SMT: Multistep oxygen therapy according to Manfred von Ardenne

SMT consists of three components:

  1. Administration of vitamins and trace elements (vital substances)
  2. Supply of high concentrations of oxygen (usually 90 % to 99 %), sometimes also ionised (electrically charged)
  3. During the oxygen supply, exercise therapy is carried out on a bicycle ergometer or similar equipment

Areas of application of oxygen multistep therapy

  • Circulatory problems
  • Hearing disorders
  • Visual disorders
  • Tinnitus
  • General exhaustion
  • Accompanying cancer diseases
  • Birth preparation

Principle of oxygen multistep therapy

The first step is to prepare the body for a better supply of oxygen. This is done by administering vitamins, minerals, trace elements and special substances, which increases cellular oxygen uptake and ensures improved oxygen utilisation.

In the second step, 90% oxygen is inhaled. Inhalation is done through nasal cannulae or disposable masks. There are various options for this part of the therapy:

The most frequently performed are

a) the 18-day variant (concentrated oxygen is inhaled for 2 hours every day for 18 consecutive days)

b) the 10-day intensive variant (daily inhalation of ionised oxygen for 30 minutes on 10 days).

The ionised oxygen is even more active compared to non-ionised oxygen!

The third step is to support an improvement of the body’s blood circulation through movement exercises (treadmill, bicycle ergometer or by stimulating the brain’s blood circulation through mental activities (e.g. reading, solving puzzles).

Today, the original procedure is carried out in different variations and forms.

Critical notes on SMT:

  • Ionised oxygen is by definition an oxygen radical and thus damages mucous membranes, cells and tissue when inhaled. Prof. Ardenne himself has not found any effect that ionised oxygen (30 minutes duration) has an advantage over normal oxygen inhalation (2 hours duration) in his own earlier investigations.
  • That physical exercise causes an improvement in blood circulation and blood flow properties and thus an increase in well-being and performance is beyond question!
  • That the administration of food supplements (vitamins, minerals, secondary plant substances, etc.) has a positive effect on well-being and physical performance in the case of a deficit is also beyond question.
  • Normal breathing air contains approx. 21% oxygen and approx. 78% nitrogen. Of this 21% oxygen, only a quarter is absorbed by the body under optimal conditions and bound to haemoglobin. Three quarters of the inhaled oxygen is exhaled unused.
  • This means that, except in cases of severe lung disease, the blood is usually sufficiently saturated with oxygen and cannot bind/transport any more. The increased inhaled and supplied oxygen is directly exhaled again because it cannot be used.

Whether there is a lack of oxygen in the blood can be very easily determined by an oximeter/pulse oximeter. These devices (usually as a finger clip) measure the oxygen saturation in the blood as a percentage (finger clip on the finger). 96% to 98% means optimal oxygen saturation.

In the case of lung diseases such as COPD (chronic bronchitis), pulmonary emphysema, pulmonary sarcoidosis, pulmonary fibrosis, the oxygen saturation falls below this value and makes a supply of concentrated oxygen necessary. If a measurement shows 98% saturation and oxygen is then inhaled, it cannot be bound because the haemoglobin is already saturated. However, if the oxygen is still ionised (supply of oxygen radicals), damage to the mucous membranes, cells and tissue in the area of the nose, throat and bronchial cavity cannot be prevented.

History of oxygen multistep therapy

The Dresden physicist Manfred von Ardenne (1907-1997) began to investigate the effect of oxygen in the 1970s in a self-experiment. His research was based on the findings of the cancer researcher Otto Warburg. Von Ardenne was able to show that the daily inhalation of highly concentrated oxygen over a certain period of time can reinforce an age-related reduced circulation of the blood in the capillaries. This effect can even last for weeks to months after the therapy. In 1978, Ardenne brought his procedure to the market.