How HBOT for Viral Infections Helps in Recovery?

HBOT for viral infection has recently become popular for treating infections and has shown great benefits. This therapy involves breathing pure oxygen in a special room or tube where the air pressure is higher than normal. It helps heal serious wounds faster, improves breathing, and removes toxins from the body.

The therapy increases the amount of oxygen that damaged tissues receive, which helps them heal quicker. It also strengthens the immune system over time, helping to protect against future infections caused by viruses or bacteria.

The Role of HBOT for Viral Infections - Fighting Against Them

Inflammation Levels Reduction 

Inflammation is your body's way of reacting when it gets hurt or fights off germs. When a part of your body is injured, your immune system kicks in and sends signals that cause the injured area to turn red, swell, get warm, hurt, and sometimes not work right. This helps your body protect and heal itself.

However, if there's too much inflammation, it can start to hurt your body instead of helping. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment that helps reduce this inflammation. 

In this therapy, you breathe in pure oxygen in a special room or tube that has higher air pressure, which helps calm down the inflammation and support healing.

A Responsive and Healthy Immune System 

When we catch a virus or the flu, our body's immune system starts to fight back. It uses different cells to do this job.

One type of cell, called a macrophage, is a white blood cell that tries to eat up the virus. There are other special white blood cells too.

For instance, B-cells make proteins called antibodies. These antibodies stick to the virus and mark it as bad, so other cells, like T-cells, know to attack and destroy it. This teamwork helps our body fight off the virus.

It Balances Bacterial Level 

Our body has millions of bacteria, some good and some bad. Anaerobic bacteria are the bad type that can't live in oxygen. They are mostly found in our gut but can also be in our lungs or injured tissues. 

Some names of these bacteria are Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, and Clostridium. They can cause diseases like diverticulitis and appendicitis.

Then there are good bacteria called probiotics. These like oxygen and help keep the bad bacteria under control.

Using a hyperbaric oxygen chamber helps in two ways. It pumps more oxygen into our bodies, which helps the good bacteria grow and fight off infections. Also, the extra oxygen makes it hard for the bad bacteria to survive, so there are fewer of them.

Increase White Blood Cells

Using a hyperbaric oxygen chamber means we breathe in extra oxygen. This extra oxygen acts like a power boost for our cells.

Our body has trillions of cells that work non-stop to keep us healthy. Among these, white blood cells are really important. They fight off germs and infections and use oxygen to do their job better.

Here’s what happens: these cells take in oxygen and nutrients from our blood. They use these to create energy in a form called ATP. This energy helps our cells do all sorts of things like move, grow, and fight off illness.

ATP is often described as "the molecular unit of currency" because it's what cells use to store and transfer energy. It’s vital for cells to function and keep us healthy.

Most of this energy-making happens in parts of the cell called mitochondria, known as the cell’s powerhouse because they make most of the energy.

When we use hyperbaric oxygen therapy, our cells get more oxygen, which helps them make more energy. This extra energy boosts our white blood cells, allowing them to fight off infections more effectively and for longer periods. 

Helps Against Viruses

Our body has a natural defense system designed to fight off viruses, but sometimes it can be overwhelmed if there are too many viruses at once. Even with the help of medications that fight viruses, our immune system might struggle to keep up.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can help in these situations. This therapy involves sitting in a chamber that has higher oxygen levels and air pressure than normal. 

The high oxygen and pressure environment created in these chambers can slow down or stop viruses from multiplying. This gives our immune system a better chance to fight back and start reducing the infection.

This benefit of hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been observed in many people who have undergone the treatment. Research has also shown that it can be particularly effective in reducing the amount of HIV, a type of virus, in the body.

Conclusion 

The benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on infections are well-documented and clear.

It effectively reduces inflammation by lessening the severe impacts of cytokine storms. The therapy promotes the growth of beneficial probiotics and diminishes harmful bacteria.

HBOT significantly enhances our immune system's ability to combat diseases by boosting the production of ROS, ATP, and white blood cells, and by preventing the further multiplication and spread of viruses.

