Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Education

Learn more about the science behind hyperbaric oxygen therapy and the benefits of treatment. 

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The Complete Guide To Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a specialized treatment that involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. This therapy enables the body to intake three times more oxygen than what we breathe at normal air pressure. The increased oxygen supply in the blood allows it to reach areas where circulation is diminished or blocked, aiding the body in fighting bacteria and promoting healing.

During HBOT, the pressure inside the hyperbaric chamber is increased to about two to three times normal air pressure, stimulating the lungs to gather more oxygen than they would under regular air pressure. This oxygen is then carried throughout the body by the blood, helping to restore normal levels of gases and tissue function.

Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy holds immense potential for a variety of medical and therapeutic applications. Here are some key benefits:

  1. Accelerated Healing: By increasing the oxygen concentration in all body tissues, HBOT accelerates the body’s ability to repair and regenerate cells. It promotes wound healing, particularly in chronic conditions such as diabetic foot ulcers and late effects of radiation therapy.

  2. Anti-Infectious: Oxygen has natural antibiotic properties, making it effective against certain types of harmful bacteria. HBOT can boost the body’s ability to fight infections and diseases.

  3. Reduction of Edema and Inflammation: HBOT can help reduce swelling and inflammation, providing relief in conditions like traumatic brain injury, stroke, and other inflammatory diseases.

  4. Enhanced Immune System: HBOT can stimulate the immune system, aiding in overall health and well-being. It increases the production of white blood cells, which play a crucial role in defending the body against diseases.

  5. Neurological Benefits: Research indicates that HBOT may have a positive impact on conditions like autism, cerebral palsy, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s also being explored for potential benefits in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

  6. Improved Quality of Life: Many patients undergoing HBOT have reported improved energy levels, enhanced cognitive abilities, and overall better quality of life.

Remember, while HBOT holds significant potential, it’s not suitable for everyone. Always consult with a healthcare provider before starting any new treatment. At HyperHealth, our team of dedicated specialists is ready to guide you on your path to recovery, ensuring you receive the most effective and safest treatment.

What Can HBOT Help With?

Hyperbaric For Overall Health

How HBOT Can Benefit Your Overall Health

The FDA has approved hyperbaric oxygen therapy for a number of specific treatments, but the benefits of 100% pure oxygen don’t stop there.

In fact, HBOT has the potential to benefit our overall health in several different ways.

But to understand how it does that, it’s important to understand what, exactly, HBOT does to your body.

Let’s break it down into three basic categories. (As defined on the John Hopkins Medicine website.)

Saturate the Plasma with Oxygen

When the blood stream is fully saturated with pure oxygen, it can help heal wounds. This is important because a wound can potentially damage the body’s blood vessels, which could lead to fluids leaking into the tissues and causing the area to swell up.

Swelling, in turn, makes it hard for damaged cells to get the oxygen they need.

HBOT helps reduce swelling so oxygen can reach damaged areas of the body.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy also helps prevent the severe tissue damage that could happen when the blood supply returns to the tissues after a time of oxygen deprivation. This is usually a consequence of a crush injury – something that causes the blood vessels to close up. HBOT reduces this problem so healing can continue normally.

Block Harmful Bacteria and Strengthen the Immune System

The increased oxygen can fight against the toxins of certain bacteria while also helping the body resist infections. On top of all that, it can help white blood cells do their job, which is to find and wipe out unwanted bodily invaders.

Encourage the Formation of New Collagen and Skin Cells

Increased oxygen encourages new blood vessel formation and stimulates cells to produce vascular endothelial growth factor. This will attract and stimulate the endothelial cells that are necessary for the growth, development and repair of normal tissue.

So, now that we know what HBOT does to your body, we can extrapolate a range of important benefits for our overall health.

Hyperbaric and Alzheimers

Alzheimer´s disease is a devastating illness that effects the patients as well as their family members. Its prevalence increases exponentially and the burden on the healthcare system is enormous. AD neuropathology begins 15-20 years before the occurrence of cognitive symptoms, which ranges from preclinical stage to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia.
 
