Have you considered including hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in your treatment plan? If you are considering HBOT, the first thing you should do is consult with your doctor. After that, you should consider the benefits that the treatment provides. Finally, make sure to check whether or not it’s an approved treatment option for your specific condition.
Get a Medical Consultation
Anytime you have a medical condition that needs treatment, you should always consult with your doctor before starting any new treatment. When you consult with your doctor beforehand, you will be able to ensure that:
- One or more medical treatment plans that you choose do not interfere with another treatment plan that you are already undergoing
- You are healthy enough to go through treatment and are not at high risk for any known complications with your current condition
- You are not taking any medications, vitamins, or nutritional supplements that will interfere with your treatment
- You are following an approved protocol that your doctor fully supports
- You understand the potential risks and outcomes of the different treatment options that you have available to you
When you work with your doctor to develop a treatment plan, you will also be able to ask questions. It is important to keep an open line of communication with your doctor before, during, and after your treatment.
HBOT Treatable Conditions
A hyperbaric oxygen chamber is a medical device that can help treat a variety of medical conditions. For HBOT to be approved, specific testing is required to treat specific medical conditions. HBOT has FDA approval to treat the following conditions or disorders:
- An air or gas embolism in your blood vessels
- Bone infections
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Decompression sickness
- Gas gangrene
- Iron deficiency, or anemia
- Radiation exposure resulting in injury
- Serious crash injury
- Severe or large burns
- Skin graft at risk of necrosis
- Skin infection
- Unexplained or sudden hearing loss
- Vision loss due to blood flow blockage
- Wounds – diabetic ulcers or non-healing
If you suffer from one or more of the above conditions, then you might be a candidate for hyperbaric chamber therapy. In the event that your condition is not on the list of treatable conditions, then your doctor might suggest HBOT for other reasons.
HBOT is continuously being studied for how it affects other conditions. It is possible that your doctor can recommend you for a clinical trial. Clinical trials for conditions not listed above have not yet been approved by the FDA.
Benefits of Hyperbaric Chamber Therapy
There are numerous benefits to adding HBOT to a treatment plan. With just one treatment, patients may experience one or more of the many benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Multiple treatment sessions can increase the effects that patients experience from the therapy.
The main reason hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy is so beneficial is that it increases the supply of oxygen available for the body to use. By forcibly increasing the body’s oxygen, blood circulation also increases.
As blood circulates throughout the body, more and more oxygen is carried to areas of the body that have been oxygen-deprived. The increase of oxygen within the body encourages new cell growth. By improving new cell growth, the time it takes for a wound to heal will decrease.
The presence of oxygen and healthy cells can also stop the growth of anaerobic bacteria. When harmful bacteria is eliminated from a wound it may continue to heal. As a wound heals, new cells and tissues will continue to form.
In addition to decreasing harmful bacteria, HBOT can improve the body’s natural immune system. Harmful bacteria may not only die off due to the increase of oxygen within the body, but harmful toxins will be removed, too.
Expected Results of Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment
Oftentimes more than one treatment session is needed to experience results from hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The number of treatments you need will vary depending on the severity of your condition. Your doctor might recommend a high number of sessions if they consider your condition to be more severe. If your condition is mild, a lower number of therapy sessions might be recommended.
HBOT is typically not the only thing used in a treatment plan. Your doctor might also suggest other therapies, medicines, or treatments to be used in conjunction with HBOT.
When to Consider Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
You should only consider hyperbaric oxygen therapy under three conditions. First, you have your doctor’s approval. Second, you would benefit from the potential treatment outcomes. Third, your condition is one of the FDA’s listed treatable conditions.
If you have met all three of the above criteria, then you might consider using HBOT for a variety of reasons. Meeting with a reputable hyperbaric oxygen therapy provider will help you decide whether or not HBOT is right for you and your treatment plan.
