What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
Oxygen is critical to our bodily systems, a natural gift of nature that keeps us healthy and alive. Every breath we take draws in oxygen, and our body uses it to conduct natural healing and repair. The blood stream transports oxygen around the body. Without a steady flow of oxygen, we are unable to provide the energy that our brain needs. Oxygen supplies power to our tissues and organs. The more oxygen we can transport along the body’s pathways to our internal structure, the more energetic we feel. Oxygen makes us more psychologically balanced and generally blessed with good health. When our metabolism and health falls out of balance, Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can help to restore optimal bodily function.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a technique that provides oxygen delivery to the body in a highly pressurized environment. As a noninvasive therapy, HBOT is the most reliable method for boosting the body’s oxygen uptake. It helps all tissues and organs of the body suffering from a shortage of oxygen. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases the penetration of oxygen within the body by 400 percent. It takes oxygen deeper into our internal organs than the usual capacity of our blood supply.
The benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy
In holistic medical practice, HBOT improves healing and recovery in areas of the body suffering from damage and impaired function. The introduction of oxygen in a high-pressure environment serves to increase energy and stamina while reducing fatigue. It provides a strong boost to performance in athletic activities.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy offers even more benefits than this. In providing high levels of oxygen throughout the body’s living cells, it can significantly reduce inflammation. This occurs whenever there is any sign of infection, easing pain and improving the range of motion of affected joints. As it heals, so too does it promote greater tissue strength, building strong and supple muscle fiber. Along with more highly oxygenated blood comes an enhancing force to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels. This helps deal with the increased oxygen perfusion around wounds—and in turn stimulates new capillary growth.
For this reason, wound healing management, in which oxygen plays a key nutritional role, often applies hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Scientific studies show that this therapy has proven benefits in healing wounds. It is particularly effective in healing and rejuvenating the skin, reducing wrinkles and photoaging. This is because it can increase oxygen flow to damaged tissues.
The technique is also beneficial to your skeleton. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves the regeneration of bone, especially important after a fracture or surgical intervention. The body’s overall healing process also responds strongly to HBOT, with healing time significantly reduced after surgeries. Recipients experience improved recovery from other injuries too, such as concussion and stroke.
Improved health results in an improved mind. This medical technique improves memory and concentration, resulting in greater mental acuity. The immune system is also positively affected. It will take on a greater capacity to destroy invasive bacteria and increase white blood cell/stem cell production.
Who should receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy?
Everyone can experience some positive effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. It is particularly effective for those suffering from pain and injury. The procedure is strongly beneficial in the case of sports-related injuries and can stimulate full athletic recovery. Those suffering from cuts, wounds and burns can find healing and relief in the therapy too.
Because the brain uses so much oxygen, a boost in its intake has a remarkable effect on headaches and migraines. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been linked to excellent recoveries from cases of concussion and mild traumatic brain injury.
Patients who need healing after having surgery should consider receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a means of effective recovery. It is also a highly recommended treatment for sufferers of multiple sclerosis, depression, and autoimmune disease. The therapy is extremely beneficial to patients with neuropathy (nerve injuries) or who have suffered musculoskeletal injury.
What happens at hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions?
The treatment takes place in a special chamber that increases the atmospheric pressure around your body with oxygen-enriched air. Before the session, you should go to the bathroom and avoid eating a heavy meal or smoking a cigarette. Do not take alcohol or drugs before the procedure; take a shower and do not apply heavy perfumes. You should remove your shoes, jewelry, belt and any sharp objects on your body.
During the session it’s okay to have your phone with you, to wear headphones or read a book. While it’s fine to take a bottle of water into the therapy, it’s not safe to use chewing gum. As the therapy begins, you’ll hear a hissing sound and the air pressure will begin to register in your ears. It’s similar to the feeling of traveling in an airplane. To avoid discomfort, it’s important to pinch your nose and blow, swallow or yawn to equalize the pressure. The sensation of pressure in your ears will go away. Once this happens, you should feel completely at ease.
The remainder of the treatment will be serene and quiet. Spend the hour reading, watching a video or just resting. Once the treatment is over, the air pressure will diminish step by step. You will experience a popping sensation in your ears as the pressure decreases.
The treatment should leave you with a feeling of elation and energy. This is likely to result in a great night’s rest at the end of the day.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has a cumulative effect. Optimal outcomes result from a series of treatments 45–90 minutes in length. The results are usually experienced very soon after treatment, and you will feel truly energized!
