Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, or HBOT, is a medical treatment that offers pure oxygen to your body under more than normal pressurized environments. HBOT is a non-invasive treatment that permits increased oxygen levels to all or any parts of the body. While many people think of hyperbaric chambers and underwater divers with the bends, HBOT offers various medical benefits and is open to treat many different conditions. At National Hyperbaric, Dr. Spiegel and his team work to get the ideal HBOT treatment plan for you and your condition.

What Are Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers?
A hyperbaric chamber permits high-pressure, pure oxygen delivery to an individual. At National Hyperbaric, you will see two different types of chambers. A mono-place chamber is a specific, plexiglass tube which allows the affected person to lie comfortably while hearing music or watching television. The chamber fills with pure oxygen at greater than normal air pressure. A multi-place chamber is a bigger unit and suitable for up to 12 patients. Here patients sit in large recliners and breathe oxygen by having a mask or hood. They will get up and move around, interact with others, watch television set or pay attention to music. Which chamber your treatment solution uses will rely upon your condition. Such as, in cases of wound healing, a mono-chamber provides an advantage for the reason that the oxygen enters directly through the image surface of your body as well as through breathing.

hyperbaric oxygen treatment vancouver wa can transform Your Life
1. Air or Gas Embolism
For decades, hyperbaric oxygen has been the principal treatment for air and gas embolism.

Air and gas embolism occurs when air bubbles improperly enter arteries or veins. Left untreated, air bubbles can cause comprehensive internal damage, obstructing blood flow and damaging the heart, brain, and other organs.

In some cases, this can be fatal.

The increased atmospheric pressure inside an HBOT chamber reduces how big is bubbles, letting them dissolve into the bloodstream and become removed from the body safely. Beyond this, oxygen-rich blood expels nitrogen bubbles.

Most frequently, gas embolism is caused by events of rapid decompression. That is usually seen in cases of divers who surface too quickly, triggering the compressed air in their bodies to expand at an instant rate. Rapid decompression can even be experienced in other depressurization situations, such as flying within an unpressurized aircraft.

2. Hypoxia (lack of oxygen)
Many doctors will say if the oxygen-carrying capacity of any patient’s blood is normal, the individual does not need auxiliary oxygen. However, many chronically ill individuals stay in circumstances of ongoing hypoxia – and therefore there isn’t enough oxygen reaching their cells.

Hypoxia may be generalized, affecting the complete body, or local, affecting only an area of the body. Blue-ish fingers and toes are a hallmark of hypoxia due to poor circulation, and people affected by under-oxygenation are more likely to exhibit this symptom even at the onset of the problem.

Common causes of hypoxia are heavy smoking, diabetes-related injury, and poor circulation – all conditions which affect the body’s ability to transport and distribute oxygen where it is necessary most.

HBOT can even be effective in cases of prolonged cerebral hypoxia, a problem where the brain is obstructed from acquiring sufficient oxygen.

3. Anemia
Anemia refers to the lack of red blood cells in the body. Due to an insufficiency in red blood cells, the bloodstream is hindered from carrying enough oxygen to the body’s tissues. This deficiency most regularly causes fatigue, pallor, and weakness.

Anemia is one condition in which the benefits associated with HBOT can truly shine. To counter-affect the type of anemia, an increase in oxygen is necessary. Because the nature of HBOT is the increased distribution of oxygen into hemoglobin, plasma and tissue, individuals experiencing anemia often find remarkable, sustainable results after repeated sessions of hyperbaric therapy.

4. Brain Infections
Brain infections, also known as intracranial abscesses, are caused by a build up of puss within the confines of the skull.

Depending on the location of the abscess and the severe nature of inflammation, brain infections can cause mild to severe symptoms that, left untreated, may potentially lead to coma or death.

Hyperbaric oxygen can be considered a powerful tool to displace intracranial abscesses when used as well as surgery and antibiotic therapy. The bacteria which lead to brain puss are anaerobic – meaning they thrive in a low-oxygen environment. At an ATA degree of 1.5 or more, HBOT prevents bacteria from replicating and spreading in the body. This also allows a decrease in intracranial swelling.

Beyond treatment for a pre-existing abscess, supplemental oxygen improves the body’s natural defense against bacteria and other anaerobic organisms, giving patients an improved chance of stopping regrowth or almost any initial bacterial build-up.

5. Traumatic Injuries
Traumatic injuries can result in muscle swelling and neurologic problems, specifically for individuals managing damage sustained from car accidents, whiplash, falling, or prolonged obesity. Damaged arteries are also common by-products of such trauma, and difficulties can include non-healing wounds, infections, and amputations.

Oxygen enhances the circulation of oxygenated blood to damaged tissues and promotes the growth of new arteries, so that it is a very important treatment option for traumatic injury patients.

