HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY
Getting to know your healthcare options

By Neal Rouzier, M.D.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a medical treatment in which the entire body is placed under increased atmospheric pressure and the patient breathes 100% oxygen.  This treatment is administered in a pressurized chamber which causes a 10-fold increase in plasma oxygen concentration with a resulting increase in tissue oxygenation.  This hyper-oxygenation allows tissues throughout the body to heal rapidly, especially tissue that might not heal at all.
           
The molecule called hemoglobin normally carries oxygen in the blood.  Once the hemoglobin in the red blood cell is saturated with oxygen the amount cannot be increased.  The liquid surrounding and transporting the red blood cells is plasma.  Very little oxygen is physically dissolved in our plasma under normal conditions.  Under the increased oxygen pressure of HBOT, sufficient oxygen can be dissolved in plasma to meet all tissue oxygen requirements.  This effect allows oxygen to be delivered to tissues that red blood cells can't reach and maintains tissue viability in compromised circulation conditions.
           
Various medical problems have been shown to benefit from HBOT.  Some of the most common are infected wounds and ulcers (especially in diabetics), poor circulation and vascular problems, head and spinal cord injuries, strokes and recovery from plastic surgery.  It is used for many life saving emergencies such as decompression sickness (bends), carbon monoxide poisoning, traumatic crushing injuries and burns.  These acute problems are usually treated in the hospital.  HBOT offers unique therapeutic benefits that cannot be achieved by any other method.

Besides hyper-oxygenating the blood, HBOT is beneficial for a multitude of other reasons.  White blood cells (WBC's) that kill bacteria by oxygen are more efficient at clearing infections, particularly bone infections like osteomyelitis, that otherwise would result in amputation.  HBOT causes vasoconstriction, thereby decreasing swelling and edema, which is beneficial for cosmetic and plastic surgery.  New growth of blood vessels (neovascularization) is increased, which is necessary to prevent amputation of limbs from gangrene.  Neovascularization also helps decrease stroke symptoms that are caused by a lack of oxygen to the parts of the brain affected by the stroke damage.  All in all, HBOT is a proven treatment for a large number of medical and surgical conditions, either as a primary treatment or in addition to other medical or surgical treatments.

Even though you might not need HBOT now, it is important to remember the potential benefit of this therapy.  HBOT can help with healing, recovery and function from stroke, slow-healing wounds, spider bites and bacterial infections, neurological diseases such as M.S. and Parkinson’s, radiation necrosis, head injuries, chronic fatigue and Lyme’s disease, and recovery from surgeries including plastic/cosmetic procedures.  Many physicians are not aware of the benefits of HBOT or its availability, and might not think to recommend it to you.  If you think you might be a candidate, call and discuss this with a hyperbaric clinic or technician.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment chambers are primarily housed in large medical centers.  There are less than 400 chambers in the United States.  You may locate your nearest hyperbaric chamber by locating a physician through The American College for Advancement in Medicine, www.acam.org. 

The Preventive Medicine Clinic in Palm Springs has one of the few hyperbaric chambers that are available for personal, elective use.  Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is an important treatment of which the healthcare consumer should be aware.  For a schedule of free educational lectures about hyperbaric oxygen therapy and a tour of our facility, please call (760) 320-4292.