More Oxygen, More Healing

Not sure if an oxygen chamber will make you live longer like Michael Jackson was hoping, but it sure seems like a great way to get better faster!  These chambers that pump pure oxygen into a sealed vessel can create a hyped up healing environment for many types of wounds and various injuries. 

Hyper, meaning  greater, and baric, meaning pressure, or hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) could be considered essentially a breathing technique.  But no meditation required here.  This one is where the patient breathes in 100 percent pure oxygen at a pressure greater than normal. In this situation, your lungs can gather up to three times more oxygen than would be possible helping to release stem cells to promote healing. 

Why Oxygen?

Our bodies need a steady supply of oxygen to function. But, when our tissue is injured, we require even more of it. HBOT greatly increases the amount of oxygen the blood can carry. An increase in blood oxygen temporarily raises levels of blood gases to promote healing and fight infection.

Where HBOT Can Help

Some of the areas where HBOT has been used effectively are as follows:  

• Radiation injuries
• Carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Diabetic foot ulcers
• Bone infections
• Decompression sickness
• Skin grafts 
• Traumatic brain injury
• Crush injury
• Sudden hearing loss 

There are also studies being conducted on HBOT used with those suffering post traumatic stress syndrome, post concussion syndrome and autism.

What It's Like

No needles, no icky fluids to swallow, no pills to take.  The treatment is non-invasive and is as serene as it gets.  The patient merely lies down in a transparent, pressurised hyperbaric chamber and breathes, which is required anyway.  In some chambers, you can even watch television or listen to music.  Many just take a nap. Each session runs 60 to 90 minutes long, 

Many hospitals incorporate HBOT.  There are also medical centers that specialize in would healing that use this therapy as well.  To find treatment near you, consult a listing at the International HyperBaric Medical Association.