What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Overview

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. In a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, the air pressure is increased so that your lungs can gather more oxygen than would be possible when breathing pure oxygen at normal air pressure.

There are two broad categories of hyperbaric chambers cleared by the FDA for human use in the United States. These include acrylic chambers that generally hold one person, also known as monoplace chambers and steel chambers that hold more than one person, also known as multiplace chambers.

At Benessair Health, we not only use state-of-the-art hyperbaric chambers and we always have a doctor on-site to ensure that treatments are performed under strict medical scrutiny and that patients always understand the details of the treatment they are receiving.

Uses Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

There are several situations in which a doctor may recommend alternate uses of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Here are some of the most common instances:

Surgery Preparation and Accelerated Athletic Recovery

All surgeries, even those used to improve medical conditions, will result in wounds that the body needs to heal.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy optimizes the oxygenation of tissue prior to surgery and thus increases the healing potential post-operation.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is especially effective in complex surgeries where there is a high risk of wound healing complications.

Other examples of situations where pre and post-surgical hyperbaric oxygen therapy can improve recovery include:

Orthopedic procedures such as an ACL tear
Improving tissue healing after cancer surgeries
Decreasing bruising post plastic surgery

For athletes, optimizing their performance is always a top priority. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy allows athletes to recover at an accelerated rate, cutting cellular healing and recovery time down considerably. By flushing tissues with high levels of oxygen, athletes can experience:

Better stem cell activation
Faster bone and cartilage regeneration
Reduced muscle fatigue and exhaustion
Cellular detoxification

Concussion and Neurological Treatment

Concussions are traumatic brain injuries that damage the brain and are often caused by an external force. They can have varying degrees of severity but all are serious injuries that should be evaluated by a medical professional. Athletes, both professional and adolescent tend to be a greater risk, particularly those involved in contact sports.

Symptoms can be physical, cognitive, and emotional including, dizziness, headaches, memory loss, and personality changes. They can last a short time or go years without resolving.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for concussions and traumatic brain injuries works to relieve symptoms and accelerate recovery by promoting damaged tissue repair and blood vessel growth. Hyperbaric treatment allows oxygen to infuse with the liquid components your body needs to heal after neurological trauma including blood, plasma and cerebral fluids.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS/RSD)

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome, also known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (RSD/CRPS) is a chronic condition that can cause serious pain. Symptoms include swelling, sensitivity to touch, burning, and alterations in skin color (usually to blue or purple).

Using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to treat Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome may decrease swelling and pain while improving blood flow to affected areas.

Cancer (Treatment Synergy)

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can work synergistically with chemotherapy, radiation, and a ketogenic diet when receiving treatment for cancer. It can also mitigate some of the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation while reducing the recovery time after surgical procedures.

The use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat cancer side effects works to reduce the damage to healthy tissue and blood vessels caused by radiation exposure. This helps the body become stronger to help fight off the disease.

Stroke

A stroke occurs when the blood flow to an area of the brain is cut off. When this happens, brain cells and tissue deprived of oxygen and nutrients will begin to die within minutes. Depending on the size and location of oxygen deprivation in the brain, a stroke can result in small or very serious motor, cognitive, or sensory deficits.

The use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can reverse tissue damage from oxygen deprivation in the acute setting and after the damage has occurred. It can also help regrow blood vessels and regenerative nerve cells.

Conclusion

Benessair Health provides a wide range of services to optimize your overall wellness including Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Infusion Therapy, and Genetic Testing. We use the latest technology and cutting edge science to provide proactive solutions to improve your health before issues arise.