Heart patients are exposed to CO2 in the mofetta in Transylvania (right); a flame goes out if there’s not enough oxygen (left)
Estonian smoke saunas are used for health and spiritual purposes (left); natural mofetta pools in Transylvania (right)
in the production of sex hormones: testosterone and oestradiol, a type of oestrogen produced in the ovaries. Thus it’s successfully used to reverse gynaeco- logical problems and sexual dysfunction and to relieve menopause symptoms. CO2 is also prescribed to be delivered
by hypodermic injection into the muscles of the back (see p46). The principle effect is pain reduction, because when CO2 is received through the skin, it causes the blood vessels to relax and allows blood to flow more quickly around the body. In Transylvania, CO2 is administered
in another form to treat patients with hypertension and related heart disorders. At the Dr Benedek Ge’za Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Hospital in Covasna, the state pays for the treatment of 14,000 people a year. Here patients stand, fully clothed and en masse in a wooden
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amphitheatre in which air with a 96 per cent concentration of CO2 escapes from the underlying fissures in the rock. This sort of exposure also causes the blood vessels to relax and encourages a greater flow of oxygen around the body, as well as increasing blood flow to the heart. Carbon dioxide is denser than air, which
means it doesn’t rise above a certain height. However, to be sure, conditions in the pit are still carefully monitored – with a lit flame that goes out if there’s not enough oxygen – to ensure that CO2 is not the main gas that’s inhaled. These particular treatments in
Transylvania are officially known as mofetta. The sessions are restricted to 20 minutes, after which mild breathlessness sets in. For heart healthy patients in the region, mofetta is colloquially known as natural viagra because of how CO2
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Extreme hot and cold temperatures are used to improve circulation in smoke saunas
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