Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT consists of pure oxygen administered at a higher pressure than the earth’s atmosphere. The human body is made up of 65% oxygen; introducing oxygen into the human body at elevated pressures can rejuvenate tissue, increase cellular function, and increase brain activity. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has also been effective in treating some forms of degenerative diseases and is becoming one of the more popular forms of alternative medicine in 2009.The traditional hyperbaric oxygen chamber looks like an escape pod from a science fiction movie and is equipped with futuristic devices such as an airlock, intercom, and carbon dioxide scrubber which eliminates the gas within the chamber. The units are also equipped with control panels which can be used to open and close valves and control airflow. These life saving apparatuses are being most commonly seen in hospitals, spas, medical centers, and even homes. Some of the larger clinics that implement hyperbaric oxygen therapy are equipped with oxygen helmets where patients and staff alike can enjoy breathing pure oxygen.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Delivers

By administering oxygen at a higher pressure, hyperbaric medicine has the ability to access areas of the human body which are deficient in oxygen and rejuvenate cell growth. Continued treatment with hyperbaric oxygen has been reported to be effective in stifling the effects of degenerative disease as well as increasing cellular health and brain activity. While treatments used to be rare and painfully expensive, they are now increasingly common in medical practices and hyperbaric oxygen therapy has become more affordable so that it can be used within many families homes.

In the United States, Medicare recognizes hyperbaric oxygen as a bona fide medical treatment and are willing reimburse people who suffer from certain clinical conditions such as diabetic illnesses, epidural abscesses, hearing loss, and inflammatory bowel disease. Other uses for hyperbaric medicine include treating such neurological symptoms as autism and cerebral palsy in children. A 2001 study showed that continued hyperbaric oxygen therapy gradually improved the brain activity of children with cerebral palsy. A double-blind study on the effects of hyperbaric treatment also suggested that continued therapy could alleviate some of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Although the results aren’t concrete enough for hospitals to use HBOT for these purposes, many people have implemented hyperbaric oxygen in their homes to treat these ailments.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been known to be an anti-aging technique as it revitalizes cells and restores damaged tissue. As is customary with all forms of alternative medicine, some skepticism revolves around this treatment, but believers in the power of hyperbaric oxygen treatment speak of its ability to treat everything from neurological conditions to the effects of aging. Some recent studies have even indicated that optimal oxygen intake can actually bring dead cells back to life. Regular people who use hyperbaric oxygen emerge more energized and claim to feel healthier overall. Many medical practitioners believe that once hyperbaric oxygen therapy is more closely examined and accepted, that doctors will wonder why they weren’t using the treatment years ago.