What Are Oxygen Supplements?

Oxygen supplements are herbal remedies that are taken for a variety of health problems. They may be made from a variety of different materials, though they are often made from oxygenated water, hydrogen peroxide, or combinations of herbal supplements. Medical research does not support claims that these supplements promote good health, and the wide variety of ailments oxygen supplements claim to help indicates that many of the health benefits patients experience from these supplements could be due to the placebo effect. There is, however, medical research to support the use of the type of oxygen therapy in which patients are placed in a pressurized room and exposed to pure oxygen.

In most cases, oxygen supplements are sold in liquid form. At sea level, oxygen remains a gas until its temperature drops below -297.4 degrees Fahrenheit (-183 degrees Celsius). Such a cold temperature makes it completely unsafe for humans to come into contact with or ingest oxygen in liquid form. To get around this problem, companies who package oxygen supplements may use oxidized water or herbal distillations in lieu of actual oxygen. These companies claim that the oxygen atoms in these supplements can be freed from the molecules they are attached to in order to provide a variety of health benefits.

Though there is some anecdotal evidence to support the health benefits of oxygen supplements, there is no medical research that proves that these supplements are beneficial. The amount of oxygen in oxygen supplements is not sufficient to provide patients with a significant source of oxygen, if their bodies can in fact metabolize and make use of oxygen taken orally. Supplements made of water and sodium chloride are completely safe to take, however, so patients who believe that the oxygen supplements are helpful can continue taking these types of remedies. Herbal supplements that claim to provide additional oxygen should be taken cautiously and under the supervision of a doctor because they can have dangerous interactions with other medications or supplements a patient is taking.

Patients may take oxygen supplements for a number of different reasons. These supplements claim to promote general well-being, immune response, energy, and alertness. They can be taken orally or placed on infections, injuries, or skin growths, such as warts and moles.

Oxygen therapy may be prescribed by doctors to promote healing and boost a patient's immune system. These treatments provide supplemental oxygen for patients to breathe while under pressure. Though similar in concept to the use of oxygen supplements, the use of oxygen therapy delivers additional oxygen to patients through the respiratory system, where the oxygen can be used by the patient.