Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy may improve Anxiety

With the increase in pharmaceutical prescriptions for anxiety, this study may provide a safer and more natural option for those suffering from from this condition. In this study, a single application of hyprebaric oxygen therapy was shown to have an anxiolytic effect in mice. Typical HBOT programs involve the use of multiple sequential visits, in short duration. It would be therefore interesting to see if the conditioning of the brain through hyperbaric oxygen therapy can have a long-lasting effect on anxiety. Until further studies, we will not know, but what we do know is that there is an effect in the brain, probably mediated through the release of nitric oxide <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces anxiety

Alterations in social behavior, including but not limited to anxiety, are prominent features of Fragile X syndrome (FXS). The findings of this study indicate that hyperbaric oxygen therapy “resulted in altered anxiety and social behavior in mice (showing increased levels of social interaction and decreased “social anxiety”) and could possibly be used as a treatment for FXS” <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen improves cognitive impairment

A total of 53 patients (42 with Alzheimer’s disease and 11 with mild cognitive impairment) were treated with a 20-day course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Each hyperbaric session consisted of 3 sequential parts; first, 20 minutes of oxygen breathing, followed by 15 minutes of breathing air, and finally 20 minutes of breathing oxygen under pressure at 1.2 ATA.

Results — One course (20 sessions) of hyperbaric oxygen therapy significantly improved cognition in both Alzheimer's patients and patients with Mild Cognitive impairment, with the latter having more long-term benefits (&gt; 1 month). These results are very promising for Alzheimer's patients and suggest that it is possible that multiple courses might be the solution for giving significantly longer benefits to AD patients. More research is still needed <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps preserve cognitive function in a rat model of mild cognitive impairment

This study found that hyperbaric oxygen treatment has a protective effect on early cognitive function, especially memory in rats with mild cognitive impairment <view study>

Turn back the aging clock — Hyperbaric oxygen therapy REVERSES telomere length, a critical determinant in the aging process

Telomere length serves as a biological clock to determine our lifespan. Every year, our telomeres (the ends of our DNA) get shorter until they finally shorten to a length that leads to our mortality.

Over the past few decades, researchers and drug companies have focused (and invested substantial capital) on this key biological determinant (telomere length) in the hopes of being able to stop and reverse the aging process.

Since many age-related diseases (like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and Alzheimer’s) are also linked to shortened telmeres, it is easy to see why so many drug and nutritional companies have been working hard on finding a cure to stop and reverse the shortening of telomeres.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has already been demonstrated in clinical studies to help the aging population by reducing the signs of aging and age-related diseases. In 2006, a landmark study showed an 800% increase in stem cell mobilization from a course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This gave us a much better understanding of the physiological benefits of this procedure in relation to the aging process.

Today we have even more information as a second landmark study has been published on the effects of hyperbaric therapy in regards to telomere length. In this study, a 3 month course of hyperbaric therapy produced a profound increase in telomere length by 20% – 38%. (This is higher than any other intervention currently available). The hyperbaric protocol used to produce these benefits included 60 hyperbaric sessions (each at 90 minute sessions at 2.0 ATA with 3 air breaks).

This exciting new study will surely lead to many more telomere-based studies in the field of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and further help to advance our knowledge of this therapy. View Full Study in the JOURNAL OF AGING

Due to the significance of this study, it has quickly been picked up by many news associations like the following:

• View in the Independent

• View in yahoo news

• View in the telegraph

• View in Aljazeera

• View in Science alert

• View in Neuroscience news

Alzheimer’s disease — researchers find hyperbaric oxygen reduces amyloid plaques and causes large gains in blood flow to the brain

This exciting new study shows that Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy (HBOT) may REVERSE dementia development by preventing the deposit of new amyloid plaques on the brain cells and even leading to the removal of existing ones!

The 2 most common types of dementia are vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It is now believed that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can effectively help to halt both of these devastating conditions, while also being able to help reverse the cognitive decline seen in the aging process.

The production of amyloid plaques are a hallmark of AD, consisting of hard, insoluble accumulations of beta amyloid proteins that clump together between the nerve cells and block their communication. Compounding this, is a reduction in oxygen (hypoxia) and reduction in blood flow to these regions inside the brain.

Since the pathophysiology includes both the build up of amyloid plaques and a reduction in cerebral blood flow (CBF), the researchers designed this study to deploy a typical course of HBOT and then observe any changes in both amyloid plaque and CBF, while also documenting any clinical improvements. They did this by presenting a 2-fold study, the first being an animal study which was then followed up with a small human study. Both showed extremely promising results and confirmed previous studies for HBOT’s potential role in treating dementia and memory loss.

Initial Animal Study: Mice were exposed to 20 HBOT sessions (2.0 ATA, 60 min) causing a significant:

Reduction in amyloid burden (by reducing the volume of pre-existing plaques and attenuating the formation of new ones).

