Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is super effective in boosting the body’s healing process.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy supplies the body with pure oxygen, and that is the science behind its success rates. We all know, oxygen is the basis of all living processes in the body.

In the past, people used hyperbaric oxygen in treating decompression sickness. But now, it turns out that supplying your body with pure oxygen can help fix some health issues, enhance body processes, and optimizes health.

The result of inhaling pure oxygen is usually a wellness boost. But how does it do that? And is it just pure bliss or are there downsides?

Read on to find all you need to know about hyperbaric oxygen therapy before having the session.

In hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a specialized air pressure chamber is used to increase oxygen in the blood. The air we breathe contains 21% oxygen and 79% other gases. However, with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, you inhale pure oxygen. (1)

“hyper” means higher than usual, and “baric” is weight or anything associated with air pressure.

Therefore, hyperbaric means higher pressure than usual.

The pressure in a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber is usually twice or thrice higher than the normal atmospheric pressure. The pressure in the hyperbaric chamber needs to be high; otherwise, the body tissues and fluids will not absorb enough oxygen. With the increased pressure, 100% oxygen is absorbed in the blood, body fluids, lymph nodes, and bone tissue.

Note: The high pressure and inhalation of pure oxygen enable your body cells and tissues to hold up to two times their average concentration of oxygen.

How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Work?

There are two ways you can inhale hyperbaric oxygen:

• Monoplace or tube: This is a unit that accommodates one person per time. You will lie on a rectangular table that will slide into a clear plastic chamber.
• Multiperson hyperbaric chamber: This chamber looks like the inside of an airplane and can accommodate ten patients per session. You may lie or sit as you receive the oxygen. You will receive the oxygen through transparent oxygen hoods placed over your head or through an oxygen mask.

There is no difference; whether you go for monoplace or multiperson hyperbaric oxygen room, you will still enjoy similar benefits.

The pure oxygen first gets absorbed by the lungs as usual and then transported to the body tissues via the heart and blood vessels. The effectiveness now comes when the oxygen is transported to the body tissues that need it the most.

Think of it as saturating the body cells with the needed oxygen, which helps the body heal itself.

Note: It is usually an outpatient procedure, but it can be done while you are hospitalized.

The use of hyperbaric oxygen can be traced back to the 1900s by the US Navy. From then, more and more research has been done, and its medical use became more popular in the 60s.

It continues to become more recognized, thanks to the benefits it keeps showing.

We discuss some of the proven hyperbaric oxygen therapy benefits you could get below.

Wound Healing

Wounds damage body tissues and blood vessels. The damaged blood vessels leak fluids into the tissues resulting in swelling.

The swelling deprives the damaged cells of needed oxygen.

Lack of oxygen for the damaged tissue means one thing- they begin to die.

Hyperbaric oxygen works effectively in supplying the oxygen needed for wound healing. It does so by:

• reducing swelling
• alleviating oxygen starvation in the tissues
• bringing back to life the dying tissues

If you have a slow or non-healing wound, the solution will be to get hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

This is also used to treat patients with diabetic wounds and diabetic foot ulcers that are not healing.

Decompression Sickness

Hyperbaric oxygen is a well-known treatment for decompression sickness, which is a potential risk of scuba diving. It is from treating decompression sickness that hyperbaric oxygen therapy gained popularity.

 During scuba diving, nitrogen may accumulate in your body. If the diver resurfaces too quickly, the nitrogen may form air bubbles in the muscles, joints, skin, and other body parts, causing decompression sickness.

The symptoms of decompression sickness include:

• pain
• numbness
• nausea and vomiting

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy nourishes your body with the needed oxygen, which eventually cures decompression sickness.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Treatment

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is recommended as a treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning. Some of the causes of carbon monoxide poisoning may include:

• Heavy smoking
• Inhalation of combustion fumes from powerboats, cars, charcoal grills and cars, gas appliances, kerosene space heaters and woodstoves

The therapy rapidly replaces oxygen in your red blood cells and eliminates carbon monoxide.

If not dealt with rapidly, carbon monoxide saturation may start damaging the brain and heart cells.

Improved Blood Flow

More oxygen in the blood means that more blood vessels and blood cells develop. This helps transport blood with extra oxygen to body parts and areas that were deprived before.

Severe Anemia Treatment

Severe anemia is a potential risk to many pregnant women. Fortunately, HBO therapy is an approved treatment for severe anemia.

Remember: Anemia occurs when you lack enough red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. Oxygen insufficiency in the body cells leads to symptoms such as:

• permanent tissue damage
• dysfunctional muscle tissues
• fatigue and weakness (your body lacks oxygen needed to manufacture energy)

In addition, breathing pure oxygen in hyperbaric chambers is a front-line treatment choice for sickle cell anemia. Hyperbaric oxygenation helps stabilize oxygen deficiency, and therefore, helps stabilize and fix severe anemia.

Hyperbaric Oxygen and Reperfusion Injury Prevention

Reperfusion injury happens when the blood supply in the tissues resumes back to normal after a period of deprivation. This happens when the body releases harmful oxygen radicals, especially after a crush injury.

The harmful radicals:

• irreversibly damage the body tissues
• clamps blood vessels
• stops blood flow

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy prevents the progression of these symptoms by replacing the harmful oxygen molecules with pure and safe oxygen.

Boosts the Body’s Immune System

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy disables the toxins of certain kinds of bacteria. It does so by increasing the oxygen concentration in the tissues. High oxygen concentration in the tissues in the body boosts the willpower to resist and fight infections.

