For that puff of oxygen

Anurag Kaul

It was a few years back that we moved to a multistoried apartment society in Pune. A boon, given the facilities one gets to enjoy in a gated housing complex. But these can turn into a bane if the power supply plays hide and seek every now and then, more so if your apartment is on one of the upper floors. When the elevator stops in the middle of nowhere following a power cut, few minutes that the power back-up takes to connect can be a nightmarish experience for some, especially the senior citizens, as it happened with one of our neighbours, Vibha Sethi.
A ninth floor resident, Sethi was returning home after her daily walk when the elevator stalled, between the second and third floors. Though it came back to life within a few minutes, she had already pressed the emergency button as she felt nauseated, and was sweating and gasping for breath.
As we gathered and were thinking of how to help her, another neighbour Chandan Mishra quickly brought in a portable oxygen canister for the lady. He opened the cup atop the canister and attached the mask with the nozzle. He then put the mask on her mouth and made her take three-four quick puffs and asked her to exhale without holding it. In no time, she was breathing normal.
My attention moved to the canister. I had not seen such a product earlier. “It is Oxyzone,” Chandan told us, “It contains natural oxygen, and can be used to enhance metabolic activities, yoga and pranayaam efficiency. One can use it as a first aid tool for acute conditions like COPD, sudden choking and suffocation like we did some time back.”
He told us Oxyzone can also tackle silent hypoxia caused by Covid-19. “You can use it after your HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) or jog for instant energy backup and maximise the efficiency of your recovery,” Chandan explained.
For a 12 litre (which gives around 250 sprays) Oxyzone portable canister, you need to shell out Rs 650. A good product for those living in high-rises, no doubt.