Adaptive Contrast involves both hypoxia (characterized by reduced oxygen content in the air, similar to Altitude Training) and hyperoxia (characterized by higher oxygen levels, similar to EWOT). EWOT contrast systems allow switching between hypoxia and hyperoxia.

Hypoxia (low oxygen levels) makes the tissues starved of oxygen. To counter this, the body increases blood flow to the area to restore oxygen. The body uses vasodilation, which involves the relaxation and dilation of blood vessels to facilitate the transportation of oxygen-rich blood.

In short, Adaptive Contrast EWOT systems are designed to create a hypoxic state to starve your body of oxygen for short periods. The idea behind this is that it causes the blood vessels in your body to dilate and allow more oxygen uptake when you switch back to a hyperoxic state.

Suppose you’re a professional athlete who regularly engages in anaerobic training and uses EWOT for performance enhancement. In that case, contrast training might help you get that tiny bit of competitive edge you’ve been longing for. Anaerobic training is when your body doesn’t have adequate oxygen to balance the physical demands. This in turn, generates a stress response that eventually results in recovery.

If you’re a wellness seeker, athlete or someone who uses EWOT for recovery and healing, contrast training might not be your cup of tea. This is because contrast training puts your body into a hypoxic state and this can increase the inflammation in your body, as hypoxia and inflammation are two sides of the same coin.

For those dealing with athletics or chronic illnesses, the body often has hypoxic areas, leading to inflammation. Inflammation can lead to brain fog, low energy, and joint and nerve pains associated with chronic conditions, including cancer, Lyme disease, and traumatic brain injuries.

In fact, Exercise with Oxygen Therapy is beneficial for chronic illnesses as it helps counteract hypoxia and reduce inflammation by increasing oxygen levels in the body. With EWOT, you can get more oxygen than in a 60-minute Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy session and all the added benefits of exercise and the improvement in blood and lymph circulation.

Did you know we humans (in fact, all mammals) have oxygen-sensing mechanisms in their bodies? These mechanisms help them adapt rapidly to hypoxic states by increasing respiratory rate, blood circulation, and survival responses. If the body has an inadequate supply of oxygen for a long period, some additional mechanisms that rely on oxygen-sensing prolyl hydroxylases try to reinstate oxygenation or help the body adjust to hypoxic conditions.

Hypoxia, or low oxygen levels in tissues, and inflammation share a close and interdependent relationship. Recent studies indicate the role of hypoxia-induced inflammation or inflammation associated with hypoxic conditions in the progression of a broad spectrum of human diseases.

The inflammatory diseases are often chracterized by hypoxia in tissues, or by the stabilization of hypoxia-dependent transcription factors, particularly hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). For instance, inflammatory bowel disease is often characterized by severe hypoxia of the mucosal surface along with intestinal inflammation.

On the other hand, disease conditions that are caused by hypoxia are characterized by secondary inflammatory changes.

Dealing with chronic illnesses or injuries? Hypoxia is your tough opponent as it causes more inflammation. With EWOT, we have a way to open up our blood vessels and pump extra oxygen into our blood, giving our bodies more of what they need to heal.

Here’s why we don’t offer Adaptive Contrast Training:

Here’s how:

Adaptive Contrast Training, also known as Hypoxic Switching, involves both hypoxia (characterized by reduced oxygen content in the air, similar to Altitude Training) and hyperoxia (characterized by higher oxygen levels, similar to TURBO EWOT). The drawback of the contrast training approach is that hypoxia increases inflammation, which can be a setback to the healing process.

The Adaptive Contrast training is all about sucking more oxygen from the body like that last little drop of juice from an orange. That may reduce the aerobic O2 reserve way beyond what might be healthy for the heart and other vital organs.

Our Turbo Oxygen (EWOT) System, with its PATENTED Dual-Inlet Turbo Mega Flow Mask, is designed to deliver an enhanced oxygen experience, eliminating the need to compromise the aerobic O2 reserve. So, you’ll find yourself needing less to no altitude training to achieve remarkable outcomes.

You don’t have to invest in an expensive adaptive contrast system to experience the effects of contrast/interval training. These systems, often priced between $5,000 and $20,000 or more, not only come with a hefty cost but also provide a cumbersome experience.

Interval training is a lot about carbon dioxide levels that are absolutely critical to oxygen absorption. A simple way to mimic contrast training is increasing or decreasing CO2 levels, as insufficient CO2 can raise or lower O2 cellular absorption and associated inflammation. A CO2 reduction technique can be increasing the breathing rate, which will reduce O2 absorption and often invite shortness of breath (SOB), including symptoms of asthma. This is often called hyperventilation.

As you are exercising and breathing faster than usual and want to avoid hyperventilation/hypercapnia (excessive CO2 buildup), you can simply slow your breathing rate such as 1 second inhale - 2 second exhale or 1 second inhale - 3 or 4 or 5 second exhale helps to maintain or increase CO2 levels and avoid what is called hypocapnia. This is the essence of interval training. When you get it right, you’ll get a comfortable “feel”.

Another CO2 increase technique is holding your breath for 3-10 seconds during your EWOT workout. Every one to two minutes, a brief breath-holding session can replicate the hypocapnia vasodilation effect achieved in a low-oxygen environment. Holding your breath means you receive 0% oxygen. Your body quickly responds to this low-oxygen state by dilating the blood vessels within 3-10 seconds. Mike White prefers the incremental slower, non-breathholding approach as it makes CO2 levels less extreme based on hunger for air sensations and thus more manageable and measurable.

The main advantage of this interval approach is its cost-effectiveness - saving your money on an expensive contrast-based system. In addition to this, as there’s no switch, it simplifies your overall EWOT experience.

NOTE: We do not recommend a breath-holding approach for persons with chronic illnesses due to potential anxiety and inflammatory side effects. Consult your healthcare practitioner with any questions you might have.

While both the Standard EWOT Systems and Contrast Training aim to enhance oxygen utilization, wellness conditioning, and overall fitness, the key lies in selecting the system that aligns with your goals and budget.

The bottom line is to stick with the system that consistently delivers the desired and effective outcomes for an optimized Exercise with Oxygen Therapy experience.