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The Medical Benefits of Carbon Monoxide

Posted by Soulskill on from the my-garage-is-my-laboratory dept.

tugfoigel writes with this excerpt from the Boston Globe: "For more than a century, carbon monoxide has been known as a deadly toxin. In an 1839 story, Edgar Allan Poe wrote of 'miraculous lustre of the eye' and 'nervous agitation' in what some believe are descriptions of carbon monoxide poisoning, and today, cigarette cartons warn of its health dangers. But a growing body of research, much of it by local scientists, is revealing a paradox: the gas often called a silent killer could also be a medical treatment. It seems like a radical contradiction, but animal studies show that in small, extremely controlled doses the gas has benefits in everything from infections to organ transplantation."

5 of 177 comments (clear)

  1. Gee whiz! by mcsnee · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Something that is bad for us in high doses may be beneficial in low doses?! Next they'll be telling us that exposure to radiation and toxins can help cure cancer, or that the same stuff that rusts away unprotected steel and iron is actually necessary for animal life!

    1. Re:Gee whiz! by xTantrum · · Score: 5, Insightful
      seriously people this isn't that "paradoxical". Chem 101. As (arsenic) is also deadly but its also an essential biological trace element. Its about moderation.

      Sometimes i can't believe i still surf this place.

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    2. Re:Gee whiz! by Gabrill · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Because multicellular organisms like homo sapiens can survive a poison that virii or bacteria cannot. Hasn't that been the basis of a great deal of medicine for over a century now?

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  2. not a paradox by fermion · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Almost anything is lethal in large doses, and many things are fatal in even small doses. Those same things are often of some benefit in very small doses. For instance, Botulinum toxin. We use small and weakened versions of virus to immunize ourselves. Most medicines can kill children who ingest a moderate overdose. A little alcohol can be antiseptic, which is why many places in the world used to drink with their food, but too much alcohol is lethal.

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  3. Most all posions by nurb432 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Have their medicinal values. Most medicines become poisonous at a certain level too, so there is some symmetry to it all.

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