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The anesthetic effect of air at atmospheric pressure

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Re: The anesthetic effect of air at atmospheric pressure

#181

Post by nradov »

todd8 wrote: post #170

My first, brief, dive to 135 feet (41m) was in 1976 off the coast of Cozumel. I was in a group led by a dive master and we quickly descended, swam through a large ring shaped coral structure at around 135ft, and started our ascent. More accurately, all but one of use started our ascent. Back then, of course, we had to rely on the Navy dive tables for maximum safe bottom time (just 10 min from entry at the surface to…

Nitrox is any mix of nitrogen and oxygen. It isn't specifically 65/35; other mixes such as 68/32 and 50/50 are also common. Oxygen also seems to have a narcotic effect and so breathing nitrox doesn't significantly reduce narcosis. Thus breathing either nitrox or air below about 100 ft (30 m) isn't a good idea because it impairs your judgment and reaction time. Depending on the exact gas mix and depth, oxygen toxicity can also become a hazard. For deeper dives we add helium to reduce both problems, as well as to reduce work of breathing.

Re: The anesthetic effect of air at atmospheric pressure

#182

Post by csteubs »

vl wrote: post #136
genewitch wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$1000-$3000 isn't decent for my use case; basically i want to use oxygen instead of ibuprofen for minor aches, coupled with heat or cooling. I find that pure oxygen does wonders for minor headaches and neck pain that i experience. $15-$25 a liter for oxygen is also not a decent price, relatively. At one point i found some concentrators that were ~$500, sadly i did not order and the brand name was alphabet soup; good…

$1000 is for brand-name. Used/imported are cheaper. Refills of LOX are cheap, but you need to pay for the cylinder, which is expensive. At the end of the day you can get welding oxygen, which is exactly the same as medical/aviator. (And also you need to handle the cylinder safely) Anyway, just start with Boost and see if it helps. They run out quickly, but nothing beats the convenience.

New cylinders can get a little pricey but used bottles can be found dime-a-dozen on Craigslist/FB Marketplace/etc. Just need to know how to properly inspect a tank. Gas supply stores can get really particular about BYOBottle because of the safety/liability component, but they'll typically treat a no-fill tank as the deposit for a new tank in much the same way consumer propane tank exchange works.

Boost is likely the way to go for OP. I first saw them in Walmart in 2012 as a freshman at a military college. They made the surprise cadre workouts and X mile rucks suck so much less that I'd buy them all up when we were on liberty to sell out of my supply box. Really clever bit of kit, and the mint scent was a nice touch.

Re: The anesthetic effect of air at atmospheric pressure

#183

Post by sinuhe69 »

countWSS wrote: post #149

Highly surprising mammals didn't adapt to this, aren't nitrogen levels the same for 100m years? Being 10% slower is actually a huge handicap, and seems to be something fishy with the idea we live permanently under influence without evolving something like biological counters. A rabbit that is 10% slower will face a huge evolutionary handicap.

Perhaps the little anesthetic effect also helps us to calm down and not being hyperactive all the time? I find thinking in diffuse mode and day-dreaming very beneficent.

Re: The anesthetic effect of air at atmospheric pressure

#185

Post by gumby »

scotty79 wrote: post #167
gumby wrote: post #74

While anesthesia isn't particularly well understood, the thing that weirds me out is not the neurological mysteries, but that noble gasses like Xenon are anesthetics!

Well, chemistry is not the only game in town. Physics can do things to bodies too.

I assume you mean QM, but the noble gasses are distinguished by their lack of interaction.

Re: The anesthetic effect of air at atmospheric pressure

#186

Post by naikrovek »

slau wrote: post #146
naikrovek wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

are you using "nark" correctly? I've always thought that meant annoyed.

I am, however you’re not wrong. The main use of the word is either regarding annoyance, but can also mean snitching. “Narked” in the scuba community 100% refers to nitrogen narcosis. See the company called “Narked at 90”.

I thought the snitching variant ended in "c". ok

what a sheltered life I lead

Re: The anesthetic effect of air at atmospheric pressure

#187

Post by gojomo »

nradov wrote: post #179
Aerroon wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe it remains underexplored because if you find a significant effect and popularize it, then the substance gets banned. The people interested in using stuff like this have an incentive to avoid scientific research on the subject. Hell, even NAC almost got banned recently.

Don't be ridiculous, no one is going to ban helium.

The delivery mechanisms for a nitrogen-free air – be they personal respiration devices or sealed environments – could be onerously regulated, or effectively banned for certain places/purposes.

It can be hard to confine helium, and its presence can make some electronics malfunction: https://www.ifixit.com/News/11986/iphones-are-allergic-to-he...

Occasional helium shortages, and the characterization of terrestrial helium as a 'non-renewable' resource, has also made it the subject of industrial policy, with the federal government maintaining a reserve whose planned privatization is controversial.

Plus, there's often widespread resentment of performance-enhancers – hormones, stimulants, etc – when they are only accessible to a select few.

So I'd not be so sure that, if helium proved an essential part of some novel cognitive enhancement practices, its acquisition & use would remain legally-unencumbered.

Re: The anesthetic effect of air at atmospheric pressure

#188

Post by scotty79 »

gumby wrote: post #185
scotty79 wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, chemistry is not the only game in town. Physics can do things to bodies too.

I assume you mean QM, but the noble gasses are distinguished by their lack of interaction.

Or just electromagnetism. They still take space and bounce around things. If somebody cut you with a jet of liquid helium you couldn't say, not fair, noble gases shouldn't interact with anything

Re: The anesthetic effect of air at atmospheric pressure

#189

Post by haldujai »

reportgunner wrote: post #176
haldujai wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I find it unpleasant to drink I concur, I tried to acquire the taste for 151 in college and even after 4 years of earnest and consistent effort it did not get better. Similar experiments with Everclear and overproof grappa were also unsuccessful. I would not recommend any of these if one is interested in a pleasant drinking experience. Lately I've been finding Bourbon to be enjoyable. Woodford Reserve and Bulleit a…

> Lately I've been finding Bourbon to be enjoyable. Woodford Reserve and Bulleit are well-priced and good introductions in my opinion. Also try Buffalo Trace, it's one of my three favorite including the two you mentioned.

Thanks! It's on my list, I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Would you suggest the regular Buffalo Trace or one of their (many) variations?

Re: The anesthetic effect of air at atmospheric pressure

#190

Post by dekhn »

alanfranz wrote: post #145
dekhn wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never drunk it. I don't like high proof alcohol. Once I worked in a very informal lab and we were always looking for alternatives to buying industrial chemicals. I was working with optics, and Everclear came up as a good alternative to denatured alcohol or isopropyl alcohol. My friend who ran a microscope lab said it was pure enough to clean optics... however, since it was illegal to buy in California, we had a…

Why would everclear be better than denaturated alcohol? Usually (I live in Europe btw) denaturated alcol is cheaper and has same proof of drinkable liquids.

because I prefer my cleaning solvents to be consumable in an emergency.
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