Small changes in Pressure will produce beneficial effects

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy exerts powerful beneficial effects on the human body and is typically prescribed at higher pressures in many hospitals and wound care centers. Lower pressure protocols have advanced this procedure to many other conditions, particularly chronic conditions, reporting positive outcomes. However, there are a small number of patients who cannot even tolerate these lower pressures and are therefore looking at very low pressures. The question occurs, “Are there benefits to very low hyperbaric pressures?” This study may help them feel a little more comfortable, as they show that even slight pressures were able to cause positive changes in blood vessels. This is consistent with many other research publications that have demonstrated giving slight pressure can have positive benefits <view study>

Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Benefits For Diabetics

Now published in the 2018 Journal of Diabetes, research confirms some of the recently noted benefits of mild hyperbaric oxygen (m-HBOT) therapy for diabetics. Specifically, in lowering fasting and non-fasting glucose, HbA1c, and triglyceride levels; all of which are important markers leading to advanced disease states associated with this diabetes. Researchers also focused on skeletal muscle activity and fibers, and found that m-HBOT was able to help the muscle’s natural ability to use oxygen (which is typically compromised in diabetics). By helping to sensitize sugar metabolism and oxygen use within the skeletal muscles, m-HBOT can provide a significant benefit for people with diabetes. It should be noted however, that this protocol provided rats with m-HBOT daily (3 hours per day) for 22 consecutive weeks (about 5 months). <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen, more is better right? — Wrong, lower pressure shown to provide stronger effect!

People still believe that hyperbaric oxygen therapy only works at higher pressures. Most of them are only practicing with higher pressure protocols and have not taken the time to go through the steady influx of all the recent data and research making its way into current medical journals and publications. If they did, they would very quickly be able to see that lower pressures can provide very powerful effects, and sometimes even more powerful than those observed with higher pressures; the latter was just the case in a landmark study released in 2013.

This study was published in the UHMS journal (a mainstream, peer reviewed, hyperbaric medical journal) and looked at the difference between 2.4 ATA (higher pressure HBOT) and 1.5 ATA (lower pressure HBOT). The results were stunning in virtually all areas observed. Researchers observed 92 inflammatory genes and this is what they quoted:

“Interestingly, oxygen at 1.5 atm abs affected many genes much more strongly than oxygen at 2.4. The reasons for this effect are unknown, but it does raise questions about the most appropriate treatment pressures for inflammatory conditions”

It was landmark study for lower pressure protocols, because it clearly demonstrated that the lower pressure protocols (1.5 ATA) had much stronger effects in the inflammatory genes observed than the higher pressures (2.4 ATA). <view study>

Hopefully this study will put an end to those that think more is better, and that higher pressures are the only effective means of delivering hyperbaric oxygenation therapy.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy as an adjunct for for athletes

“The best experience of HBO use as a recovery method from muscular fatigue occurred during the Nagano Winter Olympics with seven participating athletes. After physical activity, the athletes received HBO treatment for 30–40 minutes at 1.3 ATA, with a maximum of six times per athlete and an average of two times per athlete. An athlete who experienced tension and sharp pain of the abdominal muscles was able to play a game after HBO treatment with almost no pain. Another player who was experiencing anterior knee pain was treated within 2 days of injury and was able to perform afterwards with no difficulty. These test cases show that HBO treatments demonstrate high performance without adverse effects such as muscular pain and nerve paralysis. Players were also able to benefit from the conditioning effects of HBO treatment” <view study>

Even very slight hyperbaric pressures will produce benefits

For many years, hyperbaric pressures of only 1.04 ATA were considered to be insignificant in the hyperbaric field. Moreover, pressures as high as 1.3 ATA were considered to have no extra therapeutic value and even deemed to be the “placebo dose” in many studies trying to determine the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. We now have convincing evidence that this information is completely wrong!

Over the past 2 decades, research has confirmed that these lower pressures actually can have large physiological benefits. From theory to animal studies, and now to human studies; we can confirm that any pressures between 1.0 ATA and 1.3 ATA should all be considered hyperbaric therapy, delivering ‘higher than normal oxygen levels into the body. By obeying the gas-pressure laws of physics, any pressure above 1.0 ATA will allow extra oxygen to easily enter into the body. Therefore, any extra pressure is an extra dose of oxygen, and as the pressure increases, so does the extra dose of oxygen entering the body!