Prodromal AD is an early stage of the disease which is characterized by positive biomarkers and MCI. To this day, there is no medication that can cure or halt the progression of the disease and most studies focus on finding reversible risk factors and changing their influence. Several aetiologies have been proposed, like the deposition of amyloid and tau proteins, neuroinflammation and cerebral ischemia due to cerebrovascular factors.
 
The Amyloid deposition, which serves as the biological marker of AD, was originally thought to be the main cause of the disease, however, recent data suggests that it is not the cause and that it might actually has a protective role. On the other hand, it is known today that vascular changes with related tissue ischemia and neuroinflammation have a crucial role in the development of AD in many patients. These pathologies, ischemia & neuroinflammation, can be improved by the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). The goal of this study is to explore the potential beneficial effect of HBOT on prodromal AD.

Hyperbaric and Fighting Cancer

Using hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat cancer

All of your cells require oxygen to survive, even cancer cells. However, when you have tumors in your body, they often outgrow their oxygen supply. Instead of failing to survive without enough oxygen, some cancer cells can actually thrive and even resist treatment. 

By flooding your system with concentrated oxygen in your bloodstream, hyperbaric oxygen can help make your cancer cells easier to kill with treatments like chemotherapy and radiation while also activating the healing process in your body.

Additional benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for cancer treatment include:

  • Triggering the growth of new blood vessels, which increases the flow of blood and nutrients to your tissue
  • Boosting the performance of your white blood cells to prevent infection and kill bacteria
  • Reducing pressure, swelling, or pain in your cancer site

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy also comes with few side effects. If they do occur, they’re typically mild and pass quickly.

Hyperbaric and Professional Athletics

Why Athletes Are Using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Professional athletes receive HBOT to help them recover from various kinds of injuries, ranging from joint pain to muscle tears to broken bones and even concussions. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has a multitude of benefits for athletes, including:

  • Increasing Physical Performance
  • Improved Mental
  • Clarity
  • Better Sleep
  • Decreasing Soreness
  • Healing Inflammation
  • Increasing Energy

In particular, to the NFL, where the prevalence of CTE is becoming more well-known, several famous athletes are using HBOT for recovery. Joe Namath is one of the most outspoken users of HBOT therapy. After retirement, Namath began to use HBOT to tackle his symptoms of cognitive decline after multiple concussions. Namath used SPECT scans to examine the damage to his brain before, during, and after HBOT sessions. After 40 sessions of HBOT treatments, Namath showed improvements to the blood circulation in his brain. After 120 treatments, his SPECT scans showed normal brain blood circulation.

Another former NFL player, Rashad Jennings integrates hyperbaric oxygen treatment into his recovery regimen. In an interview with the New York Post, he mentions using hyperbaric oxygen therapy to “…energize and rejuvenate…even on a cognitive level.” Rashad Jennings played for the Oakland Raiders and New York Giants, rushing over 3,772 yards.

Hyperbaric and Surgical Recovery

CanN HBOT Speed Up Surgical Recovery?

Have you recently had surgery and are having a hard time healing? R3 Wound Care and Hyperbarics offers Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), which involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber to promote healing. Oxygen has a profound influence over wound healing, as any oxygen deficiency stunts the body’s ability to heal. 

HBOT is performed in a large, clear hyperbaric chamber to deliver pure, concentrated oxygen throughout the body. This process stimulates and supports the body’s healing processes. When white blood cells receive enough oxygen, they can effectively kill bacteria, reduce swelling, and allow the rapid reproduction of new blood vessels. Since HBOT addresses wound healing at a deep cellular level, it can be used to address surgical wounds that are not healing properly.

What are the Benefits of HBOT Sessions After Surgery?

