Effective rehab using stem cell transplantation combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy

HBO is a promising therapy for spinal cord injuries. This study showed that the combination of transplanted Mesenchymal Stem cells (MSCs) and HBO treatment improved the recovery of lost hind limbs function in spinal cord-injured rats <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>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps to dramatically alleviate long-standing PTSD symptoms in 35 Veterans

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults every year, and an estimated one in 11 people will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime. This number is much higher in military veterans and can have long-lasting effects, impacting their quality of life.

This study took 35 veterans diagnosed with long-standing PTSD symptoms (greater than 4 years) through a 3-month intensive hyperbaric protocol involving 60 sessions at 2.0 ATA. The results showed a dramatic reduction in PTSD symptoms. Brain imaging thought fMRI confirmed these improvements following the 3-month course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy <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 increases norepinephrine levels for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

Tissue concentrations of norepinephrine (NE) are markedly decreased in various regions of the brain in Parkinson patients. Not only is NE involved in cognitive operations, “freezing” of gait, tremor, dyskinesia, REM sleep regulation, and other aspects of brain function, but evidence also suggest its role in the neurodegenerative process itself. This study discusses the ability of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help increase NE levels in the brain; thereby, helping to restore motor deficits in Parkinson’s disease patients <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces bone loss associated with osteoclasts

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is currently a recognized treatment for osteonecrosis. This is a condition where their is reduced blood flow and consequent breaking down of the bone. This study looked at the relationship of osteoclasts and hyperbaric oxygen exposure. Osteoclasts are cells that break down bone and are in constant battle with osteoblasts, which are cells that build bone. The results showed that hyperbaric exposure caused a significant reduction in osteoclasts formation and subsequently resulted in reduction in bone loss <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen Improves Ovarian Transplantation

Recent literature has shown value in applying hyperbaric oxygen therapy for helping the viability of organ transplants, including liver and kidney. Now, a new study has shown that hyperbaric oxygen therapy was significantly effective in enhancing the survival of transplanted ovarian follicles and therefore, can be effectively used for the enhancement of survival of transplanted ovarian tissues <view study>

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy may help Obesity

Preliminary studies in mice have confirmed potential benefits for obesity. Here in this study, they focused on diabetic obese mice that had fatty liver disease. This is a population base that is on a significant rise for humans. The mice that were given hyperbaric oxygenation therapy, had a significantly lower body weight than those of the control group. The authors concluded that HBOT has the advantage of improving obesity in patients with metabolic syndrome. The only disadvantage was greater oxidative damage that would occur in the liver. This could easily be rectified with proper dosing of oxygen and proper nutritional therapy for antioxidant protection at the time of delivery. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, has already been researched for helping the diabetic population, in many ways (like wound healing, cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, blood sugar control, and much more); Now, we can add metabolic syndrome to the equation <view study>

High Fat Diet? — Managing Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

High-fat diets are an ongoing concern in today’s society, contributing to the rapid rise in rates of obesity and metabolic syndrome, both of which are serious health issues to human beings.

During this study, mice were treated with high-fat diets and observed to have a multitude of adverse effects, including an increase in their body/fat tissue weight, blood fatty acid levels, and a decrease in their circulation and skeletal muscle L-carnitine levels. More importantly, the addition of hyperbaric oxygen therapy reversed these negative changes.

Hyperbaric Oxygen’s ability to help the body correct the harmful changes caused by high-fat diets allows this treatment to be “a promising physical therapy for the management of metabolic syndrome and obesity”. <view study>

Physiological effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for multiple sclerosis

The majority of MS patients using hyperbaric oxygen do so at 1.5 ATA for 60 minutes. A laboratory-based replication of this treatment regimen (and the common MS protocols) gives a better understanding of the physiological effects of hyperbaric oxygen treatment on brain cells and their role in neuro-inflammation. <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>

A 23 year old Migraine sufferer receives relief from Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Researchers in this study followed and documented a 23-year-old female, with an 11-year history of migraines, non-responsive to conventional drug therapies and who began a course of intensive hyperbaric therapy (40 sessions at 1.5 ATA in 8 weeks). It should be noted that previous to starting her hyperbaric therapy, her migraines were severe and would lead to significant loss of function.

By the 24th hyperbaric session, “she had only experienced a single migraine with aura but without debilitating pain. The patient stated that she never had a migraine with such little intensity prior to initiation of hyperbaric treatment and did not have to take any days off from work or school. Follow-up at the end of her 40-day treatment period revealed a highly-satisfied patient who had only experienced a single episode of a mild migraine during the entire course of treatment.” <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 in Liver Diseases

There have been numerous reports, medical studies, and clinical data to support the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for a vast number of liver diseases; namely, acute liver injury, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, liver transplantation, fibrosis and cancer, especially for hepatic artery thrombosis. Review of the current literature tell us that HBOT can have a powerful effect on promoting liver regeneration. In terms of liver diseases, it seems that the key physiological benefits of HBOT are in its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory role, helping to provide protection for damaged liver tissue. The combination of extra protection (though antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support) and enhanced regeneration, make HBOT a potential valuable tool for many liver diseases.The authors of this study take a more in-depth analysis of HBOT’s role within these disease while also citing relevant studies <view study>

Hyperbaric oxygen suppresses HIV replication

This was a laboratory-based “in vitro” study that showed that hyperbaric exposure was able to suppress HIV-1 replication.

“The exposure to hyperbaric oxygen at the pressure of 2.4 ATA and 98% oxygen was able to produce ROS and RNS molecules, which play a role in cellular adaptive responses through increasing the expression of nfĸb, p21, and mRNA of interferon α2 plays a role in inhibition mechanism of HIV-1 replication in cells.” <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 Therapy finally approved for the treatment of sudden hearing loss!

“Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) is the newest indication approved by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society’s Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Committee” Sound research combined with clinical efficacy has bolstered the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for this condition. It gives us new hope in the hyperbaric industry that more conditions can follow and get recognized for the many indications that have been shown in recent literature, combined with the results seen in many of the private hyperbaric centers throughout the world <view study>