Understanding Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a method used to increase blood and tissue oxygen levels, independently from Hb transportation. Your body's tissues need an adequate supply of oxygen to function. When tissue is injured, it requires even more oxygen to survive. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases the amount of oxygen your blood can carry. With repeated treatments, the temporary extra high oxygen levels encourage normal tissue oxygen levels, even after the therapy is completed.
Its therapeutic basis is understood from three different perspectives: Physical (Hyperbaric 100% oxygen), physiological (hyperoxia and hyperoxemia) and cellular/molecular effects. All these effects provide HBOT its efficacy in the management of hypoxia derived conditions and hypoxemia, respectively, also exerting direct effects in infectious agents and immune cells, modulating a wide variety of cellular signalling pathways, cytokine production and tissue processes such as angiogenesis (Ortega et al, 2021).
HBOT has been suggested as indicated in a number of medical conditions including chronic pain and Fibromyalgia (Chen et al, 2023), Headache and Migraine (Bennett et al, 2015), as well as other suggested potential benefits including improved rate of healing of sporting injuries (Barata et al, 2011), skin health (Nishizaka et al, 2018), Cognitive Enhancement in healthy older adults (Amir et al, 2020), and anti-aging effects (Hachmo et al, 2020).
How does HBOT work?
HBOT helps wound healing by bringing oxygen-rich plasma to tissue starved for oxygen. Wound injuries damage the body's blood vessels, They release fluid that leaks into the tissues and causes swelling. This swelling deprives the damaged cells of oxygen, and tissue starts to die. HBOT reduces swelling while flooding the tissues with oxygen. The higher pressure in the chamber increases the amount of oxygen in the blood. HBOT aims to break the cycle of swelling, oxygen starvation, and tissue death.
HBOT prevents "reperfusion injury." This is the severe tissue damage that happens when the blood supply returns to the tissues after they have been deprived of oxygen. Blood flow can be interrupted by a crush injury, for instance. If this happens, a series of events inside the damaged cells leads to the release of harmful oxygen radicals. These molecules can do damage to tissues that can't be reversed. They cause the blood vessels to clamp up and stop blood flow. HBOT encourages the body's oxygen radical scavengers to seek out the problem molecules and let healing continue.
HBOT helps block the action of harmful bacteria and strengthens the body's immune system. HBOT can disable the toxins of certain bacteria. It also increases oxygen concentration in the tissues. This helps them resist infection. And the therapy improves the ability of white blood cells to find and destroy invaders.
HBOT encourages the formation of new collagen and new skin cells. It does so by encouraging new blood vessels to grow. It also stimulates cells to make certain substances, like vascular endothelial growth factor. These attract and stimulate endothelial cells needed for healing.
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References and Further Reading