Activating the body’s natural healing processes and reviving damaged tissue are the most significant benefits of HBOT sessions from wound healing specialists. Here’s how HBOT will benefit your healing after surgery:

  • Reduces pain, inflammation, and bruising
  • Has an antibacterial effect
  • Increases your comfort and reduces possible complications post-op
  •  Scars may heal better
  • Improves mitochondrial function (Mitochondria is often referred to as the powerhouses of the cell, they help convert energy we take from food into energy that the cell can use)

Hyperbaric and Cosmetic Surgery Recovery

How can Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy help after cosmetic procedures?

Almost all cosmetic surgery patients will experience pain, swelling and bruising after their procedure. Depending on the surgery, they may feel tired and sore for several weeks afterward.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help cosmetic surgery patients by:

  • Accelerating recovery by up to 75%

HBOT helps to reduce swelling and discomfort while providing the body with at least 10-15 times its normal supply of oxygen.

  • Improving healing

HBOT can dramatically reduce post-surgical bruising, swelling and inflammation. The increased collagen production can help minimize the appearance of scars.

  • Reducing pain

HBOT can reduce the need for post-procedure pain medication. It can also elevate the body’s natural immune defenses to fight infection and bacteria.

Hyperbaric and Post Training Recovery

The Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Post-Training Recovery in Jiu-Jitsu Athletes

Objectives

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of using hyperbaric oxygen therapy during post-training recovery in jiu-jitsu athletes.

Methods

Eleven experienced Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes were investigated during and following two training sessions of 1h30min. Using a cross-over design, the athletes were randomly assigned to passive recovery for 2 hours or to hyperbaric oxygen therapy (OHB) for the same duration. After a 7-day period, the interventions were reversed. Before, immediately after, post 2 hours and post 24 hours, blood samples were collected to examine hormone concentrations (cortisol and total testosterone) and cellular damage markers [creatine kinase (CK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)]. Moreover, the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and recovery (RPR) scales were applied.

Results

Final lactate [La] values (control: 11.9 ± 1.4 mmol/L, OHB: 10.2 ± 1.4 mmol/L) and RPE [control: 14 (13–17 a.u.), OHB: 18 (17–20 a.u.)] were not significantly different following the training sessions. Furthermore, there was no difference between any time points for blood lactate and RPE in the two experimental conditions (P>0.05). There was no effect of experimental conditions on cortisol (F1,20 = 0.1, P = 0.793, η2 = 0.00, small), total testosterone (F1,20 = 0.03, P = 0.877, η2 = 0.00, small), CK (F1,20 = 0.1, P = 0.759, η2 = 0.01, small), AST (F1,20 = 0.1, P = 0.761, η2 = 0.01, small), ALT (F1,20 = 0.0, P = 0.845, η2 = 0.00, small) or LDH (F1,20 = 0.7, P = 0.413, η2 = 0.03, small). However, there was a difference between the two experimental conditions in RPR with higher values at post 2 h and 24 h in OHB when compared to the control condition (P<0.05).

Conclusions

Thus, it can be concluded that OHB exerts no influence on the recovery of hormonal status or cellular damage markers. Nonetheless, greater perceived recovery, potentially due to the placebo effect, was evident following the OHB condition.

Hyperbaric and Erectile Dysfunction

Study: Oxygen Therapy Improves Erectile Dysfunction

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is known to provide healing for a wide range of indications, including diabetic foot ulcers, delayed radiation injury, chronic bone infections and failed skin grafts. HBOT is a natural, holistic therapy that uses pure oxygen to heal damaged body tissue and promote faster and more effective recovery. Now, a new study shows promise for a new indication—erectile dysfunction.

PROMISING RESULTS

The International Journal of Impotence Research published a new study in May 2018 titled “Hyperbaric oxygen can induce angiogenesis and recover erectile function.” Angiogenesis is the development of new blood vessels that feed the tissue.

The study’s main objective was to examine what HBOT does for “non-surgery-related ED [erectile dysfunction].”

Thirty male participants were recruited, with an average age of 59.2, suffering on average from ED for 4.2 years. Each of the participants was classified as suffering from chronic ED. Each participant was treated with a daily HBOT session for 40 total sessions, with each session lasting about 40 minutes in duration. Clinical efficacy was measured using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire and a global efficacy question. Results were further measured using a special type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that measured blood flow.  

