HYPERBARIC CHAMBERS AND THEIR BENEFITS
*ATTENTION: As of November 1, 2019. Health Canada prohibits the sale and rental of hyperbaric chambers. Many of our articles were written before the Health Canada notice. Please take it into consideration 😉
There's no doubt about it: oxygen is the source of life. But what would happen if we gave our bodies a higher dose of oxygen than our biology is used to? The hyperbaric chamber is providing us with more and more answers to this question.
Another frequently asked question: Why don't we just use an oxygen concentrator to increase our oxygen level? It's all a question of the atmospheric pressure change we manage to achieve in a hyperbaric chamber, a pressure unattainable with an oxygen concentrator alone. But that's another story...
Remember, I'm not a doctor and this Blog post is just a summary of personal opinion on several dozen studies found on hyperbaric... So, let's get to it without further ado with our 16 «scientific proofs» made on the issue of hyperbaric chambers. Note that there are hundreds and hundreds of studies on the subject, but this blog post will only deal with a few of them.
1- Excellent post-stroke support
Out of 73 stroke patients, virtually all experienced benefits after 40 sessions in a hyperbaric chamber 5 times a week. The test patients had a stroke within 6 to 36 months. Once the protocol had been completed, the most obvious findings were neurological. Doctors seem to confirm that hyperbarics reactivate the brain's neuroplasticity. This neuroplasticity ultimately helps restore damaged brain areas. Other tests on rats have also concluded that an anti-inflammatory effect takes place in the brain and heart, as well as an antibacterial effect in the heart. Promising research!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23335971
2- Treating carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause severe brain damage and even death. Carbon monoxide can prevent the movement of oxygen in the bloodstream. This reduces the amount of oxygen delivered to tissues.
Sessions in a hyperbaric chamber have been shown to reduce mortality in people with CO2 poisoning. By increasing oxygen saturation in the blood through pressure, the body is helped to dislodge the carbon monoxide molecules still present.
3- Improves certain vision problems
Hyperbarics may help certain vision problems, such as occlusion of the central retinal artery. It's a bit like an «ocular infarction». That is, the main artery supplying the eye becomes blocked for any number of reasons. If not treated promptly, this can lead to partial or even permanent loss of vision!
Studies have shown that after just ten or so hyperbaric treatments, people's eyesight could return to normal. Note that the pressures used in this study were 2.4 ATA. That's a lot of pressure!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28500127
4- Restore damaged tissue
Bacterial infections can destroy certain epidermal tissues. Sometimes it can even turn into gangrene! A trial involving 1583 people showed that hyperbaric sessions could significantly improve conventional treatments for infections. Hyperbarics can reduce inflammation and promote restoration of affected tissue. What's more, in certain cases and depending on the type of antibiotic used, hyperbaric solutions can enhance the effect of antibiotics on bacteriological infections.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24786980
5- Reduce chronic pain
Hyperbaric sessions tested on 60 people showed a reduction in chronic pain. People suffering from fibromyalgia felt benefits after 8 weeks of continuous treatment. Some people suffering from muscular problems saw a clear improvement in their state of health after 3 weeks. Others were even able to reduce their pain medication, which is quite unusual for people who have been suffering for many years.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26010952
6- Beneficial for brain injuries
In 60 patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), 8 weeks of hyperbaric therapy improved nerve function and reduced depression and anxiety. An analysis of 11 studies involving 705 patients showed that hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduced disability and improved brain activity. In a 2-year-old girl with a brain injury, hyperbaric solutions for 27 days restored the loss of brain tissue and led to her recovery.
Other studies in rats show that hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces inflammation, inhibits nerve damage, increases nerve cell and blood vessel growth, and reduces pain.
A study of several severely injured patients revealed that a single session of hyperbaric oxygen therapy had a direct effect on inflammation.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5521886/
7- Against anemia
When applied early, hyperbaric oxygen therapy has a positive effect on severe anemia. It has been beneficial for patients who could not accept a blood transfusion for religious or immunological reasons.
In another study, 10 sessions of high-pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy were enough to relieve symptoms in a patient suffering from hemorrhage.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23045922
8- Intracranial abscesses
A 40-patient trial demonstrated a complete cure in all patients. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was administered in addition to conventional antibiotics.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been shown to promote healing and survival in 5 children with brain abscesses. In addition, hyperbaric oxygen therapy was associated with fewer treatment failures, reduced need for reoperation and improved long-term outcomes. There are still many studies to be carried out on this subject, but the protocol nevertheless looks very promising.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27113742
9- Bone loss: hyperbaric treatment could be a great help
Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bones or bone marrow, usually caused by bacteria.
