Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a painless procedure in which a person is exposed to 100% oxygen at increased pressure, thus allowing greater absorption of oxygen throughout body tissues. This increased pressure allows up to 20 times more oxygen to reach the cells within the body therefore contributing to the many healing and therapeutic benefits. The concept of hyperbaric oxygenation has been in existence as early as 1662 but has only gained recognition in conventional medicine over the past 40 years.
How Does Hyperbaric Help in Healing?
Humans can live without food for approximately 2-3 weeks, water for 2-3 days, but how long can human’s live without oxygen? Humans can live without oxygen for approximately 5 minutes. Oxygen is essential to our existence, as evidenced in the numerous conditions caused by oxygen deficiencies in our bodies. This lack of oxygen results in a dysfunction of organ systems, causing numerous chronic health conditions. When utilizing HBOT, oxygen is forced into the tissues, organs, brain and fluids throughout the body through the pressurization of the hyperbaric chamber.
- Oxygen floods areas that are oxygen starved to stimulate cell growth and regeneration.
- Oxygen displaces toxins and other impurities to assist in detoxification of your system.
- Hyperbaric oxygen acts as an anti-viral and anti-bacterial, as bacteria and viruses typically cannot tolerate oxygen.
- Hyperbaric oxygen is an immune modulator, supporting the immune system to bring T and B cells within normal levels.
- Oxygen has been used to reduce tumor growth in cancer patients.
- Hyperbaric oxygen increases neural brain function due to oxygen saturation.
- Hyperbaric oxygen provides many other condition specific benefits.
Why Didn’t My Doctor Tell Me About Hyperbaric Therapy?
Hyperbaric therapy is not typically covered by insurance for “off-label” uses; therefore most doctors are unable to recommend the therapy because of contractual obligations with insurance companies. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used to treat numerous conditions as an “off-label” use, many of which are documented with scientific evidence that is stronger than that of the FDA approved conditions. Nearly all medical clinics, doctor’s offices, and hospitals use FDA-approved drugs and medical devices for “off-label” use on a consistent basis. Physicians will direct patients to hospitals with hyperbaric chambers for conditions, which are approved by the FDA for treatment. These conditions include:
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Gas Gangrene
- Crush Injury / Acute Trauma
- Diabetic Foot Ulcers
- Decompression Sickness
- Selected Problem Wounds
- Necrotizing Soft Tissue
- Osteomyelitis (Refractory)
- Radiation Tissue Damage
- Severe Anemia
- Skin Grafts and Flaps
- Thermal Burns
- Air or Gas Embolism
*Source: hbotreatment.com
Investigational HBOT Indications (often called Off-Label indications) that have been treated are:
Autoimmunity Related Disorders
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia Lupus
- Scelodrema
- Silicone induced disorders
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
Cardiac Disorders
- Heart attack, Myocardial ischemia
- Aid to cardiac surgery and rehabilitation
Endocrine Disorders
- Diabetes
Gastrointestinal
- Colitis
- Crohn’s Disease
- Gastric and Duodenal Ulcers
Hematology
- Acute and Chronic Anemia
Neurological Disorders
- Candidas and fungal infections
- Hypoxic birth disorders
- Parkinson’s disease
- Spinal Cord injury
- AIDS
- Autistic disorders
- Cerebral edema
- Cerebral Palsy, epilepsy due to hypoxia
- Chemical Poisoning (e.g. Pesticide)
- Flesh eating bacteria
- Headaches, Cluster
- Lyme disease
- Migraine
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Mycoplasma
- Near drowning
- Near hanging
- Neurovascular compression
- Peripheral nerve injury and neuropathies, demyelination
- RSD
- Spider bite
- Stroke
- TOS
- Vegetative coma
Ophthalmology
- Macular degeneration
- Retintis Pigmentosa
Orthopedic Disorders
- Bone Grafts
- Fracture repair, delayed and non-union
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Post surgical instability
- Sacroiliac Syndrome
- Aid to prosthesis rehabilitative care
Otorhinolaryngology
- Acute acoustic Trauma
- Sudden deafness
Peripheral Vascular Disorders
Acute and Chronic arterial insufficiency Delayed wounds, recurrent ulcers an infections
Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
- Post surgical soft tissue infections
- Non- healing post surgery, reconstruction and cosmetic surgery
- Pre and Post Surgery healing, reconstruction and cosmetic surgery
Traumatology
- Closed head injury
- Compartmental syndrome
- Soft tissue musculoskeletal injuries
Contraindications to HBOT
Studies and clinical evidence of last decades have provided enough data confirming positive physiologic effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) in a number of health conditions. However like with most drugs, contraindications to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) do exist. There are absolute and relative contraindications to HBOT.
Absolute Contraindications
- Untreated Pneumothorax
- Some Selected medications
Relative Contraindications
- Congenital Spherocytosis - a strong contraindication, HBOT should be considered only as a critical care measure
- Asthma (medications to be administered to control the condition)
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) / Bullous Emphysema
- Claustrophobia, Seizures (medications controlling anxiety, insomnia, agitation, seizures , etc.. to be considered, e.i. benzodiazepines)
- Ear or sinus surgery
- Optic neuritis
- Recent thoracic surgery
- Upper Respiratory Infections
- Pacemakers (their technical specifications should be revised prior the treatment to avoid deformation)
Hyperbaric Oxygen Side Effects
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is generally safe and well tolerated. Most side-effects are mild and reversible, although adverse events can occur in rare cases (reversible myopia, symptomatic otic barotraumas, pulmonary barotraumas or pulmonary oxygen toxicity, as well as seizures due to central nervous system oxygen toxicity).
Here is the list:
- Barotrauma (otic, sinus, pulmonary)
- Claustrophobia
- Oxygen induced seizures and other CNS effects
- Pulmonary oxygen toxicity
- Visual refractive changes
*Source: hyperbaric-oxygen-info.com
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