Furthermore, hyperbaric medicine increases the power of white blood cells to find and destroy disease-causing microorganisms.

Collagen and New Skin Cells Formation

HBOT enhances the formation of collagen or new connective tissues. The formation of collagen is directly linked to the development of younger and healthier skin.

 Enough oxygen on the skin cells is a sure way to achieve healthier and glowy skin as hyperbaric treatment enhances blood vessel formation and stimulates vascular endothelial growth factors, stimulating endothelial cells’ healing power.

Bone and Tissue Treatment

Hyperbaric treatment is the critical treatment used in the prevention of bone and tissue loss. Also, it is used in treating patients with radiation exposure.

Hyperbaric treatment also supports radiation injury patients as they undergo reconstructive surgeries.

The therapy is also known to provide better life quality to cancer patients or people who survived cancer.

The health benefits of hyperbaric oxygen are numerous. As stated already, enough oxygen is the basis of all the living processes in the body. And this can only mean that it can treat so many health conditions. (2) And thanks to the research and many success stories, the FDA has approved hyperbaric therapy in both emergency medicine and treating minor health conditions.

FDA-Approved Hyperbaric Therapy Uses

The FDA has approved the use of Hot in treating:

• Decompression illness(DCI)
• Anemia due to severe blood loss
• air or gas embolism
• some brain and sinus infections
• carbon monoxide poisoning
• heat or fire burns
• gas gangrene
• skin grafts
• necrotizing soft tissue infections
• arterial insufficiency, or low blood flow in the arteries
• chronic refractory osteomyelitis(A bone marrow infection)
• acute traumatic ischemia
• a radiation injury, from result of cancer treatment

Research and evidence have proved that these are safe and effective uses of hyperbaric oxygen.

Note: Medical insurance companies and Medicare finance the use of hyperbaric oxygen for treatment of these FDA-approved uses.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Uses Yet to get FDA approval

FDA has not approved the use of HBOT for the diseases mentioned below. However, there are some promising results and even success stories. More studies and research are needed to determine whether hyperbaric oxygen truly helps treat or manage the following conditions.

 FDA unapproved hyperbaric uses(Off-label) uses include:

• asthma
• bell’s palsy
• depression
• HIV & AIDS
• hepatitis
• migraine
• traumatic brain injury
• heart diseases
• cerebral palsy
• multiple sclerosis
• Alzheimer’s disease
• spinal cord and central nervous system injuries

Is there a risk of ‘too much’ oxygen in the tissues?

Just like any other treatment, hyperbaric oxygen therapy has its side effects. Therefore, doctors consider hyperbaric safe and natural. However, despite this, there are some side effects that you may experience. Many of the problems come up due to the sudden change in pressure.

Here are the potential hyperbaric oxygen side effects:

• Sinus problems and popping in the ears
• rupture of fluid build-up in the ears
• temporary nearsightedness
• Oxygen poisoning (After receiving a high concentration of oxygen) may result in seizures
• lung failure of collapse(also called barotrauma) due to sudden air pressure changes

So, to prevent or minimize hyperbaric oxygen therapy side effects such as oxygen poisoning, you can take short breaks during the sessions. Few minutes of pure oxygen followed by a few minutes of breathing regular air will help.

First of all, during hyperbaric oxygen therapy, you can sit, stand or lie down. The position you take will depend on the condition you are treating.

The sessions last for up to 2 hours. During the session, you may feel pressure in your ears, similar to airplane take-off or landing. This is due to the sudden increased air pressure.

Tip: Swallowing and chewing gum may help ‘pop’ the ears.

After the session, you are most likely to feel light-headed. You may have mild headaches and fatigue.

You may need several HBOT sessions to achieve your goals. The good thing is Medicaid, Medicare, and other insurance companies may help cover the costs.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Precautions

If you have had the following, hyperbaric oxygen therapy may not sit well with you;

• ear trauma or ear surgery( may damage middle ear)
• a lung disease
• cold or fever

Also, if you have claustrophobia or fear of small and confined places, sitting in hyperbaric oxygen chambers for two hours may not be agreeable with you.  

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has proven to be super effective in the medical treatment of many conditions. On the flip side, it remains controversial, mainly due to its use as an off-label medicine. We answer some hyperbaric medicine practices to enlighten more before you book your appointment.

What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy used for?

Wellness providers use hyperbaric in treating a plethora of health conditions. Its most common uses include treating decompression sickness, wound healing, treating severe anemia, and killing germs and carbon monoxide poisoning.

What are the risks of hyperbaric oxygen therapy?

HBOT may cause ear and lung problems. These problems arise mainly due to the sudden change in air pressure. Too much oxygen may also cause oxygen toxicity.

Is hyperbaric oxygen therapy effective?

Yes. Hyperbaric oxygen is highly effective in treating its FDA-approved uses. The science behind hyperbaric oxygen makes it super-effective. It adds more and more oxygen to the system, which in turn supports the healing process.

Oxygen is an essential element in body activities. Saturating your cells and body tissues with oxygen will therefore enhance your body’s healing and rejuvenation process. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy enables your blood to carry multiple times the average blood oxygen content. This, in turn, ensures all the oxygen-deprived areas are replenished. We love to equate this treatment to diving right into the sea of life. Yes, getting in that hyperbaric chamber is giving new life to your cells and tissues.

Go ahead, book that appointment and give your body the much-needed oxygenation and healing. Also, check out other e-Vita Wellness Services.

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Sources:

1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1114115/

2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3601859/