Interested in finding out how a hyperbaric oxygen chamber can boost your health? Let Lakeshore Hyperbaric Center Chicago guide you.

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HBOT for Depression: The Impact of HBOT on Mental Health

Maintaining mental health necessitates comprehensive, holistic techniques aimed at keeping your body’s vital functions in the greatest possible condition. One of the emerging methods is hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Doctors use this therapy for several conditions. To highlight the buzz around, there’s a huge of HBOT in managing depression, and lifting mood is a recent finding. Read more to find out the reality. 

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy - Working Explained 

During a Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) session, the patient is placed in a special chamber or tube where the air pressure is increased to a level higher than normal atmospheric pressure. In this pressurized environment, the patient breathes in pure oxygen.

This elevated pressure allows the lungs to take in more oxygen than they would at normal air pressure. The oxygen-rich blood is then circulated throughout the body, delivering an increased amount of oxygen to tissues that need it. This process can promote the body’s natural healing mechanisms by stimulating the release of growth factors and stem cells, which are vital for repairing damaged tissues and fighting infections.

HBOT sessions usually last between 90 and 120 minutes and are often part of a treatment plan that includes multiple sessions, depending on the specific medical condition being treated.

While HBOT is generally considered safe, it can have side effects. Some of the potential risks include temporary changes in vision, injuries to the middle ear due to pressure changes, and in rare cases, lung collapse (pneumothorax). 

These side effects are usually mild and manageable, but they highlight the importance of undergoing HBOT under the supervision of trained medical professionals.

How Hyperbaric Oxygen’s Effects on Brain Functioning

About 20% of the oxygen in our body is used by our brain, making it a significant oxygen user, as it powers the brain's processes, oxygen is vital. 

Lack of oxygen can impair the brain's ability to function at its best, resulting in problems like mood swings and trouble focusing or thinking clearly. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) may assist with improving various mental processes as well as general mental health by augmenting the quantity of oxygen administered to the brain.

Decreased activity in specific brain regions, including the limbic system and prefrontal cortex, is frequently linked to depression. These regions are essential for controlling emotions and mental functions like memory and decision-making.

Depression symptoms may intensify when these areas are less active. According to research, HBOT may help activate certain brain regions, which may lessen the symptoms of depression by increasing brain activity where it is most required.

Shai Efrati conducted a significant study in 2020 to investigate the impact of HBOT on brain function. According to the study, patients' brain functions, including attention, processing speed, and executive functions (such as problem-solving and planning), significantly improved after receiving HBOT. 

These results imply that HBOT may be an effective means of improving cognitive function and general quality of life in people with specific diseases.

Insights into HBOT for Depression

To expand on the potential of HBOT in treating depression, a systematic review looked at various studies on this topic. This review particularly focused on treatment-resistant depression (TRD), which is a type of depression that doesn’t respond well to typical treatments. 

The review concluded that HBOT might be a beneficial alternative or complementary treatment for depression, showing promise for treating even stubborn cases.

Post-Stroke Depression

Another area of research examined HBOT’s effectiveness in treating depression that occurs after a stroke, known as post-stroke depression. The study found that when HBOT was used alongside standard care, patients experienced better outcomes than with standard care alone. 

This suggests that HBOT could be a safe and effective supplementary therapy, helping patients recover more fully from post-stroke depression.

Easing Anxiety and Depression with HBOT

When it comes to treating depression, the most common approaches include therapy (like cognitive-behavioral therapy), medication (such as antidepressants), and lifestyle changes (like exercise and diet adjustments). These treatments aim to improve mood and overall mental health. 

They might be even more effective when combined with holistic approaches—methods that consider the whole person, including physical, mental, and emotional aspects of health. One such holistic approach is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT).

Research has shown that HBOT, which involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber, can significantly improve nerve function. This is important because mood disorders like depression and anxiety are often linked to the functioning of the nervous system. By improving how nerves work, HBOT might help in managing these mood disorders more effectively.

