by Bette Lamont
Masking, a technique used by NeuroDevelopmental Movement® Consultants, is a safe, simple, and effective means of enhancing oxygen delivery to the brain. If you are a client of NDM® you are at some point going to be trained to do this work. Masking is a process of rebreathing one’s own breath, which increases CO2 in the body, encouraging both deeper breaths and vasodilation in the brain. CO2 is the safest and best way to get more oxygen to the brain.
Masking has many positive effects. By increasing oxygen to the brain, masking:
1.) Improves energy production required for proper brain cell function (mitochondrial energy transport),
2.) Enhances oxygen-dependent reactions, such as the formation and breakdown of neurotransmitters and critical metabolites, and
3.) Reduces the formation of harmful by-products of hypoxic reactions (oxygen free radicals) that destroy brain tissue.
Additionally, masking expands the capacity of the lungs to uptake oxygen, expands chest diameter, and enhances diaphragmatic descent. Children whose breathing is shallow breathe more deeply as a consequence of masking. It also supports athletic skills and enhances endurance. Masking can also be a powerful tool in reducing seizure activity.
It would appear that if getting more oxygen to the brain is beneficial, delivering enhanced or 100% oxygen to the brain would be yet more beneficial. There are several reasons why this is not true, and in fact can be detrimental. One reason is that breathing enhanced or 100% oxygen will cause blood vessels in the brain to constrict, causing a net deficit of oxygen in the brain.
Masking costs you no more than a simple breathing mask ($5-10) and can be done in the home under the supervision of a NeuroDevelopmental Movement® Consultant.