It’s no secret that oxygen gives us life. After all, it’s what we breathe in every day, and it’s what plants use during photosynthesis.
So, it should come as no surprise that oxygen-based therapy can help you become a healthier person. More and more Americans are turning to hyperbaric champer therapy (HBCT), also known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), to treat a variety of ailments.
What is hyperbaric chamber therapy? How does it work, and how can it help you meet your health goals? Read on to learn all you need to know about hyperbaric chamber therapy.
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What is Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy?
If you’re a scuba diver, you’ve probably already heard of hyperbaric chamber therapy in some capacity. During hyperbaric chamber therapy, you breathe in oxygen in a pressurized environment.
Often, it’s the go-to treatment for scuba divers suffering from decompression sickness. During this type of therapy, the air pressure gets increased to two to three times higher than its normal amount. Under these conditions, your lungs are able to gather much more oxygen than they would if you were breathing normal air.
When your blood can carry more oxygen through the body, it can better fight bacteria and stimulate the growth of stem cells, which, in turn, promotes healing.
How Does Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy Work?
So, how does this therapy work to heal your body? Hyperbaric chamber therapy is a non-invasive treatment that helps with the flow of oxygen.
While many of us believe that we breathe in pure oxygen, this is not the case. In fact, the air we breathe is only made up of approximately 21% oxygen. During hyperbaric chamber therapy, you have the chance to take in pure oxygen.
Under normal conditions, only the hemoglobin takes in oxygen. But during hyperbaric chamber therapy, oxygen gets compressed, dissolved, and forced beyond the hemoglobin deep into the body’s tissues.
Due to this extra flow of oxygen, areas of the body that previously experienced diminished circulation get better access to oxygen-rich blood.
What are the Benefits of Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy?
In addition to helping treat those suffering from decompression sickness, hyperbaric chamber therapy can help treat a number of conditions by increasing the amount of oxygen in the blood.
Your doctor may prescribe hyperbaric chamber therapy if you suffer from:
- Anemia: A condition that results in a lack of red blood cells in the body
- Brain Infections: HBCT can help displace intracranial abscesses
- Traumatic Injuries: This may include damage sustained from whiplash, car accidents, prolonged obesity, or falling
- Hypoxia: This condition results in abnormally low oxygen levels
- Skin Grafts: This is a skin transplant that occurs after a burn or injury
Your doctor may also prescribe hyperbaric chamber therapy if you suffer from gangrene, deafness, radiation injury, vision loss, or non-healing wounds, such as a diabetic ulcer. If you suffer from one of these conditions, you may want to look into buying a hyperbaric chamber.
Are You Ready to Try Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy?
As you can see, hyperbaric chamber therapy can help patients suffering from a variety of ailments. If you believe HBCT may be for you, then you should speak to your doctor.
And, check back in with our blog to find more health articles like this one!