Unveiling Hyperbaric Therapy: Benefits and Safety Explained

The Benefits of Hyperbaric Therapy

What do you think of when you hear “hyperbaric therapy?” Some people envision an iron lung. Some envision a small cramped room full of inexperienced SCUBA divers. Some have never heard of it.

Hyperbaric therapy is actually nothing new in medicine. It was initially created in the early 1800s to treat respiratory diseases. It was successfully used to treat patients with Spanish flu by Dr. Orval Cunningham, an anesthesiologist. He was attempting to use hyperbaric therapy to treat cancer, diabetes, and a wide range of diseases when the American Medical Association shut him down.

For a few decades, hyperbaric therapy receded into the background until it was revived in the mid-1950s. It was used to increase tumor sensitivity to radiation and improve cardiac surgery outcomes. It has been used throughout the years for a wide array of diseases and ailments.

What is Hyperbaric Therapy?

Hyperbaric therapy is a treatment that increases the pressure to greater than sea level. The pressure used generally depends on the goal of treatment but is approximately 2-4 times atmospheric pressure.

This allows the lungs to transfer oxygen more effectively than at normal atmospheric pressure. This increases the amount of oxygen flowing through the tissues and is available systemically.

Without oxygen, you die. This applies to every piece of living tissue in your body. Some tissues require more than others. For example, the brain needs oxygen all the time. When oxygen flow is restricted the brain dies quickly (stroke). Other tissues (skin) are far less fragile and can function just fine with a small amount of oxygen.

Hyperbaric therapy has been increasing in popularity for a while now. While the technology has existed for years, it has never been more available to the general public as it is now. There are hyperbaric chambers popping up all over the place both inpatient and outpatient.

To my knowledge, they all require the supervision of a physician. But there are plenty of places that operate as concierge businesses for whatever ailment you’re looking to treat.

Hyperbaric Benefits

Oxygen is the main benefit of hyperbaric therapy. It has been used over many decades to treat illnesses such as anemia, burns, carbon monoxide poisoning, skin infections, radiation injuries, brain injuries, vision loss, and so forth. The list goes on and on.

Hyperbaric therapy works by increasing the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues in need. Let’s use the example of a poorly healing lower leg wound like a diabetic ulcer. This is a common use of hyperbaric therapy.

Diabetics generally have poor circulation which leads to ulcers that can take months to heal. Since their vasculature is so poor, the tissues don’t have the nutrients necessary to heal properly. By increasing the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues, healing is improved, so the theory goes.

Along those same lines, increased oxygenation improves immune function. Cells are reliant on oxygen to function. This includes your immune cells. These are the cells the body uses to clean up infections and heal damaged tissues.

It is also claimed to reduce inflammation, improve circulation, and reduce chronic pain. It’s been hard to find much evidence for many of these claims. The main benefits seem to be in patients who would benefit from improved oxygenation of tissues. This is predominantly wound healing, sensitizing tumors, brain injuries, and so on.