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What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy? (HBOT)
An alternative treatment that takes place in a pressurized chamber, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) enhances the body’s natural healing process via providing an environment that consists of 90-100% oxygen. It is typically used for a wide variety of treatments and also can serve as a part of an overall medical, anti-aging, and welness care plan.
The FDA has approved Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to help treat:​
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Decompression Illness
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Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
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Burns (resulting from heat or fire)
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Anemia (due to severe blood loss)
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Some Brain and Sinus Infections
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Skin Grafts
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Acute Traumatic Ischemia
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Air or Gas Embolism
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Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections
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Osteomyelitis (a bone marrow infection)
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Arterial Insufficiency (low blood flow in the arteries)
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Gas Gangrene
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Radiation Injury
Additionally, wounds and infections that have not responded to other treatment may respond to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). For example, it may help reduce the need for amputation in people with diabetic foot ulcers. It can also stimulate brain function and support in the recovery from surgical procedures.
There are two main types of hyperbaric chambers used in HBOT: soft and hard chambers.
Soft Hyperbaric Chambers are portable and made from flexible materials. They operate at lower pressures and are commonly used for mild hyperbaric treatments. Hard Hyperbaric Chambers, on the other hand, are rigid and constructed from steel or acrylic. They can achieve higher pressures and are used for a broader range of medical conditions, including more severe cases.
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Hyperbaric Chambers of the Ozarks is happy to offer our members the use of Hard Hyperbaric Chambers.
The History of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
The first Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) chamber was created in 1662 by a physician with the belief that this sealed, pressurized room could help treat certain respiratory diseases and ailments. His work is especially remarkable because it occurred before the discovery of oxygen.
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Paul Bert, a French engineer, physician, and scientist, paved the way for the foundations of hyperbaric medicine and treatment in 1872. Bert wrote about the physiological effects of air under increased and decreased atmospheric pressures in La Pression Barometrique. This paper focused on his experimental demonstration of the hypoxic etiology of altitude sickness.
In 1891, Dr. J. Leonard Corning built the first hyperbaric chamber in the Western Hemisphere in New York. Dr. Orval Cunningham, chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at Kansas University Medical School, became particularly interested in hyperbaric oxygen chambers during the influenza pandemic at the end of World War I. Over the next several years, he utilized hyperbaric chambers to treat a variety of diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, and syphilis. The medical community remained skeptical of Cunningham’s work with hyperbaric air because he failed to substantiate his claims with clinical data.
Later, in the 1930s, Álvaro Osório de Almeida recognized the potential benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and published several papers on his work on the effects of high doses of oxygen on tumors in animals and people. The United States Navy also conducted extensive research on the use of hyperbaric oxygen to treat decompression sickness. Since this time, physicians and scientists have continued to explore the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment and management of disease, viruses, bacteria, and other ailments.
The Science Behind Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
The term “hyperbaric” is defined as a gas at a pressure greater than normal. Compared to breathing normal air at sea level, hyperbaric oxygen-rich air will drive up to 1200% more oxygen into the bloodstream and other fluids, including lymph and cerebrospinal fluid. This is known to support the body in repairing and regenerating tissues. Super-saturating the body with oxygen also strengthens the immune system and provides the body with greater opportunity for healing.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) has been used in a wide variety of studies that can be found on the National Library of Medicine’s website. Some of the results from these studies included:
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Immediately reversing hypoxia,
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acting as a signal inducer of DNA, turning on and off over 5,000 genes,
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stimulating the development of new blood vessels where circulation has been compromised,
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promoting collagen, bone, and cartilage repair and regeneration,
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greatly reducing swelling and inflammation,
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mobilizing and stimulating an increase of stem cells within damaged tissues and in bone marrow,
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enhancing energy production at the cellular level.
While HBOT has had an impact on patient visual acuity, it is also used as ancillary therapy for several other conditions including autism, burns, crush injuries, and compartment syndromes. Professional sports teams have also favored the use of HBOT to speed injury (Strauss et al., 1983; Strauss and Hart, 1984; Skyhar et al., 1986; Cianci and Sato, 1994; Goldfarb et al., 2016). Moreover, several other studies have proposed that HBOT mobilizes stem cells by improving homing and subsequent engraftment in injured tissues, which would explain, in part, the therapeutic effects of HBOT (Zádori et al., 2011; van Neck et al., 2017).
How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Work?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) increases the amount of oxygen your blood can carry. As a result, an increase in blood oxygen temporarily restores normal levels of blood gases and tissue function. This promotes healing and fights off infection. As your blood carries this oxygen throughout your body, this stimulates the release of substances called growth factors and stem cells, which promote healing and rejuvenation. Growth factors are naturally occurring substances that stimulate cell proliferation and healing. Additionally, increased blood oxygen levels also promotes neovascularization – the natural formation of new blood vessels.
If you are interested in a HBOT consultation, be sure to schedule a time with one of our professionals here.