Hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT is a non-invasive treatment that involves being exposed to pure oxygen in a pressurized room. The influx of oxygen has been shown to stimulate tissue repair and restore normal body function. In fact, Dr. Autumn Savage has successfully used it to treat diabetic wounds, venous leg ulcers, and other slow-healing lesions.
Are you considering HBOT as a form of treatment? Here are some benefits you might enjoy from breathing in oxygen at three times the normal air pressure.
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Approved to Treat Certain Conditions
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was first used in the United States in the 19th Century. Today, it is commonly used to treat people suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning and scuba diving depressurization. It has also been approved as a treatment option for a wide range of conditions, which include:
- Car accident injuries
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Gas gangrene, which is a type of gangrene where gas accumulates in the tissues
- Decompression sickness from scuba diving
- Bone infection such as osteomyelitis
- Cyanide poisoning
- Necrotizing soft tissue infection or flesh-eating disease
- Air embolism
- Diabetic wounds
- Compromised skin grafts
- Delayed radiation injury
Prevents Tissue Damage
If you sustain a car accident injury such as a broken leg, blood flow to your foot could get interrupted. The oxygen deprivation could result in the formation of harmful oxygen radicals, which, if not destroyed, could cause severe irreversible tissue damage. This damage is otherwise called a reperfusion injury.
HBOT increases the oxygen levels in your body. With this influx, your body’s oxygen can then seek out and destroy the oxygen radicals, preventing reperfusion injury.
Promotes Wound Healing
When you get wounded, your body’s blood vessels could get damaged. They might release fluid into your tissues, which often results in swelling. The swelling, in turn, could prevent oxygen from getting to your tissues, causing oxygen starvation and tissue death.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy delivers oxygen to oxygen-starved tissues. Doing so reduces swelling and floods your tissues with oxygen-rich plasma, promoting tissue regeneration and wound healing.
Boosts Your Immune System
Harmful bacteria from the environment or the food you eat can weaken your body’s immune system. This could leave you feeling tired and ill. During HBOT, the oxygen concentration in your tissues increases, which helps block the action of these bacteria. It can also help your immune system resist infection by boosting the fighting ability of your white blood cells.
Stimulates Collagen Production
When oxygen is flooded into your body, it stimulates the production of new skin cells and collagen. This, in turn, promotes healing and skin rejuvenation. The benefits can be seen and felt on your skin, which becomes tighter, smoother, and younger-looking. In essence, you get to enjoy fantastic skin alongside healing benefits.
Bottom Line
HBOT exposes you to oxygen in conditions that are impossible in a regular setting. This enhanced exposure helps your body fight harmful bacteria and repair its wounded tissues. That said, however, HBOT is not for everyone. It could present some risks for people with certain types of lung disease.
If you are considering hyperbaric oxygen therapy, it is advisable to consult with a specialist before committing to the treatment. Contact Wound Evolution – Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine in Fort Worth, Texas, to schedule an appointment with specialists Ashley Huddleston, MD, and her team.