Why Hyperbaric
More than 700,000 Veterans suffer from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Often referred to as the signature wounds of the war on terror, Veterans with these injuries suffer from unbearable headaches, dizziness, depression, nightmares, and violent mood swings and are a leading cause of high suicide rates among Veterans, currently at 22 a day.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, widely used to treat a variety of injuries and diseases, has been shown to “permanently curtail TBI and PTSD symptoms, returning Veterans to a more normalized life” according to Dr. Paul Harch, perhaps the nation’s leading TBI and PTSD researcher and clinician. Dr. Harch published the first case of Hyperbaric oxygen therapy benefiting veterans with TBI and PTSD in 2009 and subsequently he and others published confirmatory evidence in 2012 in the prestigious peer-reviewed Journal of Neurotrauma (http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/neu.2011.1895).
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, widely used to treat a variety of injuries and diseases, has been shown to “permanently curtail TBI and PTSD symptoms, returning Veterans to a more normalized life” according to Dr. Paul Harch, perhaps the nation’s leading TBI and PTSD researcher and clinician. Dr. Harch published the first case of Hyperbaric oxygen therapy benefiting veterans with TBI and PTSD in 2009 and subsequently he and others published confirmatory evidence in 2012 in the prestigious peer-reviewed Journal of Neurotrauma (http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/neu.2011.1895).
The effects of the TBI/PTSD epidemic will linger for years if not confronted. The good news is that hyperbaric oxygen treatment has been shown effective for treating TBI and PTSD dating back decades, Vietnam Veterans having been effectively treated and returned to normal function.
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment in which a patient breathes near 100% oxygen while in a treatment chamber at a pressure higher than sea level (i.e., >1 atmosphere absolute; atm abs).
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy pushes high levels of oxygen and valuable nutrients to injury areas under increased atmospheric pressure which reduces edema, reinvigorates patient immune systems and generates stem cell growth. These curative effects transfer well to other trauma incidental to plastic surgery, stem cell implants, crush injuries as well as injuries to the brain such as concussion and traumatic brain injury.
Oxygen plays a vital role in the body’s healing process. Breathing 100% oxygen under pressure forces more oxygen than is normally available through the vascular system to feed cells under stress from injury or disease. With hyperbaric oxygen therapy, oxygen is carried not only by blood platelets, which is normal, but also by blood plasma so more oxygen gets delivered to oxygen-starved cells where it can go to work to restore healthy tissue. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps the immune system fight off disease and heal injured tissue. It gets more oxygen, quicker, throughout the body and triggers stem cells at the point of injury giving patients a better chance at recovery. Timely use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy can arrest necrosis in diabetic foot wounds and thereby avert the necessity for amputations.