Quite simply put, the purpose of hyperbaric oxygen therapy is to provide extra oxygen at levels above and beyond the body’s natural means of getting this nutrient. Think of it as an “oxygen supplement.” Every time you breathe inside an oxygen chamber, you are continuously taking another dose of the extra oxygen. This then is a real dose of extra oxygen, and therefore cannot be considered a placebo!

In a recent publication, Paul Harch was able to very eloquently present these misconceptions in a detailed report rebutting a very poorly designed study published in the Journal of Neurotrauma. He was able to site numerous scientific documents validating the use of both low and very low pressures, clearly demonstrating that even pressures as low as 1.04 ATA had physiological effects. <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy helps 2 year old make a full recovery

A Near Drowning accident left this 2 year old girl in critical condition. After being intensively treated in the hospital, she was finally discharged 35 days following the accident, but still unresponsive to all stimuli. Fortunately, she was able to have access to hyperbaric oxygen therapy and began a series of 40 sessions over 38 days (a total of 78 days following the near drowning). Her recovery was immediate, and the MRI that was previously taken before being discharged from the hospital was nearly completely reversed following the short course of hyperbaric therapy. Most notably for hyperbaric physicians was the dosage of oxygen that was used to achieve these remarkable results.Each session consisted of 45 minutes at 1.3 ATA (mild hyperbaric therapy — mHBOT). Not only was the pressure a lower pressure protocol, but there was no other breathing apparatus used in the treatment, just regular air breathing. This case report is consistent with many others who have had ‘miraculous recovery’ following hyperbaric oxygen therapy. However, this particular case is an excellent one to give the hyperbaric community a wake up and clearly demonstrates the power of mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The powerful reversal of severe brain damage demonstrates the effectiveness of mHBOT, as seen in this case (New York Post release)

“The brain is very sensitive to even slight changes in oxygen tension and this is one key reason why so many neurological conditions are positively affected by m-HBOT.”

Another key factor for this girl’s quick and nearly complete recovery is that she had quick access to hyperbaric oxygen therapy (within 3 months). Timing is everything and generally speaking, the quicker the access, the better the outcome, particularly if this procedure is applied within the first 2 years following brain trauma. Longer courses of hyperbaric therapy may need to be applied for injuries that have exceeded 2 years, as hyperbaric oxygen therapy is gaining widespread publicity for its neurological regenerative effects and stem cell release. The end result of “new brain tissue” now gives new hope for both recent and long-term brain injury survivors <view study>

Lower-pressure Hyperbaric therapy helps improve post-op healing

This animal study used hyperbaric oxygen at 1.5 ATA as a supportive therapy following surgery. They gave 5 daily sessions following the surgical procedure. The post-operative results in this hyperbaric group showed an improvement in the wound healing with quicker healing time, fewer complications, and earlier skin suture removal <view study>

Low Pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy promotes muscle regeneration

“Mild hyperbaric oxygen with normal air has emerged recently as an accepted complementary treatment for muscle injury in sport medicine. Furthermore, this method is gaining popularity as a home remedy to further improve recovery from muscle injury.” This study looked at a very low pressure of only 1.25 ATA for muscle regeneration and the results of this study cause them to conclude that this dosage was an appropriate support therapy for severe muscle injury <view study>

Low pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of blast-induced chronic traumatic brain injury (post-concussion syndrome) and post traumatic stress disorder

“A 25-year-old male military veteran presented with diagnoses of post-concussion syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder three years after the loss of consciousness from an explosion in combat”

This patient underwent 39 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy at 1.5 ATA and the results were astounding. Not only did he show a permanent marked improvement in his post-concussive symptoms, physical exam findings, and brain blood flow, but he also experienced a complete resolution of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms <view study>

Low Pressure Hyperbarics improves cerebral blood flow in Firefighters with mild TBI and emotional distress

Twenty firefighters with mTBI and mild emotional distress were treated with HBO at a relatively low pressure of 1.3 atmospheres absolute for 45 min a day for 20 consecutive days. The goal of the study was to evaluate the subsequent changes in the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) of the limbic system in these firefighters.