A study of 181 cases revealed that hyperbaric oxygen therapy cured 82.6% of patients with chronic recurrent bone infection.
Other animal studies show that hyperbaric oxygen therapy promotes bone regeneration after injury or surgery.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25308240
10- Improves the side effects of certain radiotherapies
57 women who had undergone radiotherapy for breast cancer saw their symptoms and side-effects reduced considerably after hyperbaric sessions. They completed a protocol of 47 sessions, and for the most part saw a marked improvement in post-radiotherapy pain. A reduction in aches and pains ranging from arm pain to severe pain in the affected area.
Radiation therapy can cause a great deal of damage. Hyperbarics are often a great help in complementing known standard treatments.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27682427
11- For burn victims...
A study carried out on 800 severely burned patients showed a clear improvement in recovery and mortality compared with standard treatment without HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygenation). Clearly, hyperbaric chamber sessions are becoming an excellent adjuvant for severely burned patients.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/365048
12- Skin graft
In the case of skin grafts, as in the case of burn victims, hyperbaric oxygen promotes the natural healing process. In mice, the addition of hyperbaric oxygen therapy inhibited the immune response and increased the chances of graft acceptance during transplantation.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21129275
13- Against dementia and Alzheimer's disease
A study of 64 patients taking donepezil, a drug used to control Alzheimer's disease, who underwent hyperbaric sessions for 12 weeks saw a cognitive improvement in their condition.
Another study on mice by Tel Aviv University's Department of Neurobiology and the University's Medical School and Assaf Harofeh Hospital's Center for Hyperbaric Medicine has just published its very promising results on the subject.
It says 2 more incredible spa treatments for people with Alzheimer's disease. It reads:
«Hyperbaric chamber treatments bring considerable improvement in Alzheimer's symptoms» and
«Study paves the way for a revolutionary new treatment for the disease...»
Of course, the earlier the disease is caught, the more beneficial the effects can be.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22786527
http://siliconwadi.fr/21779/alzheimer-les-promesses-de-la-medecine-hyperbare-israelienne
14- A valuable aid against certain cancers
A huge number of studies are currently underway on cancer and hyperbarics. Many of them seem to demonstrate the effectiveness of hyperbarics in helping standard chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatments. There's even a study on women with breast cancer which suggests that hyperbarics can even stabilize the cancer mass in some cases!
Other studies have also shown that some cancers are able to halt their progression. This is probably due to the fact that hyperbaric treatment promotes the spread of the blood system throughout the body's organs, and minimizes the blood vessels around tumors, thus weakening them.
In short, hyperbarics and chemotherapy could be a good adjuvant to this treatment, maximizing the chances of success and potentially reducing the side effects of chemo. As for radiotherapy, hyperbaric treatment would strengthen the cells surrounding the treated area and minimize the side effects of radiation.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3510426/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5568407/
15- Decompression sickness
This is the best-known benefit of hyperbaric treatment. Decompression sickness is when a diver comes to the surface too quickly. This causes nitrogen bubbles to form throughout the body. In the worst cases, this can even cause death! These notorious bubbles can travel throughout the body's fluids, blocking certain areas.
In a number of clinical cases, it has been proven that even after a hyperbaric session, the affected person's nitrogen level is already considerably reduced. In most cases, it is important that a person who has been diving and is suffering from poor decompression should be treated by a specialist within 24 hours. Pressures must be much more powerful than a simple 1.4 ATA flexible hyperbaric chamber.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28900861
16- Against infections and liver problems
Studies on rats show that hyperbarics protect the liver from infection and injury. However, this research was carried out soon after the liver problems were discovered. An anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effect triggered by hyperbaric chamber treatments could explain these excellent results.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25185053
This concludes the summary of some of our hyperbaric research and studies. Don't forget to do your own research. Before you try any hyperbaric center, we invite you to check with your doctor whether there are any side effects, because although hyperbaric seems to be a «therapy» with virtually no side effects, it's best to find out, because education is the key!
*Please note that this article makes no precise mention of the pressures and quantities of oxygen used to achieve some of the above-mentioned benefits. Some of them even need to be checked by specialized hospital doctors. I'm not a doctor, and this blog post is just a summary of my personal opinion on dozens of studies found on hyperbarics. It is intended to be an informative opinion piece.
For further information, visit LeNaturoPat.com AND consult your doctor.
Hello, I'm interested. Do you have a point of service in the Outaouais?
Thank you!
Although we provide rental and installation services throughout Quebec, we don't yet have a service center in your area. If you'd like to come and try one out, you can do so at one of the following service centers: Montreal, Montreal South Shore or St-Sauveur.
For more information, don't hesitate to contact us! 🙂
1-855-699-1169