Depression and Neural Plasticity

Neural plasticity is the brain's ability to change and adapt in response to experiences. This ability is crucial for learning, memory, and recovery from brain injuries. In depression, neural plasticity is often reduced, which means the brain has a harder time adapting and recovering from stress and other negative influences. This reduction in plasticity plays a significant role in the development and worsening of depression.

The Role of HBOT in Enhancing Neuroplasticity

Some studies have reported that HBOT can enhance neuroplasticity, meaning it helps the brain regain its ability to adapt and reorganize itself. This is particularly important for people with depression, as improving neuroplasticity could support the brain's recovery from the effects of depression. 

For instance, after exposure to harmful substances (like drugs or alcohol), HBOT has been shown to help restore cognitive function by boosting neuroplasticity.

Why Does This Matter for Depression? 

People with depression often experience impaired neuroplasticity, any treatment that can enhance this brain function could be beneficial. By potentially increasing neuroplasticity, HBOT may help improve the brain's ability to heal and adapt, leading to better outcomes for those struggling with depression.

HBOT and Mental Health: Final Note

It is essential to understand the complex relationships that exist between our bodies and brains. Therapies such as HBOT point to a more inventive, scientifically sound, and holistic approach to mental health care in the future. This method gives people who struggle with mental health issues.

Even while the results are encouraging, additional research is still needed to comprehend how HBOT treats depression and elevates mood fully. There are still unanswered concerns about its dosage, long-term consequences, patient selection, and combination with current therapies. 

HBOT for Cancer: A Supportive Therapy for Cancer Patients

It was believed that since normal cells need oxygen to grow, cancer cells must also rely on oxygen. This belief led doctors to avoid using oxygen therapy for cancer patients out of concern that it might fuel tumor growth.

However, studies have since shown that this assumption was incorrect. It turns out that cancer cells often thrive in environments with low oxygen levels, a condition known as hypoxia. This lack of oxygen is common in cancer patients and is linked to the progression of the disease.

Newer research has shown that increasing the oxygen levels in the body, specifically through Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), can actually slow down cancer growth. HBOT delivers oxygen at higher-than-normal levels, creating a less favorable environment for cancer cells. 

A 2009 study by researchers at Oxford University found that injecting oxygen into tumors not only made them less aggressive but also made chemotherapy treatments more effective. This means that contrary to earlier belief, oxygen therapy might actually help in the fight against cancer rather than hinder it.

HBOT For Cancer Patients: Approaches for Specific Cancer Types

Growing evidence supports the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) as a beneficial addition to traditional cancer treatments.

Traditionally, HBOT has been used alongside treatments like chemotherapy and radiation to help cancer patients. However, recent studies suggest that HBOT might have a more significant role in directly combating cancer.

2010 Study on Ovarian Tumors

A study published in Cancer Biology and Therapy in 2010 explored the impact of HBOT on ovarian tumors in mice. The mice were treated with HBOT daily for 21 days, which led to a significant reduction in tumor growth. When researchers added a chemotherapy agent to the HBOT treatment in another group of mice, the tumor volume decreased even more rapidly within just two weeks.

HBOT and Brain Cancer

Research over the last few years has also focused on the relationship between HBOT and brain cancers, particularly glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a highly aggressive and difficult-to-treat brain cancer. A 2015 study published in Oncology Letters found that adding HBOT to the treatment regimen of GBM patients improved their prognosis, indicating that HBOT could be a valuable therapeutic option.

2018 Study on Head and Neck Cancer

Another study, published in April 2018, investigated the effects of combining HBOT with radiotherapy in patients with head or neck cancer. The study concluded that this combination significantly reduced mortality rates and lowered the chances of tumor recurrence.

Using HBOT to Address Cancer-Related Challenges

In addition to working alongside traditional treatments to battle cancer, HBOT, or hyperbaric oxygen, is also a treatment option for many cancer-treatment-associated conditions. Radiation and chemotherapy are hard on the body, and while they do work to kill cancer cells, they also create problems of their own. We closely address these conditions below.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) can serve as a valuable complement to conventional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation.

