Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

The benefits of HBOT are becoming quite clear. And surprisingly these benefits are more pervasive than originaly thought.

The first known use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy was as a treatment for decompression sickness in divers. This sickness was known as "the bends." This was caused when ascending from underwater, nitrogen gas bubbles formed in the lungs, tissues and bloodstream. Blood flow was blocked, with disastrous results, and blood vessels could be damaged. Hyperbaric treatment neutralized the effects of this nitrogen sickness. The benefits of hyperbaric oxygen were clear in this instance.

Today, the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society has approved use of hyperbaric oxygen for several other conditions besides the bends. The length and number of treatments depends on the condition and its severity.

Actually, scientists and Doctors have been aware of the benefits of "oxygen under pressure" for over 200 years. After Joseph Priestley's discovery of oxygen in the late 1700s, other doctors began to experiment with ways to use oxygen as a treatment for illness. Take a look at our history section to learn more about the early adopters of oxygen therapy.

The Healing Powers of Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment

Oxygen is essential to proper healing of bodily tissues, whether it's skin, muscle or bone. In most cases, the act of breathing combined with a healthy network of veins and arteries provide enough oxygen for body tissues to heal. However, in certain circumstances, hyperbaric oxygen treatment is used to substantially increase oxygen flow within tissues to improve healing.

Patients undergoing hyperbaric treatment are placed in a chamber where 100% oxygen is circulated. The oxygen is pressurized so that air pressure may be two to three times greater than normal. This helps the lungs and skin to absorb more concentrated oxygen in a shorter period of time.

According to the New York Times, Hyperbaric oxygen can be life-saving for patients with the bends. For those suffering from severe carbon monoxide poisoning, the most rigorous study so far found that three hyperbaric treatments decreased cognitive damage later.

Traumas like crush injuries and thermal burns that deprive tissues of adequate oxygen also benefit from high-oxygen therapy, as do life-threatening infections called necrotizing fasciitis, if the condition is treated in its early stages, the experts in Virginia reported. The therapy may also be useful for sepsis, a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection in the blood and tissues.

These are the benefits that are well documented and pretty much accepted by the Medical community. But there may well be far more benefits of hyperbaric oxygen than are commonly known.

The effects are really quite clear...

• Increases neuronal energy metabolism in the brain
• Can create sustained cognitive improvement
• Wakes up sleeping (idling) brain cells that are metabolizing enough to stay alive but are not actively "firing"
• Enhances the body's ability to fight bacterial and viral infections
• Deactivates toxins and poisons (e.g. side effects from some chemotherapy, spider bites, air pollution, etc.)
• Enhances wound healing by stimulating the growth of new capillaries into the injured area
• Creates an immediate aerobic state
• Removes free radicals
• Reduces tissue swelling
• Acts as an anti-inflammatory

But exactly where these effects can be put to use is not so clear. Many patients claim positive results for things like cerebral palsy, autism, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and many other afflictions. Unfortuneately the medical community is not in agreement on the accuracy of these claims. Yet many patients would argue with these doctors.

» Feel free to browse our site and come to you own conclusions.