Reduce Pain (specifically inflammatory-related pain disorders)
Numerous studies have clearly demonstrated a dramatic relief in pain, following hyperbaric procedures. This has been supported by patients, world-wide, reporting strong and similar pain-relief following HBOT.
The majority of the evidence point to the anti-inflammatory effects being the key mechanism for this therapeutic effect.
New emerging data is now confirming an opioid-like effect following HBOT. This contributing factor can help explain HBOT’s powerful and dramatic pain-reliving effects that have been so well documented in clinical studies. This also can give us a much better understanding of HBOT’s full potential in pain management strategies.
Improve and enhance Immune Functioning
The immune system is composed of white blood cells (WBCs). These cells have a variety of essential roles inside the body, one of which is to fight infections. They do this through an oxygen-dependent system called phagocytosis. This is a process whereby WBCs engulf and then kill the invading organisms. The killing effect is achieved through converting oxygen into dangerous compounds called oxy-radicals. HBOT has been shown to enhance phagocytosis, helping the body to kill and ward-off infections.
HBOT also aids in a process called apoptosis (or programmed cell death). This is where more susceptible cells (like older and poor functioning immune cells or cancer cells) basically are forced to ‘commit suicide’ and make way for newer cells. This also has been shown to be an important factor in resolving inflammation and chronic wounds.
High enough oxygen dosages (as typically produced in high-pressure oxygen chambers) can produce very high amounts of oxygen radicals. These compounds (on their own) can have a direct killing effect on microorganisms, particularly anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that can’t live in the presence of oxygen).
Protect the body
Each cell in your body is well equipped to be able to protect its vital core (DNA) by having an internal antioxidant system. These antioxidants are called ‘endogenous’ antioxidants because they are produced by the body to handle the constant stress that it is under, just from day-to-day living.
Breathing causes a significant stress on every cell called ‘metabolic stress’. The reason is that oxygen is reacting with carbon (from the food that you eat) to give the body cellular energy (ATP) it needs for survival and function. However, this production causes dangerous by-products. Since we breathe multiple times in a minute, we have always been exposed to ‘the stress of breathing’ and naturally our body has adapted to this. Every cell is protected via this endogenous antioxidant system. Without these, our cells would not even be able to survive the act of breathing.
In recent decades, the cells in our body are being exposed to unprecedented levels of stressors — fast food, car exhaust, cigarette smoke and industrial chemicals — just to name a few. As these begin to overwhelm our natural and built-in antioxidant system, our fragile DNA now has less protection from these attacks and many disease states can follow.
HBOT provides a strong and very quick rise in the endogenous antioxidant system. The key antioxidants Glutathione Peroxidase, Catalase, and Superoxide Dismutase have all shown to rise intracellularly in virtually all metabolically-active tissue following HBOT exposure. This can give enhanced cellular protection for both current and future exposures:
Current Exposures:
Implications for chronic health conditions like cancers, heart disease, and other very serious diseases can be huge, both from a clinical viewpoint and also from its potential overall cost-saving effect.- Note, many doctors and practitioners who are not aware of the research that has been done on hbot therapy are quick to theorize that HBOT will produce free radical damage through the addition of extra oxygen and will either not recommend it due to this or prescribe very high amounts of antioxidants to counteract this. However, this is not the case. In actuality, it can help reduce free radical damage inside the body through its stimulation of the body’s natural antioxidant system.
Future Exposures:
This is a very interesting and exciting area in HBOT research for its potential clinical role in limiting the tissue damage that occurs following serious injuries or disease states (like those seen following heart attacks, strokes, car accidents etc).Many of these studies have involved preconditioning an organ (like the brain) with HBOT, and then exposing it to an injury (like a stroke) and observed the subsequent damages. The studies have concluded an overall protective effect from HBOT, with much less damage occurring in those that were preconditioned with hyperbaric therapy.