Hyperbaric and Sleep Disorders

Resting easy: Oxygen promotes deep, restorative sleep

Exposure to high levels of oxygen encourages the brain to remain in deep, restorative sleep, according to a new study by University of Alberta neuroscientists.

The researchers administered high levels of oxygen to anesthetized and naturally sleeping animal models, and examined the resulting activity in their brains.

“We found that when we administer oxygen, our subjects’ brains switch out of active sleep, and remain in a deactivated, slow-wave state the entire time,” explained Brandon Hauer, PhD student in the neuroscience graduate program administered by the cross-faculty Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute. “Interestingly, when we removed the oxygen, the brain started cycling back through active, or rapid-eye-movement, sleep again.”

Deactivated or slow-wave sleep is the deepest stage of sleep, during which the brain oscillates at a very slow, once-per-second rhythm.

Hyperbaric and Depression

Does hyperbaric oxygen therapy work for depression?

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be extremely beneficial for patients with depression that need additional treatment beyond medication and psychotherapy. 

Studies are continually being done to assess the clinical effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for mental illnesses like depression, but it’s been hypothesized that it may mobilize stem cells to injured parts of the body, modulate immunity, and impact neurotransmitters.

A recent study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of treating patients with depression with a combination of HBOT and escitalopram, a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) medication commonly used to treat depression and generalized anxiety disorder. The study found that the treatment was effective after four to six weeks in significantly improving patients’ cognitive function.

Another study looked into the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on psychological issues like depression and anxiety as well as nerve function after incomplete spinal cord injury (ISCI). After eight weeks of treatment, results showed that HBOT effectively treated depression and anxiety in patients at a similar level to psychotherapy, and that it significantly improved nerve function and ability to do daily activities.

Hyperbaric and Post Stroke Patients

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Options for Stroke Recovery

Stroke prevalence has spurred scientists to develop more effective stroke recovery therapies, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).

Recovery from an ischemic or TIA (“mini stroke”) may not be guaranteed, but this much is clear: people who receive timely and effective treatment recover with fewer post-stroke effects.

Unfortunately, timely treatment is not always attainable: 

  • Stroke is a “leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of serious disability for adults.” 
  • More than half of stroke survivors age 65 and older” experience reduced mobility, relegating some individuals to a wheelchair for the remainder of their lives. Many struggle with cognitive function, speech difficulties, and visual impairments as well.

Thankfully, advanced rehabilitation programs exist, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) options and other therapies. The experts at Aviv Clinics discuss these key details below.

What Benefits Can Stroke Survivors Achieve with HBOT?

Several studies have proven the benefits of using HBOT in post-stroke recovery. Repair mechanisms in the brain, prompted by HBOT, result in:

  • Regained speech and reading capabilities
  • Restored motor function, even with paresis
  • Return to independence in performing daily activities

Hyperbaric and Spinal Cord Injuries

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury: Procedure, Risks, & Benefits

Oxygen plays a central role in fueling cellular processes and fighting infections. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy allows the body to absorb more oxygen, which may help minimize damage following a spinal cord injury.

To determine if hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an effective treatment for spinal cord injuries, this article will discuss its procedure, risks, and benefits.

Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury

While randomized controlled trials have yet to prove that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an effective treatment for spinal cord injuries, experimental studies suggest that it can help regulate biochemical processes in the spinal cord.

Below, we’ll discuss 5 ways HBOT may be able to help minimize damage after a spinal cord injury.

1. Reduces Inflammation

2. Decreases Oxidative Stress

3. Minimizes Apoptosis

4. Promotes Angiogenesis

5. Promotes Healing of Pressure Ulcers

Hyperbaric Therapy and Your Skin

How Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Benefits the Skin

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is used to treat a myriad of conditions, such as brain injury, sports injury, and autism.  According to, “Medical Gas Research,” HBOT can be effective in treating photoaging skin and the advancement in skin complexions. Skin conditions are an ever present concern as aging, UV radiation, and other vulnerabilities can significantly degrade the skin over time. The use of HBOT has been shown to address the wrinkles created by UV irradiation.

