|Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is the name of the treatment that enabled Edward Teller and many other stroke victims to resume a normal life. Teller was so impressed, he purchased his own HBOT chamber for home use… and is said to have faithfully spent an hour a day in it, until his death at the ripe old age of 95!Used in the 1950s for scuba divers with the bends, HBOT is now used for dozens of conditions that have nothing to do with deep sea diving, and everything to do with faster healing.
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
HBOT delivers 100% pure oxygen to you through increased atmospheric pressure in an enclosed chamber. When oxygen is delivered at higher than normal pressure, your body is able to absorb more O2 into your blood cells, blood plasma, cerebral-spinal fluid, and other bodily fluids.
Once in the chamber, your body responds by reducing inflammation. And with reduced inflammation, blood flow increases to oxygen-deprived areas.
Besides reducing inflammation, HBOT also:
- Saturates your body with oxygen (including the plasma and white cells), increasing your oxygen level by 20-30%
- Increases your ability to fight infection
- Creates new capillaries and increases blood flow
- Clears and deactivates toxins and metabolic waste
- Stimulates your body to create new blood cells
- Increases your stem cell production 800% (after 40 treatments)
- Accelerates your rate of healing
An amazing list, in my opinion…
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used for an ever-growing list of conditions, including cancer.
What does HBOT do for cancer?
Hyperbaric oxygen tackles two major characteristics of cancer that make it dangerous and likely to spread.
- Cancer thrives in a low O2 environment, and hates higher oxygenation. It is well documented that a body low in O2 prevents optimal uptake desired from other treatments, both chemotherapy and natural supplements.
- Cancer thrives in an acidic environment, so the more alkaline your system, the more resistance you provide to your cancer cells.
One of the major benefits of hyperbaric oxygen is to reverse the common condition of hypoxia (sometimes called hypoxemia) — or, inadequate oxygenation of the blood — that’s so common among cancer patients.
Here’s how it performed in some recent studies:
A 2010 landmark study out of Ohio State University published in the Journal of Cancer Biology and Therapy showed that hyperbaric oxygen could shrink ovarian tumors. Ninety minute sessions for 21 days corrected the hypoxic tumor and apparently made chemo more effective.1
But the really significant thing is… HBOT alone caused a significant reduction in tumor size— even without conventional therapies.
In fact, the co-author of this article, Contributing Editor Carol Parks, visited a hyperbaric center and interviewed the technicians there. They told her two things about the cancer patients who visit them:
- They wait way too long to start HBOT. In fact, it’s usually a last-ditch effort.
- Those who continue chemo along with HBOT have a MUCH poorer prognosis… which is in line with the concept that chemo is a toxic cocktail.
A new study just published in the Feb 2011 Journal of Cancer makes a strong argument for applying HBOT for patients who’ve had either surgery or radiation therapy for brain tumors. The study followed patients who’d been treated with HBOT, and found a marked improvement in their cognitive function.2
Hyperbaric oxygen also showed benefit for aggressive brain cancer in pre-clinical studies, as well as in two recent Japanese clinical trials.
A 2007 animal study found that hyperbaric oxygen helped prevent or reduce breast cancer metastasis to the lung.3
Soft Tissue Necrosis (tissue death) during radiotherapy for Penile Cancer.
All patients undergoing hyperbaric oxygen treatment experienced excellent response with healing of the necrosis and resolution of symptoms.4
And in general…
HBOT saturates your blood plasma with oxygen, reaching the areas of damage/injury more efficiently than red blood cells. It provides all your cells and tissues with oxygen — your body’s much needed healing agent.
Hyperbaric oxygen increases the number and actual size of blood vessels in your damaged tissues and wounds, allowing you to heal faster.
Cells involved in the healing process are highly dependent on oxygen to heal… and that’s exactly what HOBT supplies, by way of blood that’s hyper-saturated with oxygen.
HBOT has often been used to help cancer patients after a round of radiation therapy. Radiation damages both cancerous cells and healthy ones, and the burst of oxygen helps heal the damaged cells.
A growing number of conventional doctors acknowledge that HBOT is a beneficial adjunct to chemotherapy, as they believe the pressure pushes the drugs deeper into your system… although there are still doctors who insist you shouldn’t do chemo and HBOT at the same time. Personally, I’d be strongly inclined to do the hyperbaric oxygen and NOT the chemo.
Hyperbaric is approved by the FDA for 14 conditions. But cancer is considered an “off-label” use (as is HBOT for stroke, heart disease, and many other popular uses).
While conventional medicine slowly, slowly catches on to HBOT, it’s found in so many alternative cancer clinics I’d almost say it’s one of the standard therapies. These clinics didn’t have the benefit of the studies on HBOT and cancer, most of which are recent, but they used their heads. Oxygen kills cancer cells. HBOT increases oxygen levels. Two plus two equals four.