The results showed an increase in rCBF in the hippocampal and parahippocampal regions of the brain. This may explain the recent evidence that suggests the ability of HBOT to help neural activities in the human brain and subsequently improve symptoms of psychiatric disorders <view study>

Mild hyperbaric therapy delays diabetes-induced cataracts

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is widely used for a variety of diabetes-induced conditions, particularly, but not limited, to wound healing. Its effects on diabetes-induced cataracts is still unclear. A study published in late 2001 in the Journal of Diabetes has given some new insights. They used lower pressures (1.25 ATA) and found that this dosage was able to delay both the development and the progression of diabetes-induced cataracts. <view study>

Low-pressure hyperbaric oxygen helps blast-induced injured military subjects with post concussion disorder and PTSD

16 military subjects received a ‘typical dose’ of low-pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy (40 sessions at 1.5 ATA for 60 min HBOT within 30 days) for mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries.

After treatment, they demonstrated significant improvement in impulsivity, mood, anxiety, quality of life scores, and more. Their SPECT brain scans showed remarkable overall improvement in blood flow

These results were confirmed with brain imaging scans which showed&nbsp; remarkable improvements in blood flow to these regions of the brain, following the course of treatments. <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>

Mold-induced cognitive deficits improve following hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Many sufferers from mold toxicity complain of cognitive deficits including: memory problems, inability to focus (brain fog), and slow reaction times. The addition of hyperbaric oxygen therapy was shown to cause marked improvements in these patients. These improvements were seen in only 10 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Moreover, this study revealed that these benefits were seen at only 1.3 ATA (low pressure) and while using oxygen connections closer to room air than the conventionally-used 100% oxygen delivery systems <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>

Low-pressure hyperbaric oxygen treatment helps women with fibromyalgia

This study was used to evaluate the effects of low-pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on fatigue, pain, endurance and functional capacity, physical performance, and cortical excitability when compared with a physical exercise program in women with fibromyalgia.

The hyperbaric protocol used was a 2-month course of daily 90 minute sessions (5 days per week for a total of 40 hours) at 1.45 ATA. During this time period, 60 minutes of low-intensity exercises, twice-weekly (for a total of 16 sessions), were included in the protocol. This group of participants showed improvements in pressure pain threshold, endurance, and functional capacity, as well as physical performance. In addition, the HBOT group reported significant improvements in induced fatigue and perceived pain at rest. <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome — Remarkable Improvements documented!

An attention-getting report on low-pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy was published in the Journal of Pediatrics in 2005. Here, a 15-year-old patient with fetal alcohol syndrome completed a short course (40 sessions) of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, followed by another short course 6 months later (33 sessions). The improvements were immense, causing the lead doctor to publish these findings <view study>

The Debate is over — Low pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy proves its effectiveness

Major News — A landmark study, in a mainstream and peer-reviewed hyperbaric medical journal has just been released, and it supports the use of lower pressure protocols for hyperbaric medicine. This is groundbreaking, because for over two decades now, there has been a constant and heated debate going on between hyperbaric physicians on the use of low pressure protocols, and whether or not they were as effective as higher pressures. Advocates of lower pressure protocols have clearly focused their opinion on the scientific rationale of the gas pressure laws of physics and say that ANY pressure will have a physiological effect – they also have growing support from empirical data. On the other hand, skeptics of lower pressure protocols say “where is the research”, and they also quote that “most of the clinical research is at higher pressures”.

This study should finally put these to rest. Here, they looked at 3 different pressure protocols: 1.3 ATA (ambient air), 1.5 ATA (pure oxygen), and 1.75 ATA (pure oxygen). They then added all 3 pressure protocols to a standard intensive exercise program for CP children and followed them with for an 8-month period of time. The results were astonishing. Not only did they find that all 3 hyperbaric oxygen pressures gave significant improvements, but there was no difference between the pressures. More startling to skeptics of lower pressure protocols, the lower pressure protocol did not even use the conventional pure oxygen, and instead only used regular ambient air.

Why this is groundbreaking is because typically in past studies, a lower pressure protocol using regular ambient air has been used as the placebo dose in studies. This is really the point of contention. The supporters of lower pressure protocols argue “how can you use 1.3 ATA ambient air as a placebo when the laws of physics clearly show that this is actually a treatment dosage” This study clearly supports their notion pressure is the key variable in hyperbaric oxygenation therapy. Pandoras box is open! <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may improve symptoms in autistic children

With the growing rise in autism, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is seeing its own rapid growth, particularly in many research facilities. Strong data is now pointing to the potential benefits that this procedure may provide for autistic children. This study looked at 1.3 ATA (lower pressure hyperbarics) with using slightly higher than room air oxygen levels, and were able to show significant improvements, within a 40 sessions protocol. By giving lower pressure protocols without the added need for 100% oxygen, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can now be much more readily accessible than previously before — the implications are enormous! <view study>