
Generally, alkaline water contains calcium (water with calcium content>85mg/L). The interaction between calcium ions and lactic acid can generate higher levels of calcium lactate than lactic acid, which can be excreted from the urinary system. I have also been taking sodium bicarbonate tablets, alkaline water, and other medications to regulate and reduce uric acid, which are very effective.
4. The final solution is to drink plenty of water, especially alkaline water with a pH value of 7 or above. Regardless of viral or bacterial infections, drinking plenty of water can accelerate the body's metabolism and eliminate lactic acid through the secretion system such as sweating, urination, and defecation. This is a common sense method.