We’re living in a world where individuals seek not just comfort but a healthy mind and body. In this era of holistic wellbeing, hyperbaric therapy emerges as a strong comprehensive treatment approach. It’s like a quiet and powerful way of rejuvenation.
The idea of hyperbaric therapy is not new to the medical field!
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) has gained a lot of popularity in the past few years. Nonetheless, medical professionals have been using hyperbaric chambers for decades to treat numerous medical conditions.
HBOT Therapy and Hyperbaric Chambers
Oxygen is an extremely vital element in the human body. A lack of enough oxygen can lead to various health issues, affecting vital organs such as the brain and heart, and compromising overall physical and neurological functions.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a non-invasive treatment approach that supplies 100% oxygen to the body. The therapy involves an enclosed pressurized chamber, called a hyperbaric chamber, where the atmospheric pressure is higher than normal air pressure.
Individuals undergoing HBOT therapy can lie down or sit inside a hyperbaric chamber and breathe pure oxygen. The therapy sessions are conducted in the presence of a professional supervisor.
Benefits of Hyperbaric Chamber in Holistic Treatment
Health experts consider hyperbaric chambers as an effective tool for treating a wide range of medical conditions. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved hyperbaric chambers for treating 13 medical conditions:
- Air and gas bubbles in blood vessels
- Anemia
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Decompression sickness
- Gas gangrene
- Burns
- Skin graft flap at risk of tissue death
- Hearing loss (that occurs suddenly)
- Infection of the skin and bone
- Radiation injury
- Crush injury
- Vision loss (due to blockage of blood flow)
- Wounds (non-healing, diabetic foot ulcers)
Many more medical conditions are believed to be treated with hyperbaric therapy. However, the FDA’s approval for those conditions is still under consideration.
Below are five medical conditions in which hyperbaric oxygen therapy has shown a positive response.
Bone Injury
When a bone is injured, it causes inflammation in the surrounding area, leading to fluid build-up and continuous tissue swelling.
As a result, the blood vessels around the damaged area become compressed and cause obstruction in blood and oxygen flow to the particular part of the body.
Due to a lack of oxygen supply, injuries to the muscles and bones take time to heal.
Hyperbaric therapy supplies oxygen to the body, which is 2 to 3 times more than the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases oxygen delivery in the body, reducing the tissue healing duration. In this way, HBOT helps treat bone injury faster.
Cognitive Disorders
Oxygen is extremely important for brain cells to function properly.
Oxygen deficiency leads to dilated blood vessels and damaged tissues, causing inflammation, swelling, and pain in brain cell tissues.
According to health experts, inflammation and damaged brain tissues could be one of the primary causes of neurological disorders in adults and children.
Oxygen has anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, by supplying the brain cells with pure oxygen, HBOT therapy can enhance cognitive functions.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), including mild TBI or concussion, hinder oxygen flow to the affected area of the brain. Hyperbaric chambers force a high proportion of oxygen into the oxygen-starved brain tissues, healing them.
Cardiovascular Diseases
Several studies have found that HBOT therapy enhances cardiac function.
The therapy has shown promise in reducing stroke rehabilitation and the likelihood of a second ischemic stroke. Myocardial ischemia is a serious cardiovascular disease that reduces the blood flow in the heart, often leading to heart attack.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy prevents tissue death during this cardiac emergency by increasing oxygen-enriched blood flow to the heart.
Long-term COVID
Following recovery from the initial infection, long-term COVID-19 symptoms, such as brain fog, can persist for weeks or months.
Several clinical studies have shown that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can alleviate lingering COVID-19 effects and offer hope to individuals managing persistent issues.
Aging
The cells in our body eventually cease to divide and become senescent or dormant. One of the major factors contributing to aging is the increasing number of senescent cells in the body.
Hyperbaric chambers boost oxygen dissolution in the cell tissues, promoting new cell generation in the body.
By supplying nutrient-rich blood and unaltered oxygen to the inactive tissues, HBOT therapy supports new tissue growth, reducing the number of senescent cells.
The Future of Holistic Treatment Through Hyperbaric Chambers
The atmospheric air we breathe contains 21% of oxygen and 79% of other components. However, inside a hyperbaric chamber, individuals can inhale 100% unaltered oxygen, which helps treat a variety of medical conditions.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves blood circulation, rejuvenates cells, and boosts the body’s ability to fight against harmful pathogens. The therapy can effectively treat physical injuries as well as psychological disorders.
Continuous studies and clinical trials are going on to explore more about the efficiency of hyperbaric chambers in treating numerous medical conditions. Health experts believe that in the upcoming years, we might encounter more unrevealed potencies of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in holistic healthcare.
