Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for sudden hearing loss

59 patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss were given hyperbaric oxygen therapy and all improved. However, if given within the first 14 days following hearing loss, better prognosis was noted <view study>

Hearing loss — Don’t despair if Corticosteroid therapy fails

Following the diagnosis of sudden hearing loss, corticosteroid therapy is typically recommended immediately with favorable results. However, for those that do not respond to this therapy, there is now hope with the addition of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This simple and safe procedure has helped in many cases of hearing loss, particularly for those that have failed with corticosteroid therapy <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>

Early hyperbaric oxygen therapy for acute acoustic trauma

Review of literature from 2004 to 2019 show significant improvements when hyperbaric oxygen therapy is administered following acoustic trauma. Typically, first line therapy is to provide corticosteroid therapy and if no response is seen in 7 days, then hyperbaric therapy should immediately be deployed <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in inflammatory bowel disease

This 2021 review of literature suggest benefit for using hyperbaric oxygen therapy in ulcerative colitis flares and Crohn’s disease <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>

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>

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>

Hyperbaric oxygen helps with chronic fatigue sufferers

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) can be a debilitating condition that effects all ares of the individual’s quality of life. Since oxygen is a key driver to the body’s energy stores (ATP), it would make sense that this therapy would be of benefit. This study evaluated 16 patients diagnosed with CFS following 3 weeks of hyperbaric treatments. The results documented improvements in all areas measured and noted that their were no complications and the treatments were well tolerated by all participants. Thus, a short 3 week duration of hyperbaric oxygen therapy could result in significant benefits for this patient population, in terms of quality of life <view study>

Hyperbaric therapy reduced long COVID related fatigue in just 10 sessions

Long COVID-related fatigue can be debilitating, and may affect young people who were previously in economic employment. All patients had been suffering from long COVID symptoms for over 3 months. The results presented here suggest potential benefits of HBOT, with statistically significant results following 10 sessions of HBOT at 2.4 ATA <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy gives remarkable improvements for erectile dysfunction

A prospective study analyzing 30 men who were diagnosed with ED for more than 6 months were treated with a course of 40 hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT) sessions. The results of this study showed remarkable benefits, even for those men who previously were unsuccessful in achieving erections! After HBOT, 63% of the men had none to mild erectile dysfunction. In addition, both penetration and maintenance of erections improved significantly — 24 of the 30 men (80%) reported improved erections. Furthermore, 7 participants who agreed to undergo penile perfusion MRI pre and post HBOT allowed the researchers to conclude: “HBOT reverses the basic common pathophysiology, atherosclerosis and decreased penile perfusion, responsible for most cases of ED” <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves male impotence

43 patients participated in a study for erectile dysfunction. The participants underwent a series of hyperbaric oxygen sessions for a total of 9 months. The collected data was very positive and the results of this study confirmed that hyperbaric oxygen therapy helped to improve erectile function. In addition, they measured both total and free serum testosterone levels and the data did not show any effect on testosterone levels. This would leave us to believe that the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen are not related to hormonal fluctuations occurring from this procedure, but instead other physiological benefits from the hyperbaric administration <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy shows great promise for children suffering with Severe Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (eczema) or AD is a condition that makes your skin red and itchy and is one of the most common inflammatory skin diseases in children. As the disease progresses in severity the consequences can be seen in sleep disturbances, irritability, stress, and social functioning disorders.

After only a 30-day treatment cycle in a hyperbaric chamber, all children with severe atopic dermatitis experienced a significant clinical improvement in their skin condition.

There was a reduction in the extent and intensity of skin lesions, as well as a reduction of redness, swelling, oozing/crusting, scratch marks, and skin lichenification. Moreover, patients reported a noticeable reduction in the intensity of pruritus (itching) and an improvement in sleep quality!

These results are very promising and should give rise to more research into effective treatment dosages and protocols. This particular study used 2.5 ATA for 60 minutes (three 20 min sessions separated by two 5 minute air breaks). <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy effectively alleviates withdrawal symptoms induced by morphine dependence

Oxygen plays a central role in many pathological and disease states. This has led to a strong emphasis being placed on hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to help determine the role of oxygen within these states; moreover, to help determine if extra oxygen can help to improve the pathophysiological processes going on within these disease states. In this particular study, researchers looked at oxygen’s role in detoxification and its use for withdrawal symptoms in a morphine-dependent rat model.

