Hyperbaric oxygen therapy lowers blood pressure

Preventing the effects of a stroke or an aging brain with HBOT

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been used for treatments of many neurological conditions, and many patients have benefited from this procedure. Recently, a new study titled “hyperoxia preconditioning: the next frontier in neurology?” has expanded on recent literature showing that hyperbaric oxygen can condition the brain. With this latest information, it would make common sense for those wishing to PREVENT the effects of more common neurological conditions like stroke, Alzheimer disease, etc. to have a full course of HBOT. <view study>

The Hyperoxic-Hypoxic Paradox

Hypoxia, low tissue oxygen levels, “is one of the most powerful inducers of gene expression, metabolic changes, and regenerative processes, including angiogenesis and stimulation of stem cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation”.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy causes a dramatic rise in oxygen levels during the procedure followed by a quick drop back to normal levels. As the oxygen levels drop, a temporary state of hypoxia is perceived, which causes the powerful adaptive responses towards hypoxia that was noted earlier.

It takes about 3 hours following hyperbaric therapy for the blood oxygen levels to normalize. This might be why twice daily sessions separated by 4 or more hours may be a better protocol for achieving optimal physiological benefits. In saying that, by controlling the variables of oxygen concentration and pressure, it may be possible to achieve better benefits by fluctuating the oxygen dose through air breaks and adjusting the pressure, respectively, during each hyperbaric session. <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy — A novel therapeutic intervention for Alzheimer’s Disease

The Neurobiology of Aging has just published a study supporting the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this study, they demonstrated the positive impact of HBOT on many of the commonly-found underlying pathologies that are observed in the AD brain. A key focus of this study was on HBOT’s ability to basically halt and reverse the neuro-inflammatory disease progression involved in AD <view study>

Multitasking now made easier with hyperbaric oxygen therapy

We all know how difficult it can be to multitask, whether it’s at work or in the home environment. For some of us, it comes easily and is almost like a natural instinct, while for the majority of us, this simple exercise is one that takes a lot of effort and becomes a continual and constant struggle to perform. The good news is that a new study has just shown us that we can improve both single task and multitask performance through the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).

“The study’s findings indicate that even for healthy individuals, oxygen at normal conditions is a limiting factor for brain activity. The ability to perform cognitive and/or motor tasks as a single or a combined task (multitask) was evaluated at a normal air/oxygen environment and at HBO, a hyperbaric oxygen enriched environment. Increasing oxygenation using a HBO environment significantly enhanced both cognitive and motor performance. Significant improvements were found for both single tasks as well as simultaneous multiple tasks” <view study>

Stay focused — improve concentration, attention span, and process information quicker with hyperbaric oxygen

Declining cognitive abilities is one of the key concerns for those individuals 60 years and older. Though not limited to this age group, this concern is on the rise and efforts are being made to better understand and treat age-related cognitive impairment. One treatment currently showing great promise is hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

In this study, 63 healthy adults were evaluated with a 3-month course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. During this 3 month time period, each subject was given 60 hyperbaric sessions (90 minutes with 5 min air every 20 minutes) at 2.0 ATA.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy “was shown to induce cognitive enhancements in healthy aging adults via mechanisms involving regional changes in CBF. The main improvements include attention, information processing speed, and executive functions, which normally decline with aging”. <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Enhances Antioxidant Status Promoting Healthy Aging

Some people still think that HBOT can be harmful by causing excessive oxidative and free radical disease. This study should finally put this controversy at rest. One of the main mechanisms of action in providing HBOT is the body’s compensation and ability to increase its Natural antioxidant defences. In return, the body is more geared at handling our current influx of stressors, including dietary and environmental chemicals. All studies have demonstrated an increase in anti-oxidant protection following HBOT and this study showed the genetic changes in antioxidant levels following HBOT. Here, the gene expressions were increased and thus a considerable elevation in our antioxidant defences. Understanding the role of free radical damage its positive correlation with accelerated aging and chronic disease states, preventative HBOT may hold a key in promoting healthy aging <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy significantly reverses learning and memory deficits

Learning and memory deficits are quite often send following injuries or degenerative disorders of the brain, but now are increasingly becoming a major concern for our aging population. This study focuses on the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for both of these groups of individuals, particularly the ones with ‘aging’ brains. These beneficial effects were found to be through a combination of positive findings including a reduction in both brain oxidation and inflammation, while also being able to effectively regulate aging-related gene expression. These combined physiological benefits were able to cause a significant reversal in the learning and memory deficits normally observed in aging <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy protects the brain & positively impacts Cystain C levels

