Sacramento functional medicine experts at Sacramento Functional Medicine offer HBOT or hyperbaric oxygen therapy to accelerate healing and treat neurological conditions such as brain injury or stroke.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the medical use of oxygen in a pressurized environment. When breathing under pressure, exponential levels of oxygen are able to saturate the blood system, well-beyond what the human body is normally capable of accepting. It is used for a wide variety of treatments usually as a part of an overall medical care plan.
Oxygen is vital to the proper functioning of the body. With hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT, patients breathe in 100% oxygen under increased atmospheric pressure. This provides the body with 10 to 20 times more oxygen than normal. The extra oxygen travels through the body in the bloodstream to injured areas that need more oxygen to heal. HBOT has been proven to improve the patient’s quality of life when traditional medicine is not enough.
Call (916) 252-3228 today to schedule your consultation with Sacramento HBOT experts at Sacramento Functional Medicine and find out if hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help you get the relief you need!
What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a safe, noninvasive, and painless treatment that enhances the body’s natural healing process.
When tissues are injured, they need more oxygen to heal. Oxygen stimulates the release of growth factors and stem cells, which can repair or rejuvenate the damaged tissues. While we breathe in oxygen continuously, the air we breathe is 79% nitrogen and only 21% oxygen. HBOT increases the amount of oxygen available to the body tissues, thereby speeding up the healing process.
HBOT has long been used to treat decompression sickness and carbon monoxide poisoning. More recently, research has shown that it is effective in treating a variety of conditions that benefit from increased oxygen availability, including serious infections, wounds that won’t heal, and burns.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can also promote healing in the brain by flooding it with oxygen. Damaged brain cells may be surrounded by dormant brain cells that are not receiving enough oxygen to function properly. By increasing the flow of oxygen to these cells, HBOT may reactivate the cells and restore them to more normal function.
The HBOT Procedure
During an HBOT procedure, the patient lies down in a pressurized chamber and breathes in pure oxygen. Treatments typically last for 60-90 minutes, and a therapist monitors the patient at all times. Patients typically report no discomfort aside from ear popping similar to the sensation experienced on an airplane; many patients take a nap.
The state-of-the-art hyperbaric chamber combines a spacious design with the latest technology for a comfortable, effective experience.
The number of treatments required depends on the condition being treated. Carbon monoxide poisoning, for example, may be treated in as little as three treatments, while non-healing wounds may require as many as 40.
Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Most wound injuries and illnesses occur—and sometimes linger—at the cellular or tissue level, and many times recovery after surgery can take extended periods of healing. When the body’s blood vessels are damaged, they release fluid that leaks into the tissues, causing swelling. The tissues start to die because the swelling prevents oxygen from reaching them. HBOT reduces this swelling and restores blood flow, allowing oxygen to reach the site of the injury or surgical area.
Some of the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy include:
- Increased oxygenation to tissues and muscles
- Increased blood flow
- Faster healing
- Higher white blood cell counts
- Reduced swelling and inflammation
- Improved quality of life
HBOT is also used by athletes to shorten the recovery time after workouts and treat muscle pain.