Through the evaluation of withdrawal symptom scores, biochemical indices, and neurotransmitters, they found that HBOT was able to cause a significant reduction in both withdrawal symptoms and weight loss. Along with these benefits many key pathophysiological markers including dopamine and other neurotransmitter changes, also showed significant improvements.

Together, these findings led the researchers to conclude that HBOT can effectively alleviate withdrawal symptoms induced by morphine dependence. Currently, there are many drug and alcohol centers that are using HBOT for a wide variety of uses, one of which is for addiction control. This study gives us a little more insight into their rationale and potential benefits <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces opioid withdrawal symptoms

Even in the era of COVID-19, the opioid crisis stands out as one of this century’s most devastating public health disasters, according to a Stanford-Lancet report published Feb. 2, 2022. According to a recent white house report on March 1, 2022, “Drug overdose deaths have reached a historic high, devastating families and communities”.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been widely used in addiction and recovery centers for the vast array of physiological benefits that this procedure can provide&nbsp; for patients undergoing recovery programs. One of the reported benefits has been in helping to reduce withdrawal symptoms.

This study followed 17 adults being treated with medically supervised methadone dose reduction.&nbsp; They have also prescribed a short course of 5 daily hyperbaric sessions (90-minute sessions at 2.0 ATA). Withdrawal symptoms were assessed at baseline and daily during the 5-day intervention period.

“Opioid withdrawal symptoms were reduced after Day 1 of HBOT by twice as much, on average, compared with the control condition” <view study>

High risk diabetics may benefit from 5 day hyperbaric therapy

For Type 2 diabetics, platelet activation plays a key role in atherothrombosis (the leading cause of mortality in the Western world). These individuals are at higher risk for cardiovascular-related deaths from both strokes and heart attacks. High levels of blood sugars can cause platelet aggregation and blood hyperviscosity.

In this study, researchers monitored platelet aggregation during a 5-day course of hyperbaric therapy (HBOT) at 2.4 ATA and observed a significant reduction in platelet aggregation parameters.

This study demonstrates that HBOT could provide diabetics with another protective mechanism, as this procedure has already been shown to help sensitize insulin levels and effectively help lower blood sugar levels. Both of these mechanisms can be extremely important in helping diabetics reduce their overall cardiovascular risks and helping them to live&nbsp; longer, while reducing their chance of living in a&nbsp; debilitated state from some of the devastating complications of diabetes (for example strokes and heart attacks). <view study>

Move over Prozac; Hyperbaric oxygen demonstrates its anti-depressant effects

If you are suffering from depression and have had a past history of head injury or concussion, then pay close attention to a new study published in the Journal of World Neurosurgery, 2017. It is very well known that 50% of those people that are afflicted with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) will also suffer from major depression and be put on antidepressants like Prozac. However, this and many other reasons for depression, are clearly related to inflammation inside the brain (neuroinflammation). With knowledge of this information, along with the understanding of the anti-inflammatory properties of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in the brain, researchers carried out a study to help us evaluate and see if HBOT could provide relief for TBI victims suffering from depression. The results demonstrated that HBOT was able to significantly diminish TBI-induced depression-like behavior, through its anti-inflammatory effects in the brain. <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for post-stroke depression

Depression is one of the more common consequences of a stroke, affecting as many as 1/3 of stroke victims. This condition, known as post stroke depression (PSD)is currently not (or inadequately) treated by many physicians and needs to be quickly identified and treated appropriately. Based on a “pool of analysis, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is effective and safe therapeutic approach for PSD” <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for Degenerative Disc Disease

The Journal of Orthopaedic Research just published on article demonstrating the beneficial effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on human degenerated intervertebral disks. During the course of the study, the researchers were able to evaluate physiological changes associated with regeneration of tissue, thus proposing various methods of action <view study>