Cystatin C is a bio marker that is becoming a hot topic in neurology, particularly in its ability to predict new-onset or deteriorating cardiovascular disease. Researchers found that preconditioning the brain with hyperbaric oxygen therapy produces helps to protect the brain (neuroprotection), while positively improving the levels of Cystatin C during injury. They published these findings in the journal of “Stroke” 2017 <view study>

An interesting case of dementia

A 77 year old male went in for a routine knee replacement surgery. Following this procedure, he began to decline in both his physical and mental capacities. The symptoms got progressively worse and about 4 years later, he was evaluated and given a brain imaging (SPECT) scan, and he was immediately given a diagnosis of dementia with major cognitive deficits and aphasia (the loss of ability to understand or express speech). It was determined that the cause of his dementia was a post-op complication from his previous knee surgery and began a course of 40 sessions inside of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. After 5 months, both his physical and cognitive functions were substantially restored. The follow up brain imaging scan confirmed these results. Complications from major (and even minor) operations are not uncommon and sometimes not even diagnosed at the time, and in cases like this, 4 or 5 years after the surgical procedure. This study brings to light the benefits that can be achieved with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, even years after the surgery. <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy helps Osteoarthritis and degenerative joint/cartilage disease

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition that is very common amongst the elderly and one that, for many, negatively affects their quality of life by causing a great deal of debility, and causing a dependency on pain medications (NSAIDS). OA is basically a degenerative condition of the joints whereby inflammatory markers seem to be the most important mediators of this cartilage destruction. Keep in mind that cartilage is able to repair itself through the induction of local growth factors, leading to the production of new collagen. This ‘regenerative’ repair is counteracted by the continual destruction seen with this disorder, leading to a progressive degenerative state. Since HBOT is considered to be a regenerative therapy, it would make sense that HBOT could help with a degenerative condition like OA. HBOT is already being used by OA sufferers for its anti-inflammatory pain-relieving effects, but now this study gives us insights on its potential long term benefits on reducing the net destruction and degeneration observed in OA. Researches were able to show that HBOT can benefit OA by helping with both factors that are involved in this disease. Firstly, HBOT caused a marked reduction of the key inflammatory markers involved this condition; thereby, reducing further degeneration. Secondly, HBOT caused an increase in the number of growth factors involved in the production of new collagen and cartilage formation, thus helping in the repair and regeneration of this tissue. The clinical relevance of this study is enormous, as it may offer OA sufferers the ability to counteract the degradative forces involved in OA, while still offering its pain-relieving benefits <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen protects the brain and the heart — a necessity for today’s society

With the growing incidence of strokes and heart attacks, medical disabilities for these, and other age-related conditions, are on the rise. Preconditioning the body and its vital organs may be of critical importance for today’s aging and disease-ridden society.

This new study looked at preconditioning the brain with hyperbaric oxygen therapy and showed that it reduced postoperative cognitive dysfunction. More specifically, they reported, “Hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning has proved to protect vital organs, such as the heart, liver, and brain. … We conclude that hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning is an effective and feasible method to prevent, alleviate, and improve postoperative cognitive dysfunction and that its mechanism of action is very complex, involving the stimulation of endogenous antioxidant and anti-inflammation defense systems.” <view study>

Parkinson progression reduced by mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Mild or lower pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy (aka m-HBOT) was able to demonstrate a marked reduction in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) symptoms in just 11 weeks!

PD is a common progressive neurodegenerative disease, of which the main neuropathological hallmark is dopaminergic neuronal loss (degeneration or loss of dopamine-producing neuronal cells). When dopamine-producing neurons die, motor functioning is affected and symptoms such as tremors, slowness, stiffness, and balance problems occur.