Numerous studies and clinical trials show that HBOT works well in treating wounds that normally wouldn’t normally heal because of poor blood flow. The pure oxygen and increased atmospheric pressure not only escalates the way to obtain oxygen to all damaged tissues, but can also reduce excess fluid, bettering blood circulation to damaged areas.

6. Skin Grafts
Skin grafting – a medical procedure involving skin transplantation in the event of severe burns or injury – is another trauma procedure which can greatly gain benefit implementation of HBOT.

Skin grafts require healthy, oxygenated environments to appropriately heal. In the event of poor circulation, the body may reject your skin transplant or lengthen its healing time significantly.

HBOT can be used not only to prepare the wounded area prior to the transplant, but to assist in the healing of the wound following the transplant. HBOT is widely thought to be an extremely effective treatment option for slow-healing wounds, because of the nature of oxygen exposure and the promotion of new cell creation in the body.

7. Radiation Damage
Radiation can be highly effective as a form of treatment for patients undergoing rehabilitation from cancer.

Because radiation kills cancerous cells and prevents illness from spreading throughout your body, it may be the most sought-after solution to combat cell mutation.

However, due to its aggressive nature and inability to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy cells, radiation also damages the arteries that feed our body’s good cells. According to scientific research, around 15% of cancer patients can experience chronic issues following radiation treatment, including however, not limited by tooth decay, nausea, and difficulty breathing.

Hyperbaric oxygen may prove effective to counteract the damage accumulated after radiation by assisting your body in growing new capillaries while boosting the body’s ability to create new cells faster in the damaged areas.

8. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Just like oxygen, carbon monoxide can be an odorless, colorless gas. If oxygen means life, carbon monoxide can result in death by poisoning. When inhaled, carbon monoxide glues to hemoglobin, stopping it from carrying oxygen to cells and tissues.

Carbon monoxide poisoning is most beneficial treated with supplemental oxygen. HBOT forces additional oxygen deep in to the blood plasma, blocking CO’s toxicity and restoring viability to any or all parts of the body.

9. Diabetic Foot Ulcers
For people with diabetic foot ulcers, HBOT often means the difference between being able to walk and being disabled for the rest with their lives.

According to one study, about 15% of folks with diabetes will establish a foot ulcer in their lifetimes.

Oxygen can not only treat diabetic foot ulcers, but also prevent them from forming. Poor blood flow and nerve damage are usually the complexities that lead to ulcers, and the saturation of oxygen in the bloodstream allows your body both a great offence and defense to nerve damage.

Oxygen administered in adjunction with antibiotics can be considered a viable treatment plan for diabetic patients, assisting to reduce the risk of wounds and the need of amputation.

10. Stroke
In the event of stroke, oxygen is the principal substance the mind is deprived of. When insufficient oxygen gets to mental performance, the intracranial tissues get started to die, resulting in everlasting damage and decrease in function.

In the ever-progressing field of medicine, neurologists now accept that the oxygen-starved brain tissues do not die immediately; instead, they sustain trauma, which is easy for this trauma to be reversed.

When given the right dose of oxygen, damaged brain tissue can function up to eight hours after death.

According to one study, in the late 1990s, three Dutch neuroscientists brought the mind cells of thirty deceased people back to life by the administration of oxygen to the cells in the mind.

If you or a loved one have recently sustained injury due to stroke or insufficient sufficient blood circulation to the brain, consider pursuing HBOT as a treatment option to revitalize traumatized tissue and raise the production of new cells.

Only a healthcare provider should prescribe hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Several hospitals offer hyperbaric oxygen chambers. People relax, sit, or lie comfortably in these chambers and take deep breaths in sessions that last up to 2 hours.

Your ears may feel plugged as the pressure is raised, like when you’re within an airplane or the mountains. Simple swallowing or gum will “pop” the ears back on track hearing levels.

Your blood carries the extra oxygen throughout the body, infusing the injured tissues that need more oxygen so they can get started healing. Whenever a session is complete, you could feel lightheaded. Mild side effects include claustrophobia, fatigue, and headaches.

Several sessions may be needed, so check beforehand to see whether your insurance provider, Medicaid, or Medicare covers the price.

Precautions
Hyperbaric oxygen is not for everyone. It will not be employed by those who have had a recent ear surgery or ear trauma, a cold or fever, or certain types of lung disease.

The most common complication after HBOT is trauma to the center ear. Other possible issues are eye damage and sinus problems. In rare, severe cases, an individual can get oxygen poisoning. This can lead to seizures, fluid in the lungs, lung failure, or other problems. Taking into consideration the possible risks and benefits, the decision to use hyperbaric oxygen must be carefully made following a detailed discussion with your doctor.