What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)?
With hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the user is treated with oxygen under increased pressure in a pressure chamber (hence the term hyperbaric). The combination of a high concentration of oxygen and high pressure in the surroundings means that large quantities of oxygen are taken up in the bloodstream and transported out throughout the body. The increased amount of oxygen supplied to the tissues in the body stimulates the formation of new blood vessels in oxygen-poor tissues, and helps the white blood cells to kill bacteria. Under normal conditions, the blood pigment (hemoglobin) in the red blood cells (erythrocytes) is already more than 98 percent saturated with oxygen, so that an increase is hardly possible with the oxygen supply from normal breathing air. With hyperbaric oxygen treatment, the external pressure is increased from 1.3 to 4 atmospheric pressure (atm). Wellness systems with pressure below 2 atm are not considered medical treatment and can thus be used by many different institutions.
HBOT contributes to more oxygen entering the body than would otherwise be possible. With hyperbaric oxygen therapy, up to seven percent oxygen can be dissolved in the blood, which is more than 20 times the normal value. The metabolism in tissues with poor blood circulation is believed to be accelerated and healing processes should go faster. The effects of hyperbaric treatment are extensive as oxygen is involved in almost all essential processes in the body. The following conditions are i.a. the classic beyhandling areas:
- Late damage after radiotherapy to the head/neck area
- Late damage after radiotherapy to the pelvic area
- Chronic bone infections and infections in general
- Chronic wounds (diabetic foot ulcers or wounds in irradiated tissue)
- Diseases of the inner ear
- Acute hearing loss
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Meniere's disease
- Burn injuries
- Chronic inflammation or circulation problems
- Diving accidents and decompression sickness
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
New blood vessels are formed after a period of use
Since new formation of blood vessels takes time, one cannot expect the full effect of the treatment before 6-8 weeks.
Other physiological health benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT):
- May improve overall mitochondrial function and cellular energy production
- May improve the health and function of bone stem cells
- Contributes to better blood supply to all organs and tissues
HBOT has a wide range of applications
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been shown in recent research to help people recover from, among other things:
- Migraine headache
- Parkinson's disease
- Alzheimer's disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Huntington's disease
- Damage to the spinal cord
- Prevention before stroke and recovery after stroke
- Diabetic neuropathy
- Erectile dysfunction
- Cancer: as supportive therapy
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Has anti-aging effects
- Contributes to increased well-being
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Fibromyalgia
- Crohn's disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Atherosclerosis
- Diabetes – Type 1 and 2
- Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS
- Inflammatory pain
- Chronic infections (Lyme, reactivated mono, mold, etc.)
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Minimizes oxidative stress
- Stimulates the formation of new blood vessels
- May improve cerebral oxygenation
- May improve memory and mental performance
- Counteracts and has a preventive effect on circulatory diseases including diabetes
- Stimulates ATP (cellular energy) production
- Can reduce the risk of infections
- Can reduce stress and anxiety
- Supports the immune system
- Stimulates neurogenesis
- Can improve memory and reaction time
- May improve oxygenation of heart tissue
- May reduce the risk of heart attack
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May improve heart muscle functioning after a heart attack
May help counteract age-related macular degeneration - Can reduce inflammation and pain
- Can improve physical endurance
- Can reduce skin damage from ultraviolet radiation
- Can help maintain skin elasticity
- Contributes to the healing process of wounds
- May reduce scarring
- May reduce tumor hypoxia
- Can reduce side effects of radiotherapy
- May reduce chemotherapy side effects
- Accelerates postoperative healing and prevents infection
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Increases IV vitamin C therapeutic effect for cancer patients
Contributes to a better effect of oxidative cancer treatment - Can enhance programmed cell death in cancer treatment
- May reduce inflammatory markers
- Normalizes intracellular oxygen levels
- Stimulates cellular detoxification
- May reduce the risk of pathogenic inflammatory tumors
- Can improve fasting blood sugar levels, Hemoglobin A1c levels & Lipid profiles
- Can improve insulin sensitivity, and increases skeletal muscle uptake of glucose.
