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How Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Can Help Your Healing
When you think about healing, you might picture bandages or antibiotic ointments, and while those are both important, the truth is that your body also needs plenty of oxygen to fully heal.
Your body needs oxygen especially when it comes to making new cells and growing new blood vessels. This is true whether you’re dealing with a cut, a burn, or even a crush injury.
That’s where hyperbaric oxygen therapy comes into the picture. This therapy can help expedite your healing, and it’s available here at Aletheia Integrative in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Take a moment as Jaime Dodge, MD, explains how hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help your healing.
The science behind hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy works by delivering 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber, which allows your lungs to absorb significantly more oxygen than they can under normal atmospheric conditions.
This oxygen dissolves directly into your blood plasma, bypassing the limitations of red blood cells, and floods damaged tissues with the fuel they need to heal. When you receive oxygen therapeutically in this way, the oxygen levels in your plasma are 20 times higher than when you’re breathing regular room air.
Unlike breathing room air, which is about 21% oxygen, the hyperbaric chamber delivers oxygen at a much higher concentration and pressure level. This increase jumpstarts cellular repair, fights infection, reduces edema (swelling), and reduces inflammation throughout your body.
Conditions that can benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was originally developed to treat "the bends" (decompression sickness) in divers, but since 1965, it’s also been used to treat burns. Over time, it has expanded to help with many other conditions.
At Aletheia Integrative, Dr. Dodge may recommend hyperbaric oxygen therapy as part of your treatment plan for:
- Diabetic ulcers and non-healing wounds
- Severe bone and skin infections
- Skin grafts
- Burns
- Gangrene
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Sudden hearing loss
- Post-surgical recovery
- Injuries, including sports injuries, crush injuries, and more
The FDA considers a hyperbaric oxygen chamber as a Class II medical device. That means it’s a safe, approved treatment for the conditions listed above.
What to expect during your therapy
Before your session, Dr. Dodge reviews your medications and any medical devices you may have, such as a pacemaker, to make sure that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is safe for you. Once cleared, you can begin therapy — no downtime or hospital stay required.
During your treatment, you sit or lie comfortably inside a pressurized chamber for about 90 minutes. Many people describe the experience as relaxing — you can read, listen to music, or even nap.
Your ears may pop (like they do on an airplane) as the pressure increases. After your session, it’s common to feel drowsy, so we recommend arranging for someone to drive you home.
Take your next step toward healing
Whether you’re dealing with a slow-healing wound or working on healing after an injury, we’ve got you covered.
To learn more about how hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help you heal, call the Aletheia Integrative team in Lincoln, Nebraska, at 531-333-2037. You can also schedule a consultation online.