The fact that we need oxygen to survive is basic human knowledge, but you would be lucky if you could find a random person on the street who can actually explain why constant oxygen intake is important to the human body. In the most simplistic of terms, oxygen rebuilds the cells in the body and helps to maintain the body’s immune system. In the event that the body is deprived of oxygen for more than a four minutes, permanent brain damage or death can occur.
For those who are unfamiliar with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, it may seem like something out of a Aldous Huxley or Philip K. Dick novel. However, research shows the the principles behind oxygen therapy is scientifically sound, and that hyperbaric centers can offer treatments for a multitude of conditions for which there are no known cures.
The benefits of being treated at a leading hyperbaric center are directly related to the basic scientific principles of oxygen, specifically how oxygen rejuvenates and rebuilds the cells within the human body, and how it strengthens the immune system. Although the jury is still out how effectively hyperbaric therapy treats various medical conditions, oxygen therapy for cancer, mulitiple sclerosis, and brain injuries is becoming more common among people for whom traditional treatment methods have proven futile.
The way that hyperbaric chambers operate is rather simple. When a patient goes to a hyperbaric center to receive treatment, session usually last between four and five hours. In order to avoid oxygen toxicity, patients must take “air breaks” at 20 minute intervals. While inside the hyperbaric treatments, patients will breath air that is composed of 95% oxygen. Given the healing benefits of breathing oxygen, the objective of increasing oxygen density is to speed up and intensify the body’s natural healing capabilities.
While oxygen therapy is still considered experimental, its applications have expanded over the year. If there is any hope that hyperbaric treatment will eventually become a “go to” treatment method for currently incurable diseases, the basic science supporting it is indisputable.