I don’t consider hyperbaric oxygen treatment a “magic bullet” for cancer, although you could almost call it that for stroke injuries and other uses. When treating cancer I believe it should be used the way alternative clinics use it: combined with appropriate herbs and supplements, a healthy eating plan, exercise, detoxing, and reducing emotional stress. In other words, it’s just one therapy in a multi-pronged approach to defeating cancer.
HBOT is good for MANY diseases and health conditions
HBOT does many, many things…
FDA-approved uses include carbon monoxide poisoning, crush injuries (car crashes and other traumatic accidents), decompression sickness, problem wounds, necrotizing soft tissue infections, and more.
But frankly you’re far more likely to benefit from the non-FDA-approved applications including anti-aging, arthritis, atherosclerosis, brain injury, burns, coma, dementia, depression, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, migraines, chronic fatigue, neuropathy, sports injuries, and even Lyme disease and spider bites.
Some of the most revered and prestigious medical centers have now installed hyperbaric units — among them, Harvard Children’s Hospital, New York Sinai Hospital, Duke University, and Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles.
You might also be interested to know it’s emerging as a promising treatment for the growing problems of autism and ADHD.
It’s been especially effective with coma and brain injuries. Some folks actually wake up from a coma and resume their lives following HBOT!
Anti-Aging and HBOT…
Although aging is a natural process, the biggest concern today is accelerated aging, or degeneration… sometimes combined into one phrase: accelerated degeneration.
The real point of HBOT for anti-aging is regeneration. Regeneration of tissues and blood vessels, increase of collagen, and enhanced immunity which can help fight infections and heal injuries.
As an aside, it’s a fairly well-known fact that many professional athletic teams now use HBOT to help their athletes heal faster from injuries and get back on the field or court faster. Chances are good it can do the same for you.
What to expect from Your HBOT Experience…
There are two types of chambers you might use when you “dive” into your hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
As you can see from this photo, one type of chamber is a clear hard “tube” with a hospital type bed inside. You’ll either be reclined or semi-reclined. When they close the bank-vault style door (on the right) and set the controls, you’ll be in a pure oxygen environment, at two times the pressure of the air you’re breathing right now if you’re at sea level.
You’ll go inside with a “beautiful” hospital pajama on and all jewelry removed (no metals go in).
You can choose to watch a video (note the TV mounted on top), or sleep. I’ve done it a couple of times. It’s very relaxing.
Some may worry about feeling claustrophobic, but once they try it, they say they didn’t have any problem at all. It’s nothing like a whole body MRI. With the clear chamber, it’s no big deal.
You’ll be inside breathing 100% oxygen for 30, 60 or even 90 minutes. The recommended number of treatments depends on the health condition.
I’ve also seen one-person HBOT chambers that are sort of like small inflatable tents, made of canvas. You lie down in them. These are more confining. There’s a small window you can see out of (looking up at the ceiling, since you’re lying down). These are the less expensive units that are feasible to buy for your home.
Another type of chamber is large enough for a number of people to use it at the same time, comfortably seated. This is what you’ll usually find in facilities that specialize in offering HBOT.
All HBOT chambers do the same thing. They deliver high pressure pure oxygen that you breathe while you’re in the chamber. They’re completely safe when used as directed (e.g. don’t smoke or have flames around!) As far as I know they’re all equally effective.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is NOT new!
The concept of HBOT has been around since the 1800s. 1937 marked the advent of its use for decompression sickness (the bends), but in 1956 interest in it skyrocketed. That year in Amsterdam, Dr. Isadore Boerema reported that hyberbaric oxygen helped his cardiopulmonary patients recover from surgery.
Shortly after that, his colleague W.H. Brummelkamp published his own discovery — anaerobic infections were inhibited by hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Of course, this makes sense since anaerobic infections need an oxygen-free environment, and HBOT denies them that.
Then in 1962 came news that HBOT was enormously helpful for treating carbon monoxide poisoning, kindling international interest in it and launching this treatment into the modern era.
About the cost…
HBOT is substantially cheaper than most conventional treatments. Conventional health insurance probably won’t pay for HBOT unless it’s one of the 14 FDA approved conditions. Chances are, you’ll have to pay for it yourself.
You’ll likely find that hyperbaric oxygen treatment will cost around $150 per treatment, or roughly $6,000 for the 40 treatments a cancer or stroke patient may require. I don’t know about you, but if I had a stroke and lost the ability to walk or to speak properly, I’d find a way to pay for HBOT. Only you can determine its value to you.
I hope you’ll try to get past the “insurance” mindset. For example, one of the conditions hyperbaric is known for is saving the limbs of diabetics who might be facing amputation. If you need a driver for the rest of your life, it’ll cost FAR more than the $6,000 for 40 treatments. So, everything in perspective…