Diaphragmatic Breathing and CO2 — Nature’s Blood Purifiers
Breathe Low and Slow — Cleanse More Blood
Our bodies are composed of around 50 trillion cells—and astonishingly, half of them are red blood cells. These cells circulate through the lungs, the only organ that receives all of our blood. Apart from enabling gas exchange—oxygen in, CO2 out—one of the lungs’ most vital functions is to purify the blood.
But here’s the catch: the lungs are shaped like an inverted V—narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. This results in a 5-fold greater blood flow at the base of the lung as compared to the top of the lung. [ref1, ref2]
If your breathing is shallow and only reaches the upper chest, most of your blood misses out on the purification process.
By breathing low, slow, and rhythmically through your nose—engaging your diaphragm—you allow air to reach the lower parts of the lungs, where the vast majority of blood circulation occurs. This significantly enhances the blood-cleansing process.
In contrast, chronic shallow breathing limits this effect, leaving a large portion of your blood less purified.
CO₂ in Surgery — A Protective Ally
When we overbreathe, or hyperventilate, CO₂ levels drop. This can lead to increased blood viscosity and promote platelet formation (thrombocytes), raising the risk of blood clots.
A fascinating study [ref3] tested this effect:
Subjects hyperventilated for 20 minutes at 36 liters per minute—six times more than the typical 6 liters per minute of normal breathing. In one test, they inhaled normal air. In another, they breathed air enriched with 5% CO₂—over 100 times more than the normal atmospheric level of 0.04%. The results?
- Platelet levels rose by 8% when breathing normal air.
- No increase occurred when CO₂ was added.
This suggests it was the CO₂ deficiency, not the breathing effort, that triggered increased clotting.
Real Results: “I No Longer Need Transfusions”
An 85-year-old former lawyer shared his transformation with us:
“For years, I needed a blood transfusion every five weeks. When my blood count dipped, I lost all my energy. But now, it’s been 15 weeks since my last transfusion. My counts are completely normal.”
What changed? His massage therapist, Anita, noticed his breathing was “jerky and gaspy.” She taught him how to breathe lower and more calmly.
“I now understand that shallow breathing was damaging my lungs’ ability to clean the blood. It’s amazing how much better I feel just by changing how I breathe.”
Read the full story here.
The Relaxator and Live Blood Microscopy
Live blood analysis reveals dramatic changes when individuals use The Relaxator to train their breathing. Platelet clumping decreases, and blood becomes more vibrant and oxygen-rich.
Explore the full article here to see these changes yourself.
Cleanse the Blood with CO₂-Enriched Hyperventilation
Controlled hyperventilation—known medically as isocapnic hyperpnea—involves adding CO₂ to the inhaled air. This enhances the lungs' ability to filter the blood without the negative effects of normal hyperventilation.
This method has shown promising benefits in situations such as:
Scientific References
Title: Physiology, Pulmonary Circulatory System
Authors: Jain V, Bordes SJ, Bhardwaj A.
Journal: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-.
Link to full text: Physiology, Pulmonary Circulatory System 
Abstract: Pulmonary circulation includes a vast network of arteries, veins, and lymphatics that function to exchange blood and other tissue fluids between the heart, the lungs, and back. They are designed to perform certain specific functions that are unique to the pulmonary circulation, such as ventilation and gas exchange. The pulmonary circulation receives the entirety of the cardiac output from the right heart and is a low pressure, low resistance system due to its parallel capillary circulation. The system can be divided into the following components:
The arterial circuit arises from the main pulmonary artery arising from the right ventricle and runs a course of only 5 cm before dividing into right and left main branches and many subsequent branches to form an extensive network of small arteries, arterioles, and capillaries. The pulmonary arteries are thinner (one-third the thickness of their counterpart systemic vessels) and have a larger diameter. The combined effect makes them much more distensible and compliant (approximately 7mL/mmHg). The venous circuit begins with the venules that drain the capillaries. They join to form smaller veins and eventually merge to form the main pulmonary veins draining into the left atrium. Like the arteries, the pulmonary veins are thinner and more distensible than the counterpart systemic veins and accommodate more blood because of their larger compliance. Lymphatics play a crucial role in maintaining a dry alveolar membrane and preventing accumulation of tissue fluid around the pulmonary circulation. They can be found close to the terminal bronchioles and drain the mediastinal lymphatics before emptying into the right lymphatic duct.
Title: Physiology, Pulmonary Ventilation and Perfusion
Authors: Powers KA, Dhamoon AS.
Journal: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-.
Link to full text: Physiology, Pulmonary Ventilation and Perfusion
Abstract: One of the major roles of the lungs is to facilitate gas exchange between the circulatory system and the external environment. The lungs are composed of branching airways that terminate in respiratory bronchioles and alveoli, which participate in gas exchange. Most bronchioles and large airways are part of the conducting zone of the lung, which delivers gas to sites of gas exchange in alveoli. Gas exchange occurs in the lungs between alveolar air and the blood of the pulmonary capillaries. For effective gas exchange to occur, alveoli must be ventilated and perfused. Ventilation (V) refers to the flow of air into and out of the alveoli, while perfusion (Q) refers to the flow of blood to alveolar capillaries. Individual alveoli have variable degrees of ventilation and perfusion in different regions of the lungs. Collective changes in ventilation and perfusion in the lungs are measured clinically using the ratio of ventilation to perfusion (V/Q). Changes in the V/Q ratio can affect gas exchange and can contribute to hypoxemia.
Title: Hyperventilation-induced changes of blood cell counts depend on hypocapnia
Authors: Stäubli M, Vogel F, Bärtsch P, Flückiger G, Ziegler WH.
Journal: Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1994;69(5):402-7. doi: 10.1007/BF00865403. PMID: 7875136.
Link to PubMed: Hyperventilation-induced changes of blood cell counts depend on hypocapnia
Abstract: Voluntary hyperventilation for 20 min causes haemoconcentration and an increase of white blood cell and thrombocyte numbers. In this study, we investigated whether these changes depend on the changes of blood gases or on the muscle work of breathing. A group of 12 healthy medical students breathed 36 l.min-1 of air, or air with 5% CO2 for a period of 20 min. The partial pressure of CO2 decreased by 21.4 mmHg (2.85 kPa; P < 0.001) with air and by 4.1 mmHg (0.55 kPa; P < 0.005) with CO2 enriched air. This was accompanied by haemoconcentration of 8.9% with air (P < 0.01) and of 1.6% with CO2 enriched air (P < 0.05), an increase in the lymphocyte count of 42% with air (P < 0.001) and no change with CO2 enriched air, and an increase of the platelet number of 8.4% with air (P < 0.01) and no change with CO2 enriched air. The number of neutrophil granulocytes did not change during the experiments, but 75 min after deep breathing of air, band-formed neutrophils had increased by 82% (P < 0.025), whereas they were unchanged 75 min after the experiment with CO2 enriched air. Adrenaline and noradrenaline increased by 360% and 151% during the experiment with air, but remained unchanged with CO2 enriched air. It was concluded that the changes in the white blood cell and platelet counts and of the plasma catecholamine concentrations during and after voluntary hyperventilation for 20 min were consequences of marked hypocapnic alkalosis.
