VOA标准英语2009年-Breathing Pure Oxygen Effective in Tre

Oxygen therapy can bring drug-free relief to many

Vidushi Sinha | Washington, DC 15 December 2009

 
A new study shows that breathing pure oxygen can considerably¹ lessen² the agony experienced with severe headaches

Cluster headaches are described by sufferers as being more excruciating than childbirth or a gunshot wound. But a measure of relief may be in sight for these intensely painful headaches, which are also known as "suicide" headaches. A new study shows that breathing pure oxygen can considerably lessen the agony.

For Petru Russo, the headaches can occur up to 10 times a day. "It's like a knife, somebody's cutting in your brain," he said.
 
Ruso says he tried all kinds of medication for this severe pain but nothing worked. The only thing that brought relief was breathing pure oxygen. "The pain is gone. The oxygen really changed my life," he explained.

Pure oxygen also did the trick for Valerie Walker. "Oxygen has just made all the difference for me. I do not have the side effects and it has made all the difference for me," she said.

Cluster headaches occur in cycles: sufferers can experience several headaches a day for weeks or even months on end. And cluster headaches are debilitating³.

The typical treatment is an injection with the drug sumatriptan. But sumatriptan has side effects and overuse of medication can be hard on the body.

Dr. Peter Goadsby of the University of California and other researchers followed 76 patients in London for five years.

The doctors treated for cluster headaches in each patient using air and oxygen in separate trials.

"Our study showed for the first time a clear difference between oxygen and air in the treatment of acute cluster headache. It was properly powered, randomized and placebo⁴-controlled and really provides evidence for the use of oxygen in cluster headaches," Dr. Goadsby said.

The study found the most effective treatment was high doses of high-flow oxygen.

"Twenty percent of attacks were improved on placebo, which is air, and 78 percent of attacks were improved on oxygen, a clear difference in favor of oxygen," Dr. Goadsby added.

Dr Joel Saper, Founder⁵ of the Michigan Headache and Neurological Institute says using oxygen also helps to avoid overuse of other medications.  "Patients are so desperate that they will take anything and ending up hurting themselves in the process," Dr. Saper said.

Researchers also found that oxygen could stop the headache pain and eliminate other symptoms associated with cluster headaches, such as red, swollen⁶ and watery⁷ eyes.

 

1 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

2 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

3 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

4 placebo   

n.安慰剂；宽慰话

参考例句：

• The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。
• The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。

5 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

6 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

7 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。