Unlocking the Healing Power of Oxygen
Oxygen is life-giving, so when we maximize oxygenation through Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, we support so many bodily functions! While this treatment has been around since the 1950's, I still am amazed by it all the time, and I feel so blessed to be able to offer it to my patients with our very own chamber!
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy involves breathing 100% pure oxygen inside a pressurized chamber to promote rapid healing. It supercharges your body's ability to heal itself!
The function of the pressurized chamber is that it allows your lungs to absorb even more of this life-giving oxygen. You'll relax inside the chamber for an hour to an hour and a half, and while you lay there, your blood will carry 100% pure oxygen through your body, stimulating the release of stem cells and growth factors. Some patients worry about feeling claustrophobic, but in practice, most people can relax profoundly during treatment and feel a sense of relaxation throughout the following days.
In traditional medicine, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is used to treat decompression sickness, carbon monoxide poisoning, arterial gas embolisms, and stubborn infections and wounds.
In integrative medicine, including in my practice, we use Hyperbaric Therapy for much more than this as part of personalized, holistic healing plans. I frequently use Hyperbaric Therapy with my patients during and post cancer radiation treatment. Specifically, in a cancer setting, Hyperbaric Oxygen can be important in your holistic health protocol. There is evidence that Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can reduce the growth of some tumors, in addition to its supportive role in a treatment plan that includes radiation. For a complete list of conditions I treat with this modality, click here. At Zuza's Way, we are happy to help you decide if this modality suits your situation.
Regarding children, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a beneficial, non-invasive modality. Hyperbaric Therapy shows significant promise for children on the autism spectrum, as the oxygen crosses the brain barrier, lowers inflammation, and increases glutathione levels. SPECT (Single Photo Emission Computed Tomography) scans before and after 40 sessions of mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy have shown dramatic improvements in cerebral brain flow that is sustained over time, and clinically, improved behavior is frequently reported.
What questions do you have on Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy? Please leave them below!