DEAR Dr. Fritz,
Greetings to you. Call me Jumbo. I have just one concern with the use of face masks which is mandatory these days. I feel deprived of air whenever I use them. This is why I am asking if face masks will limit the oxygen flow. Could this not affect the oxygen level when we are rebreathing carbon dioxide?
Thanks and hope to hear from you soon.
Jumbo of Skyline
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Dear Jumbo of Skyline,
I feel you and I fully understand your concern. I feel that too at the start of wearing these face masks. I felt I was out of breath. But, the truth is, the average face mask may really be uncomfortable, but, research has shown that it does not limit oxygen flow to the lungs even to those with severe lung disease. This was based on the study on 15 healthy physicians and 15 military veterans with severely impaired lungs where the effect of wearing surgical masks on the body’s gas exchange was tested — where their body…