In this 11 week study, m-HBOT at 1.3 ATA (3 hours per day, 3 times per week) was able to protect the dopaminergic neurons from further loss and degeneration. More importantly, researchers observed positive effects in motor function <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for the treatment of Macular Degeneration

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a main cause of vision loss in North America and is expected to impact our society considerably as our aging population grows. This publication clearly demonstrates the value of HBOT as 14 patients with advanced AMD made significant improvements in vision following hyperbaric oxygenation therapy <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy lowers blood pressure

In an eight week study performed on rats, hyperbaric oxygen therapy effectively improved blood pressure parameters and repressed hypertension. This clinical trial used a lower pressure protocol, using only 1.25 ATA. Though this phenomenon has been observed in clinical practice, this is the first study of its kind to demonstrate the not only the link between the two, but also the possible mechanisms that may be playing the key roles <view study>

Low pressure hyperbaric therapy shown effective in helping metabolic syndrome and reducing cardiac risks

A new study in the Journal of atherosclerosis and thrombosis published this year shows that low pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be a very effective tool for helping those suffering from metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions — increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels — that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. This study looked at only 1.25 ATA (low pressure hyperbarics) and found that this dosage was effective enough to produce a lowering of blood sugars, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and insulin. Many other positive benefits were noted <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Improves Heart Function and Cardiac Performance

This study looked at the performance of the heart as they followed 31 patients, each undergoing a course of 60 hyperbaric sessions with the goal of improving cognitive performance. Of these 31 patients, 39% were diagnosed with heart disease, 94% suffered from high blood pressure, and 42% had diabetes mellitus. Most importantly, all 31 patients were screened to be asymptomatic, and did not have any symptoms of heart disease (representing the majority of the public). Researchers documented their results by using pre and post imaging of the heart through ultrasound (echocardiogram). The results were extremely favourble following the addition of 60 hyperbaric sessions; ejection fraction (EF) of the heart improved, Left ventricular end systolic volume decreased, Myocardial performance index [MPi] improved, Left ventricular [LV] global longitudinal strain increased, and apical rotation improved. This study gives hope for those individuals suffering from heart failure and systolic dysfunction and who need to improve their cardiac performance <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen benefits heart function for the aging population

Obesity and diabetes are both prevalent and rapidly increasing in the aging population, leading to impairment in cardiac function. In this study, rats were given a chemical compound (D-Galactose) to accelerate the aging process and produce cardiac dysfunction. The rats were pre-diabetic and&nbsp; were given hyperbaric oxygen therapy 60 minutes 2.0 ATA daily. With the addition of hyperbaric therapy, the rats were able to show improvements in cardiac function, along with many other benefits.

Here are the authors’ conclusions for this study: “Our results indicated that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) could restore the normal cardiac function in either aging induced by D-gal rats or high-fat diet-induced pre-diabetic rats. Mechanistically, HBOT effectively alleviated the cardiac dysfunction in aging pre-diabetic rats through decreased oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, dysfunctional mitochondria, and metabolic and autophagic impairments. Thus, HBOT could be a potential therapeutic intervention in aging pre-diabetic people with impaired cardiac function” <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen increases BDNF — A hot topic in brain regenerative therapies

BDNF is a very powerful protein that is released by your body in the efforts to stimulate the production of brand new brain cells (neurogenesis). This protein is vital to learning, memory, and higher thinking. Moreover, the expression of this protein is significantly reduced in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease. With this understanding, research is now pouring in to help us gain a better understanding of BDNF and its role in brain plasticity and regeneration. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been noted for its brain regenerative effects, and this new study supports this notion. Researchers used a lower pressure of 1.5 ATA along with 2.0 ATA, and found that both pressures were able to cause significant increases in BDNF in just 3 to 5 days of consecutive HBOT sessions. “The BDNF concentration increased in a highly significant manner after three consecutive HBO treatments up to 43.94 ng/mL (p < 0.001) and after five HBO treatments up to 51.63 (p < 0.001) when compared to the BDNF concentration after one HBO treatment”. With respect to this study, the purpose was to demonstrate the potential benefits of adding HBOT to cochlear implantation as a promising adjunct treatment for hearing loss. <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen improves tissue energy levels — mitochondrial biogenesis

Mitochondria are the powerhouse organelles inside every cell and have a direct relationship between the energy required by the cell and its tissue function, including repair and regeneration. Mitochondria are present in all metabolically-active tissue and cells inside the body, with the brain having the highest levels, due to its energy demands and responsibilities. In this study, researchers demonstrated that only 5 days of hyperbaric oxygen therapy was able to produce nearly a 3 fold boost in mitochondrial DNA.

This could explain many of the REPORTED BENEFITS that have been reported with HBOT, as this procedure fundamentally improves the ENERGY LEVELS within ALL tissue

More importantly, this study has enormous implications following brain injuries, where the brain is in desperate need for greater energy levels needed for its repair <view study>