Hyperbaric chambers have been used as a treatment for many different diseases and medical conditions over the years. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HRT is a new medical treatment, which involves patients breathing in 100% oxygen at a high-than-usual atmospheric pressure, normally delivered via a tube called a hyperbaric chamber in a continuous flow fashion through a pressurized system. The amount of force used to pressurize the tubes and chambers is controlled by a computer. The amount of oxygen delivered to the body is also dependent on various factors specific to each patient, such as the medical condition being treated and how well the patient's immune system responds to the treatment. The oxygen level in the treated body is then determined by the pressure of the gas in the hyperbaric chamber at that moment.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapies have shown to be effective treatments for many different medical conditions, including: stroke, heart attack, asthma, COPD, epilepsy, burns, diabetic ulcers, heart failure, hypertension, kidney failure, and trauma. Hyperbaric chambers have also been used to treat minor conditions, such as headaches, insomnia, dizziness, coughing, and skin rashes. In the past, hyperbaric chamber therapy was used solely to increase the quality of life of patients recovering from severe accidents, brain damage, and illnesses. A hyperbaric chamber has even been used to successfully treat minor cases of short term memory loss due to head trauma. Currently, the majority of hospitals in the United States use the hyperbaric chamber for patients who suffer from various degrees of respiratory distress, due to illness, severe burns, or carbon monoxide poisoning.
The major benefit of using a hyperbaric chamber is that there are no dangerous pollutants or harmful chemicals introduced into the patient's body during the hyperbaric oxygen therapy process. Typically, the chambers are filled with pure oxygen, at ambient pressure. Hyperbaric chambers are equipped with a control unit that allows the user to set the appropriate pressure for the oxygen levels in the chamber. Typically, an airtight closed-circuit design is used in these chambers, so that no foreign material enters the body.
Many hyperbaric medical procedures are performed in a completely enclosed environment, similar to a sauna. Medical research and clinical studies show that patients recover faster and are generally more comfortable in a hyperbaric chamber environment than when exposed to room temperature, high humidity, or sea level pressure. Sea level pressure can cause burns and serious irritation to the ocular region. During hyperbaric oxygen therapies, there is no contribution of external contaminants to the healing process, and therefore, patients experience less discomfort.
When a patient enters a hyperbaric chamber, he or she will experience a very low level of oxygen in the normal oxygen rich environment. However, the oxygen-rich atmosphere is depleted quickly, and then replaced with lower concentrations of oxygen-enriched atmosphere. This allows the body to replenish the lost oxygen and return to a more normal state. After several minutes, full absorption of oxygen by the body is achieved. Patients are typically left in the chamber until the normal oxygen levels in the blood has been restored.
Patients who have undergone this type of therapy report greater feelings of wellbeing and also notice an improvement in their immune system performance. It is widely accepted that hyperbaric oxygen therapies can help to treat many health conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, heart failure, stroke, and many other conditions. Research studies have found that hyperbaric chamber treatments can also be very effective in treating children with ADD, ADHD, epilepsy, and learning disabilities.
A major study conducted at the University of Florida led by Dr. John Bice showed that a number of children with Cerebellar hyperactivity disorder (CDH), an attention deficit disorder, could benefit from hyperbaric chamber treatments. Dr. Bice and his team used a new measure of cerebral blood flow called the alpha rhythm. They found that the children with CDH had significantly increased activity in the right parvalbumin area of the brain that is involved in creating a sense of alertness and fear response. Hyperbaric chambers seem to promote the development of the serotonin activity.
The study was a proof of concept which showed the effectiveness of this type of therapy. Hyperbaric chambers can provide up to one-third of the pressure necessary for an individual to enter a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber which has the effect of increasing the amount of pure oxygen present in the body's bloodstream. As well, hyperbaric chamber treatments can be combined with other forms of therapy to help individuals overcome their chemical imbalances. In fact, hyperbaric chambers and other pure oxygen therapies have been used in the treatment of a number of conditions and can prove very beneficial.
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