How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Help Me?

The extensive use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy is treating diving-related problems. Beyond that, it may provide healing for other conditions, especially those that stem from a lack of enough oxygen in the body. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is noninvasive, so you do not have to worry about the healing of wounds from surgery. Better still, the treatment helps heal existing wounds and improve brain health.
 

What Is It?

The noninvasive treatment involves breathing concentrated oxygen in a hyperbaric or pressurized chamber. The additional oxygen enhances tissue function, helping it to heal. It also helps the cells and tissues fight infection under various conditions. The pressure in the hyperbaric chamber is three times what people usually breathe.

Thus, it can increase the oxygen concentration in your lungs by three times. The procedure is outpatient—you do not need to stay in the hospital as you receive treatment. The number of sessions will depend on the severity of your situation.
 

How Will It Help?

Many injuries occur from the disruption of oxygen distribution in the body. Diseases like diabetes can cause poor circulation of blood and oxygen. Consequently, wounded areas heal slowly. However, HBOT can help in such situations. It also has several other benefits.
 

Promoting Healing After Injury

Wound injuries can damage your blood vessels and starve your organs of oxygen. Damage to the blood vessels can release fluid into the tissues, causing swelling. The swelling disrupts oxygen provision to the tissues, and they start to die. HBOT improves vascular function and reduces swelling. 

It floods the damaged cells with oxygen so that they can heal. As it does so, it breaks the cycle of oxygen starvation due to swelling that causes tissue death and promotes healing.
 

Improves Blood Flow

Lack of adequate blood flow results in slow healing of wounds. It also results in various mental health issues when it affects the brain. HBOT restores blood flow by improving vascular function, which in turn helps with wound healing and other conditions. These include dementia, depression, schizophrenia, and other traumatic brain injuries.
 

Blocks Harmful Bacteria

HBOT strengthens your immune system and stops the action of harmful bacteria. When oxygen concentration increases in the tissues, it improves their function. They can resist infection. The oxygen also disables the toxins in certain bacteria.

In so doing, the tissues disarm and block them from damaging your body. HBOT also strengthens your immunity by improving the white blood cells’ ability to find and destroy the infection.
 

Improves Brain Metabolism

HBOT improves concentration and memory, decreasing disorientation and anxiety. It also effectively treats diseases like Alzheimer’s. It stimulates the growth of new cells and blood vessels, improving brain metabolism. In turn, better brain metabolism allows you to process information more efficiently. 
 

Prevents Reperfusion Injury

Sometimes, there is the possibility of severe damage when blood supply returns to the tissues after oxygen deprivation. Harmful radicals that result from the previous injury can do irreversible damage to the tissue. They cause blood to clamp up, resulting in restriction of blood flow. HBOT encourages oxygen radical scavengers in the body to seek out harmful molecules, promoting healing.
 

For more information on hyperbaric oxygen therapy, visit Bagnell Brain Center at our Pinecrest, Florida office. Call (305) 889-7488 to schedule an appointment today.

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