HBOT For Treating Skin Damage

In a recent study, scientists have found evidence that hyperoxic environments (90% or more oxygen), for 2 hours, helped to reduce the level of wrinkle formation and epidermal thickness after receiving UV radiation. The exposure to a hyperoxic environment increased skin tension by 10 times, as compared to the control group. In the group treated with just UV radiation, skin tension increased 5 times. However, the group that was treated  with a hyperoxic environment, after UV radiation, saw reduced tension in the skin. The results of this study suggest that when the skin is in a high-oxygen environment, wrinkle formation after UV radiation exposure reduces in the skin.

It’s important to note that the research on hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be beneficial for skin rejuvenation, and that its benefits on the skin are continuing to grow. More evidence is needed to make a conclusive statement, but recent studies show promise in hyperbaric benefits and the results of hyperbaric oxygen chambers on anti-aging.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is the medical use of oxygen in a pressurized environment, at a level higher than 1 atmosphere absolute (ATA). Increased pressure allows for oxygen to dissolve and saturate the blood plasma (independent of hemoglobin/red blood cells), which yields a broad variety of positive physiological, biochemical and cellular effects. This noninvasive therapy is the most trusted way to increase oxygen levels in all organs of the body. The typical treatment lasts for 60-90 minutes, during which the patient lies down and breathes normally. HBOT has been demonstrated in several clinical studies to enhance the body’s innate ability to repair and regenerate. It is used as an adjunct therapy to complement and enhance the healing process in both chronic and acute conditions.

How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Work?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy offers several benefits to treat medical and nonmedical processes. The procedure works by depending on increased oxygen concentration, in addition to ambient pressure. The treatment additionally increases the oxygen in a user’s blood.

During Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, the air that we breathe and our body remains subjected to is significantly altered. Exposure to 100% oxygen with increased pressure enhances the supply of oxygen and kickstarts the body’s healing process.

Much like a bottle of sparkling water CO2 (carbon dioxide), gas bubbles are under pressure, this shrinks the size of the bubbles small enough that they dissolve into a liquid. So small that they cannot even be seen. When pressure is then released, the volume of each bubble increases, and thus the bubbles reappear. While a human being is under pressure (pressurized hyperbaric chamber), the oxygen molecules shrink so small in size that they are able to dissolve into the blood plasma. Along with breathing pure oxygen while in the chamber and pumping pure oxygen into the ambient air in the chamber, this exponentially increases oxygen delivery throughout the body. This also makes it possible for oxygen to reach inflamed tissue and support optimal cellular and organ functionality. Whether a professional athlete is recovering from a tough event, a person is looking to stay younger longer, or a brain-injured patient, (and many other medical issues) hyperbaric has countless benefits for all.

Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Painful?

Oxygen therapy through a hyperbaric chamber is typically a painless procedure. However, users may experience sensations in their ears similar to altitude changes while driving on in an airplane or changing depths while diving. A feeling of “fullness” can occur as the eardrums adapt to atmospheric pressure changes.

What Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Feel Like?

Once inside of a chamber, users will initially hear air beginning to circulate within. As air pressure increases feelings of recurring fullness will gradually cease. Some individuals even choose to sleep or watch a movie during treatments.

Near the end of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, the pressure gradually decreases. This phase is what we call decompression. During the decompression period, users will likely experience a “popping” sensation in their ears due to decreasing pressure.

Who Represents an Ideal Candidate for Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can aid and alleviate various illnesses and diseases. A specialist should evaluate any user’s medical history to determine if they qualify for treatment.

Specific conditions remain ideal for hyperbaric treatment including:

    • Non Healing Skin Grafts
    • Injuries due to Radiation Therapy
    • Recurring Bone Infections
    • Non Healing Diabetic Ulcers

Only specially trained healthcare providers can determine if a user is an ideal candidate for oxygen therapy via a hyperbaric chamber.

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