- Promotes long-term blood pressure control
- Reduces the impact of metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance)
- May improve heart function
- May reduce the risk of diabetic neuropathy
- Can counteract cellulite in diabetics
- Increases collagen production
- Can reduce inflammation and pain
- Faster and better recovery from sprains, tears and broken bones
- Can contribute to faster recovery after concussions and head injuries
- Increases fibroblast activation
- Can improve concentration
- Increases serotonin levels
- Can reduce lactic acid
- Can reduce acute and chronic inflammation
- Minimizes pain and discomfort
- May reduce anti-inflammatory cytokines
- May reduce swelling
- Induces fibroblast activation
- May reduce neuroinflammation
- May reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease
- May reduce gastrointestinal inflammation
- May improve nutritional absorption
- Relieves soft tissue and joint inflammation
- Accelerates recovery from sports-related and impact injuries
- May reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke
Borrelia infection and Lyme disease
- May reduce neuronal inflammation
- Can improve short-term memory
- May reduce chronic fatigue
- Can improve concentration
- May reduce headaches
- May reduce depression
- Can improve sleep quality and duration
- Can increase joint mobility
- May reduce inflammatory-related arthritic pain related to Lyme disease
- Can reduce muscle discomfort
- Can improve energy levels
- May enhance antibacterial therapy effects
- May improve white blood cell - immune system activity
- Increases oxygen free radicals
Comment Borrelia infection and Lyme disease
85% of patients in a small study (91 patients) showed significant improvement in a reduction or elimination of symptoms after treatment. Read the study here !
What are the risks of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and what are the contraindications?
The risk with low-pressure HBOT treatment (pressure below 2 atm) is very small with normal use. Oxygen is flammable and you must avoid all use of open flames, matches, lighters etc. and all equipment must be well earthed, as stated in the manual. There are certain conditions that are so-called contraindications, where it is not recommended to use HBOT and not even low-pressure HBOT (which is significantly gentler than high-pressure HBOT), which include:
In Norway, the following conditions are contraindications for HBOT in general: pregnancy, very severe heart failure, recent pneumonia, chronic lung disease, artificial ear bones, use of Antabuse, bleomycin therapy in the medical history and active cancer
Other areas of contraindication:
- Problems with the sinuses, or sinus infection and blocked ear canals
- Certain blood disorders
- Serious case of claustrophobia
- Active respiratory infection
- High fever
- History of breast or ear surgery
Consult your doctor before starting HBOT
Always consult your therapist and or doctor before starting HBOT low-pressure therapy. Should the hyperbaric oxygen treatment cause your health to deteriorate, contact your doctor immediately.
How is the treatment carried out?
HBO therapy can be obtained in simple one-person chambers, or multi-person chambers, where several people can sit or lie inside, which are often available at some hospitals. The latter uses high-pressure HBOT. Inside the chamber, you get pure oxygen. All you have to do is lie or sit in the chamber while you breathe in oxygen. Your treatment session can last anywhere from one to two hours. How many treatments you want depends on the condition and the objectives. Low pressure (non-medicinal) HBOT has become increasingly popular for promoting well-being, energy, beauty and for anti-aging.
Recommendation. Read the manual and this document carefully, consult your doctor and/or responsible practitioner before use and do not overuse. Some may experience a detoxification effect as a result of the body helping to fight disease-causing bacteria or so-called pathogens (disease-causing organisms), so it may make sense to begin the first treatments with a short stay and record the effect on the body. By short we mean from 10-30 minutes. Later, the duration can be increased when any symptoms of detoxification have ceased.
Let the doctor know if you start to feel discomfort or pain during HBO treatment, as this may be a sign of a possible (but unusual) side effect of the treatment.
What results can I expect from treatment?
Most people need a series of sessions of HBO therapy to get good results. It is often used in conjunction with other treatments. The treatment plan and results will vary, depending on your specific condition. For example, if you have an ulcer that is not healing as quickly as it should, your doctor may recommend HBO therapy along with other treatments. There may be wound care, bandaging, and antibiotics. Often 25 to 30 treatments are enough for the wounds to heal. In general, the more chronic the problem or condition, the more sessions of HBO needed to achieve a good effect. In the literature, there are often references to good results between 20 and up to 80 treatments for certain conditions. When you know that new blood vessels are formed after 6-8 weeks of treatment 2-5 times per week. 3 treatments of 1 hour per week for 8 weeks we give 24 treatments. Do you have the opportunity to use HBOT 5 times per per week, it gives 40 treatments in 8 weeks. The conclusion is that the vast majority will experience good results after 2-3 months of regular treatment. Admittedly, many people experience increased well-being and increased perceived energy after a few treatments.
Conventional use of HBOT
The body's tissues need an adequate supply of oxygen to function. When tissue is damaged, it requires even more oxygen to be able to repair itself. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases the amount of oxygen your blood can carry. With repeated treatments, the temporary extra high oxygen levels stimulate normal oxygen levels in the tissue.
Links:
- HBOT USA - YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZbRAtrwHXEI5dnMSRiTuVA
- Find out more about HBOT use and the latest research:hyperbaricexperts.com
- Latest hyperbaric oxygen therapy research:https://hyperbaricexperts.com/latest-research/
- International Hyperbarics Association:www.ihusa.org