These traditional therapies are crucial in the fight against cancer, targeting and destroying cancer cells. However, they often come with significant side effects that can negatively impact the patient's health. 

HBOT offers a way to manage side effects by increasing the body’s healing capability through increased oxygen levels. This approach can help mitigate the damage caused by radiation and chemotherapy, making the treatment experience more manageable for patients. 

In the following sections, a closer look will be provided on how HBOT specifically addresses these issues: 

Fatigue

Fatigue is a prevalent issue for cancer patients, caused both by the cancer and by traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. This exhaustion can be overwhelming and affect daily life. 

HBOT has successfully treated Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a condition characterized by extreme fatigue. Because of this, cancer patients often find that HBOT helps alleviate their debilitating fatigue, providing much-needed relief and improving their overall quality of life.

Anemia

Anemia, a condition where the body has a low count of red blood cells, is another common side effect of cancer and its treatments. Red blood cells are crucial because they carry oxygen throughout the body, and a low count can lead to severe fatigue and weakness. 

HBOT can help by stimulating the bone marrow, the body’s red blood cell production center. This stimulation increases the production of red blood cells, which can help alleviate the symptoms of anemia and boost the patient’s energy levels.

Mucositis and Esophagitis

Mucositis refers to the painful inflammation and ulceration of the membranes lining the digestive tract, while esophagitis is the inflammation of the esophagus. These conditions are particularly challenging for cancer patients, often resulting from the combined use of chemotherapy and radiation. 

They can cause significant discomfort and complications, including difficulty eating and increased infection susceptibility. HBOT can benefit these cases by reducing swelling, speeding up the healing process, and fighting bacterial infections such as pseudomonas, which are common in these conditions. 

This makes HBOT a valuable therapy for managing these painful side effects and improving the patient’s comfort during treatment.

Chemo Brain

This term refers to cognitive impairments that can occur after cancer treatment, particularly with chemotherapy and radiation. Patients with chemobrain often experience memory problems, both short-term (like forgetting recent conversations) and long-term (like struggling to recall past events). 

It can cause delayed reactions and other cognitive issues, such as difficulty concentrating, processing information, or making decisions. These symptoms can significantly impact daily life, making routine tasks challenging.

How HBOT Helps Manage Radiation Necrosis in Cancer Therapy

Radiation therapy is effective in targeting and destroying cancer cells, but it can also unintentionally damage healthy cells. This damage can lead to radiation necrosis, where the tissue and bones in the affected area begin to break down and die. The severity and type of necrosis depend on the location of the treatment.

If radiation is used to treat tumors in the pelvic or abdominal area, the damage can cause bleeding in specific organs. For example, radiation cystitis refers to bleeding from the bladder; radiation enteritis refers to bleeding from the small bowel, and radiation proctitis refers to bleeding from the rectum. These are all radiation necrosis specific to the pelvic and abdominal region.

When radiation is applied to tumors in the head, it can cause necrosis in the jaw, teeth, and throat. This can lead to severe complications, including difficulty eating, speaking, and maintaining oral health.

For tumors located in the breast, lung, or chest, radiation can cause necrosis of the soft tissues in the chest wall. This type of necrosis can result in a reduced range of motion, making it difficult to move the affected area. It can cause swelling of the lymph nodes, which can further impact the patient’s health and mobility.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) has been successfully used since the 1970s to treat radiation necrosis associated with cancer. By delivering 100 percent oxygen, HBOT provides a much higher oxygen concentration to the damaged tissue. 

HBOT  not only aids in repairing damaged tissue but also helps restore blood vessels affected by radiation.

Hyperbaric Therapy At Lakeshore Hyperbaric Center Chicago 

Researchers are actively exploring the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for cancer patients, including those with mesothelioma, and the results so far are encouraging. 

Beyond aiding in healing and alleviating side effects, HBOT has the potential to enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. 

This therapy is relatively straightforward, carries minimal risks, and is generally well tolerated by most patients. Please contact us for more information or to schedule an initial consultation at Lakeshore Hyperbaric Center Chicago.