Unless you are a medical professional, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy may be unfamiliar to you. Maybe someone you love is experiencing this treatment soon, or even you, yourself, and you want to understand what it is. Have no fear, that’s precisely what we’ll do.

What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, also known as HBOT, is a medical treatment that increases the amount of oxygen a patient breaths to 100% to help them absorb more oxygen and speed up healing processes in the body to fight diseases. Originating in 1662, its full potential wouldn’t be explored until the early 2000s when hyperbaric medicine became its own independent medical field, allowing doctors and scientists to devote time and energy to better understanding this practice.

How Does It Work?

HBOT functions according to two laws: Henry’s law and Boyle’s law. The patient will be placed inside a pressurized chamber, or a room with a hood, that will pump in pure oxygen. Breathing pure oxygen through your respiratory system will more effectively bring oxygen to your blood, keeping the blood healthy and delivering more to the areas that need the oxygen the most. The ambient pressure within the hoods or tube must be greater than the average pressure in normal atmosphere because the more pressure gasses like oxygen feel in your body, the greater its volume in your body becomes. Each session in the tube or hood lasts for two hours with 30 minute intervals.

Is It Effective?

It’s essential for our bodies to receive the oxygen they need to heal and function properly. Oxygen allows tissues to heal and lets brain continually process information, send signals to the rest of the body, process sensory information, and allow motor function and memory retention. The lack of oxygen and the inhibition of proper oxygen flow cause many different diseases or make existing wounds take longer to heal. The FDA has approved 14 ailments that Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is used for, such as Decompression Sickness, diabetic & other non-healing Wounds, carbon monoxide poisoning, thermal burns, and compromised skin grafts or flaps, just to name a few.

Are There Any Risks?

Because HBOT comprises only of oxygen and pressure, and because patients are monitored constantly, it’s an incredibly safe treatment. However, side effects can include

  • Temporary ear pain from the pressure change.
  • More serious ear pain from eardrum ruptures.
  • Lightheadedness from the change in atmosphere composition
  • Anxiety if you are claustrophobic
  • Temporary vision changes and numbness in your limbs.
  • Potential collapsed lungs in patients with emphysema or other lung diseases.
  • Lowered blood sugar for the diabetic
  • Seizures in your nervous system
  • Fire from the oxygen rich environment (in very rare cases)

Conclusion

In conclusion, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a very effective treatment for numerous ailments and is a treatment of minimal risks. As it accelerates the healing process of the body, the potential for expansion in treatments is tremendous! There are even ongoing studies of HBOT with autism. If you would like to learn more, please explore the resources below.