Improvement in vascular parameters

Improvement in behavior and performance of cognitive-based tasks.

Human follow-up study: Six elderly patients with significant memory loss were treated with 60 HBOT sessions (2.0 ATA, 90 min) and both CBF and cognitive function were evaluated and the results were as follows:

Cerbral Blood Flow — Following HBOT, there were significant CBF increases in several brain areas, including 8 Brodmann areas.

Cognitive function — Cognitive assessment revealed a significant increase in the global cognitive score, where memory, attention and information processing speed domain scores showed most benefits. The improvements in these scores correlated with improved short and working memory.

This study, along with previous studies by these authors, demonstrates that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be deployed at any stage of the dementia process, from early on with mild cognitive impairment, to advanced stages seen in Alzheimer’s. disease. view study

View media Exclusive: Alzheimer’s could be ‘halted’ using oxygen therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy induces brown adipose tissue making it a potential tool for metabolic disorders

Human brown adipose tissue (BAT) can be activated to increase glucose uptake and energy expenditure, making it a potential target for treating obesity and metabolic disease. Brown fat produces heat to help maintain your body temperature in cold conditions and its glucose uptake is ~8-fold higher than that of skeletal muscles, on average, per gram of tissue during mild cold exposure

In this animal study, a 7 day course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy was able to cause an increase glucose uptake while also inducing BAT development, leading the authors to conclude that “HBO therapy as a novel method of inducing BAT development, considering its therapeutic potential for the treatment of metabolic disorders”. view study

Reverse the signs of aging skin through hyperbaric oxygen therapy

A landmark study published in “Aging” clearly demonstrates the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for skin health and structural integrity for older individuals.

More specifically, the application of a 3-month hyperbaric protocol showed “significant aging modulation effects by decreasing senescent cells, inducing angiogenesis and increasing elastic fiber length and stability and collagen density.”It should be noted that skin aging is largely influenced by a lack of circulation and higher cell senescence, both of which can be counteracted with a simple course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

The hyperbaric protocol is comprised of 60 daily sessions, five sessions per week within a three-month period. Each session included breathing 100% oxygen by mask at 2ATA for 90 minutes with five-minute air breaks every 20 minutes. The research used a combination of skin biopsies and other dermatological markers to document these results on a total of 13 elderly individuals (averaging 68 years of age).view study

Gene therapy may explain the benefits of hyperbaric therapy in the aging population

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is being utilized for a variety of health conditions, particularly those affecting the aging population.

Numerous benefits have been reported, both in clinical research and in outcome studies. This has given way to a further rise in research studies, with the goal to provide more data to help better understand and/or confirm these benefits.

This study followed 30 patients, who all underwent a typical course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (60 total sessions at 2.0 ATA), and evaluated the genetic changes that followed the induction of this procedure. In particular, they looked at transcriptome sequencing.

By studying transcriptomes, researchers hope to determine when and where genes are turned on or off in various types of cells and tissues Following the 60 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a total of 1912 genes were affected (1342 genes were turned on and 570 genes turned off.

This study demonstrates the affects of HBOT on the genetic processes within the body and may further help to explain the many benefits that have been reported from this procedure view study

Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy helps combat oxidative stress

Oxidative stress is associated with cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and more disease processes. Cellular adaptation to oxidative stress is critical for human survival and an important factor related to reducing the course of these progressive diseases.

<p>Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is well documented for its role in oxidative regulation and cellular protection. Interestingly, while 1 to 5 consecutive treatments can lead to a reduction in mitochondrial function, 20 to 60 consecutive treatments lead to a significant improvement in mitochondrial parameters. view study

1.6 ATA Hyperbaric Oxygen used to successfully treat Osteonecrosis of the femoral head

Osteonecrosis is one of the 14 medically-approved conditions for using hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Hospitals and medical centers will typically treat this condition with daily sessions at 2.4 to 2.5 ATA. These higher pressures (above 2.0 ATA) can give rise to a greater incidence of complications, including oxygen toxicity. Bearing this in mind, the standard protocol remains 2.4 ATA due to it’s effectiveness. In this case report, a 36-year-old female was not able to pressurize to these higher depths and instead could only get to 1.6 ATA. She continued daily sessions at 1.6 ATA and after 20 sessions, her symptoms were relieved significantly. After 50 sessions, her symptoms were relieved almost completely. Both CT and MRI imaging confirmed this successful intervention. This publication should give rise to more research on pressure protocols view study

The effect of hyperbaric oxygen treatment on late radiation tissue injury after breast cancer

“In this case series, 67 patients who underwent HBOT for late radiation tissue injury after breast cancer reported significant improvement in pain, fibrosis, edema, and shoulder movement. The improvement persisted up to 12 months after HBOT” view study.