What Is HBOT Therapy?
Oxygen, as we all know, is the most essential gas of all. Without it, it is not possible for us to even survive in this world. This oxygen can also be used in several therapies for benefiting the health conditions. One such therapy is the HBOT therapy or hyperbaric oxygen therapy. So, WHAT IS HBOT THERAPY? The hyperbaric oxygen therapy is one of the popular treatments used worldwide for treating several infections, wounds etc. This therapy is actually breathing of 100% pure oxygen while under some increased atmospheric pressure. It is a completely safe and natural therapy that uses the power of pressurized oxygen for regenerating and revitalizing the healing system of your body. Over the time, this therapy is also used as a skin treatment therapy for improving the quality of the skin.
HISTORY OF THE HBOT THERAPY
This hyperbaric oxygen therapy was first used in the early 20th century in the United States. This therapy was used by Orville Cunningham for treating someone suffering badly from flu. He built a hyperbaric chamber on his own for this purpose but then he dismantled it too after the use. This therapy was again used in the 1940s by the U.S Navy to treat some of their deep-sea divers who were suffering from decompression sick ness. Later in the 1960s, this hyperbaric oxygen therapy was also used for combating the harmful carbon monoxide poisoning.
HOW DOES HBOT THERAPY WORK?
The hyperbaric oxygen therapy works in different ways. It can help you in wound healing as well as healing the damaged tissues. Also it can help in blocking some of the actions by harmful viruses and bacteria. The patient who will go through this therapy will be put into a pressurized chamber where the atmospheric pressure will be raised up to about 3 times more than the normal. The patient will breath in 100% pure oxygen up to 3 times more than the normal air pressure. To know exactly how it works, here are some of the points you should know about:
* The HBOT helps in bringing the plasma rich in oxygen to the tissues that are starving for oxygen. This can help to heal the wounds much faster. Some of the wounds can damage the blood vessels resulting in release of the fluid into the tissues. This can cause swelling resulting in deprivation of oxygen to the damaged cells. Due to lack of oxygen the tissue starts to die. This therapy helps in reducing the swelling and flooding the tissue with oxygen.
* The HBOT can also help in blocking some of the worst actions of the harmful virus and bacteria by strengthening the immunity system of your body. The hyperbaric oxygen therapy uses pure oxygen which can disable the toxin of certain viruses and bacteria while increasing the oxygen concentration in your tissues. This can help them to successfully fight with any potential infection.
* Also, the HBOT help in improving the potential and ability of your WBC (white blood cells). These cells are responsible for finding and destroying the invaders in your body which can cause potential damages.
* The hyperbaric oxygen therapy can also encourage the formation of new connective tissues which is also called collagen and new skin cells. It also encourage the formation of new blood vessel which can stimulate the cells for producing substance for better growth and immunity. This can increase the speed of healing.
BENEFITS OF HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY
After you got the idea about WHAT IS HBOT THERAPY, it is time for you to know about the different benefits. The hyperbaric oxygen therapy is valued all over the world as one of the best treatments to heal wounds and many infections and health problems. We have mentioned some of the benefits here for you to know more about the value of this therapy:
1. DECREASED EDEMA (INFLAMMATION/SWELLING)
The swilling or edema can be caused due to injuries and wounds. The hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps to decrease the swelling by stimulating a better circulation of blood. Some of the fluids that are built up inside the body resulting in swelling can move through the body to be eliminated.
2. HYPER OXYGENATION OF TISSUES
With the help of the HBOT therapy, the tissues get hyper-oxygenated. It becomes saturated with the oxygen and it can stimulate the tissues to heal in a better way. As it helps in formation of tissues and collagen, it can help to rejuvenate your skin conditions and keep it healthier and younger naturally.
3. FIGHTS AGAINST BACTERIA
Another prominent benefit of the hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the antibacterial actions. When the body gets excessive amount of oxygen through this therapy, antibacterial activity increases. This can help you to fight against the harmful bacteria efficiently.
4. INCREASED ANGIOGENESIS
The excessive amount of oxygen by the HBOT therapy helps in creating some blood vessels which is called angiogenesis. Without this, the tissues will not be able to survive or even repair themselves after being injured.
5. STIMULATE GROWTH
The HBOT can maximize the effect of the antibiotic by increasing the amount of oxygen in your body. It can also enhance the leukocytes which can effectively kill the dangerous bacteria. It can also stimulate the growth factors of blood platelets.
USES OF HBOT THERAPY
The hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used for treating different medical and health conditions. From the above benefits and how it works, it is quite evident that this therapy can be quite useful. There is no doubt that the doctors use this therapy for treating some of the diseases, infections and injuries. After all, the oxygen can help in different ways. Some of the conditions that this hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help are:
* Decompression sickness
* Severe anemia
* Burn
* Brain abscess
* Arterial embolism
* Crushing injury
* Carbon monoxide poisoning
* Sudden deafness
* Non-healing wounds
CONCLUSION
This is all about the hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Besides being used for different purposes to heal the injuries and to increase the tissues, it can be used for enhancing the skin condition too. Many skin improvement therapies include the oxygenation as it can increase the elasticity of the skin by stimulating the collagen production, as mentioned above. Thus, the hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not only used for medical purposes, but it is also used for reducing wrinkles and fines on your skin and to make it look younger and healthier.