The Value of Hyperbaric Oxygen
By Steve Marmor

Hyperbaric oxygen used to be thought of only as a treatment for decompression sickness among deep sea divers. A hyperbaric chamber is an enclosure which can be pressurized to allow a person to experience higher-than-normal atmospheric pressure. The result is one of the safest, most natural and effective healing techniques available today.

Oxygen is the most important element.
            If you think not, try holding your breath to see how long you can do without oxygen. You would survive for only minutes. Oxygen is a life-giving, life-sustaining element creating 90 percent of the body’s energy. Nearly all the body’s activities, from brain function to elimination, are regulated by oxygen. The ability to think, feel and act is derived from the energy supplied by oxygen.

            Oxygen is more critical than ever before.
It is estimated that the air breathed by our distant ancestors contained approximately 50 percent oxygen. Reports suggest that a little more than two hundred years ago, the air was 35 percent oxygen and 1 percent carbon dioxide. In the 1940s, measurements showed oxygen levels at approximately 22 percent. More recent reports say levels have fallen to 19 percent atmospheric oxygen and more than 25 percent carbon dioxide. In some industrial cities, records indicate oxygen levels considerably lower. So it is understandable that allergies, respiratory and asthma-related illnesses have increased markedly over the past decade.

In addition, we can become oxygen-deprived for reasons such as lack of exercise, overacidification of body tissues, subluxations of the upper cervical vertebrae, occlusions of vascular and arterial pathways, stroke and dehydration, to name some of the most common reasons. Hyperbaric oxygen is helpful in countering or compensating for some of these forms of oxygen deprivation.

Virtually everyone using hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) reports improved sleep, elevated energy, calmer nerves, sharper eyesight and more luxurious skin as their blood chemistry improves, and an overall greater sense of well-being. Some people believe this therapy is only for those with health problems. Not so. Some people come weekly for hyperbaric sessions and report that it is the best hour of the week for them. They use HBOT for health maintenance and as a preventive health tool.

Some common applications for HBOT:
ADD/ADHD, autism, chronic fatigue syndrome, colitis, Lyme disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, diabetic wounds and ulcerations, asthma, burns, sleep disorders, Crohn’s disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, edema, infections, jet lag, neuropathies, Raynaud’s disease and more.

Hyperbaric oxygen is cost-effective, noninvasive and safe and works well with other integrative therapies.

For more information or to get more oxygen, contact Steve Marmor, an herbalist, iridologist and nutritional consultant, at Herbs & More – Your Natural Health Center, in Encinitas. Herbs & More has served San Diego North County since 1993 and is located at 388 N. El Camino Real, Encinitas, Ca. 92024. Call Steve at 760-753-7272.