Apparatus for cardiovascular conditioning and other physiological purposes

Abstract

An apparatus for cardiovascular conditioning, alternative bodily waste elimination and other physiological purposes includes a chamber in which a person is subjected to an environmental temperature elevated sufficiently to cause profuse sweating and increased heart rate. Very low humidity air is blown across the persons's body to achieve rapid evaporation of the perspiration. A dehumidifying system which may be associated with the chamber includes means for recovering the evaporated perspiration and expired moisture. Heart exercise is achieved by a regimen of periodic sessions in the chamber, over the course of which the environmental temperature progressively is raised to place increasing demand on the heart and vascular system. Cardiovascular conditioning results from the increased heart activity and concomitant increased blood flow to the eccrine glands that produce the perspiration. The person is quite comfortable, since the rapid sweat evaporation leaves the body surface comparatively dry, with very little increase in internal body temperature. The apparatus can be used as a substitute for an artificial kidney, since the waste products in blood can be eliminated by sweat glands. The patient remains in the chamber until the amount of recovered evaporated perspiration has a urea and uric acid, creatinine, etc. content equivalent to that which normally would be eliminated by the kidneys in the time between sessions in the chamber.

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