PodcastDX20 Touko 2025

Dangers of Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous oxide, also sometimes known as "laughing gas," is used in medicine for its sedative and anesthetic (pain prevention) properties. Joseph Priestley, an English chemist, and multidisciplinary scholar, first synthesized nitrous oxide, which has the chemical formula N2O, in 1772. After Priestley's initial discovery of this substance, fellow chemist Humphry Davy performed various tests on the substance, including breathing the gas alone, with oxygen, and with air. Through this testing, it became clear that nitrous oxide had psychogenic properties, including as a sedative and anesthetic (pain-preventer).

At first, nitrous oxide was not used for its medicinal properties; it was sold recreationally as "laughing gas." However, it was established for use in dentistry in the mid-1860s to relieve discomfort from tooth extractions and other painful dental procedures. By the 1880s, it was used for anesthesia during labor and childbirth.

Today, nitrous oxide is still used in dentistry, during labor and childbirth, as well as in emergency medicine. When used medicinally, nitrous oxide is delivered with 30-70% oxygen so a person is never breathing in 100% nitrous oxide. Breathing in 100% nitrous oxide displaces oxygen from the lungs and can result in asphyxiation, damage the body's organs, and even death.

Nitrous oxide is sometimes misused recreationally for its euphoric, pleasurable and hallucinogenic effects. However, inhaling nitrous oxide outside of medical settings can be dangerous and even deadly, particularly when used heavily. Although it's not common, repeated use of inhalants like nitrous oxide and whippets can also result in addiction, or substance use disorder. (CREDITS)

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(440)

EECP The Most Underutilized Therapy in Medicine

Retired U.S. Coast Guard Master Chief Petty Officer Jack Clifford joins PodcastDX to share how severe chronic angina once limited even everyday activities and left him facing the possibility of triple...

25 Elo 44min

Diary of An Epileptic

In this episode of PodcastDX, we speak with Allany Muniz, founder of Diary of an Epileptic, about the realities of living with epilepsy beyond what most people see. Allany shares how her diagnosis cha...

18 Elo 28min

Memory Villages

Memory Villages explores the promise and the questions surrounding dementia villages—care communities designed to feel more like neighborhoods than institutions. We discuss how familiar surroundings, ...

11 Elo 17min

Ebola

In this PodcastDX episode, Lita and Jean Marie unpack Ebola as a severe but not casually spread viral disease, explaining that infection requires direct contact with blood or other body fluids or cont...

4 Elo 23min

Sunscreen

In this week's episode of PodcastDX, Lita and Jean Marie break down why sunscreen is about far more than avoiding a bad sunburn—it's everyday cancer prevention. They explain how UV damage happens whil...

28 Heinä 17min

Vagus Nerve Reset

In this solo PodcastDX episode, Lita introduces the concept of the vagus nerve and explains why it has become such a focus in wellness, neurology, psychiatry, and online health spaces. She describes t...

21 Heinä 17min

When Seconds Matter

"When Seconds Matter" is a strong, urgent PodcastDX episode. It is a personal story about emergency response and the critical minutes before help arrives. It's focused on recognizing danger early, ca...

14 Heinä 14min

Heart, Brain & Immunity: New Clues After a Heart Attack

After a heart attack, the story doesn't end in the arteries. In this episode of PodcastDX, Lita and Jean Marie explore new science showing how the heart, brain, and immune system talk to each other du...

26 Touko 19min