Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a type of treatment used to speed up healing of carbon monoxide poisoning, gangrene, wounds that won't heal, and infections in which tissues are starved for oxygen.
For this therapy, you enter a special chamber to breathe in pure oxygen in air pressure levels 1.5 to 3 times higher than average. The goal is to fill the blood with enough oxygen to repair tissues and restore normal body function.
Facts about hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was first used in the U.S. in the early 20th century. The therapy was tried again in the 1940s when the U.S. Navy used it to treat deep-sea divers who had decompression sickness. By the 1960s, the therapy was also used to treat carbon monoxide poisoning.
Today, it's still used to treat sick scuba divers and people with carbon monoxide poisoning, including firefighters and miners. It has also been approved for more than a dozen conditions ranging from burns to bone disease, including:
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Cyanide poisoning
Crush injuries
Decompression sickness
Diabetic wounds that are not healing properly
Be aware that HBOT has not been considered safe and effective for treating certain conditions. These include HIV/AIDs, brain injury, heart disease, stroke, asthma, depression, spinal cord injury, and sports injuries.
News on the Brain Injury Front
A recent systematic review published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology has found that hyperbaric oxygen may be a safe and effective treatment for mild brain injuries.
The review was conducted by Dr. Paul G. Harch, a clinical professor of medicine at Louisiana State University’s Emergency Medicine Residency Program in New Orleans. Harch is also an expert on hyperbaric oxygen therapy, according to his website.
The review examined the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat persistent post-concussion syndrome. This syndrome occurs when patients who have had concussions experience symptoms for at least three months.
According to the Mayo Clinic, post-concussion symptoms include, but are not limited to
Anxiety
Blurry vision
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty sleeping
Dizziness
Fatigue
Headaches that are painful and persistent and may feel like migraines
Sensitivity to noise and light
Tinnitus
The review included six randomized trials, one case-controlled study, one case series, and three case reports. All of the studies were small, involving fewer than 75 patients per study.
Despite the relatively small sample sizes, the studies included in the review had low levels of bias, leading Harch to conclude that there was strong evidence for the recommendation of using hyperbaric oxygen to treat persistent post-concussion mild traumatic brain injuries.
How does HBOT work?
HBOT helps wound healing by bringing oxygen-rich plasma to tissue starved for oxygen. Wound injuries damage the body's blood vessels, which release fluid that leaks into the tissues and causes swelling. This swelling deprives the damaged cells of oxygen, and tissue starts to die. HBOT reduces swelling while flooding the tissues with oxygen. The higher pressure in the chamber increases the amount of oxygen in the blood. HBOT aims to break the cycle of swelling, oxygen starvation, and tissue death.
HBOT encourages the formation of new collagen and new skin cells. It does so by encouraging new blood vessel to grow. It also stimulates cells to produce certain substances, like vascular endothelial growth factor. These attract and stimulate endothelial cells needed for healing.
Precautions
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not for everyone. It shouldn't be used by people who have had a recent ear surgery or injury, a cold or fever, or certain types of lung disease.
The most common complication after HBOT is trauma to the middle ear. There are others. Treatments are offered by many “clinics” that may not be fully able to assess your health needs. The decision to use hyperbaric oxygen therapy must be carefully made after a discussion with your healthcare provider.
Photo: Munson Healthcare / Sources include Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Jennifer Margulis PhD., as published in The Epoch Times