Health – Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy

This column has typically focused on prevention of illness and maintenance of optimal health. This time, however, deviates from that routine and covers a modality that may provide tremendous potential for healing in a number of medical situations. That modality is called Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, or HBOT.

Most of us are well aware that the pre-flood life span of humans and all other living things far exceeded that of all other time, since the flood. What caused that change? Were there differences in the atmosphere, air or other surroundings before and after the flood?

The Bible provides some answers to those questions. “And God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’ And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which [were] under the firmament from the waters which [were] above the firmament: and it was so.” Genesis 1:6, 7. This text clearly states that there were waters both above and below the firmament. The record also indicates that through the third day of creation the waters were everywhere above, as well as below the firmament. That was the third day. On the fourth day, “God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry [land] appear: and it was so. And God called the dry [land] Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that [it was] good.” Genesis 1:9, 10. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that the layer of waters above the firmament were left spread out, or covering the heavens.

It is common knowledge that the complete layer of water in existence then is now non-existent. So, what might be the practical difference for us today without that layer of water? There actually seem to be quite a few ramifications affecting many different aspects of life. The ones listed here deal only with those which may affect our health. These include the lack of filtering harmful radiation which would reduce somatic mutations in living cells; the potential of increasing the atmospheric pressure on earth, thereby contributing to a less healthy environment; more drastic changes in weather temperatures; and a lower concentration of oxygen in the air, among others. Creation scientists were intrigued by these possibilities and the resultant questions. If you wish to do some research on your own into this question, here is one link with which you can begin. (www.genesispark.org/genpark/flood/flood.htm)

We do not have the space to cover those particular issues in this article, but suffice it to say that the evidence and correlation are strong enough about pre-flood conditions that some people began questioning what would happen if just one or two of the pre-flood conditions were changed and a pre-flood oxygen level/pressure could be recreated … hence one initiator for further study on the Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber.

Actually, people have, for more than 300 years, been breathing pressurized air for its therapeutic benefits. 1, 2 Henshaw, believed to have been the first to promote breathing compressed air, created a specially designed room called a domicilium in A.D. 1664. HBOT, as we now know it, was first developed in response to the issues divers experienced related to increased pressure on the body underwater. It wasn’t until 1935 that commercial and military operations began using pressurized oxygen to treat compromised divers. This is where the scientific study of HBOT really began. However, it is only now beginning to get wider attention and use by the medical community for reasons we will discuss later in this article.

What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT? “HBOT is a method of administering pure oxygen at greater than atmospheric pressure to a patient in order to improve or correct certain conditions.”3 The treatment consists of entering a sealed chamber, either built for a single person, or a room equipped for HBOT, for a period of time, usually from one to two hours of treatment. During a session of HBOT, because of the added pressure, oxygen dissolves into all the body’s fluids “including the plasma, the lymph, [and] the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.” 1 These fluids then carry this extra oxygen to other areas of the body, even when the usual circulation routes are poor or blocked.

HBOT aids in so many different medical situations simply because of the way our bodies operate and the fact that the processes of health and healing revolve around the use of oxygen—oxygen is important, first and foremost because all of the body’s major components, including water, protein, carbohydrate and fat, contain oxygen. Oxygen also aids in causing chemical reactions in the body that result in energy production. Think of what would happen if we had no energy to fuel various functions such as circulation, respiration, digestion and maintaining body temperature. We know that with a total deprivation of oxygen death occurs within minutes. When there is a compromised supply of oxygen damage also occurs, though at a slower rate than with complete deprivation. This deprived state is called hypoxia. In this state all body functions become reduced, sometimes causing damage to certain parts of the body, thereby compromising basic functions such as circulation.

For years it has been common knowledge that HBOT is a treatment of choice for decompression sickness. However, more recently it is coming more to the front as a treatment for a myriad of other medical applications. This makes sense medically when you consider that oxygen is vital to all the most basic functions of life.

There are a number of specific scenarios for which HBOT is applicable as a primary treatment. HBOT would be an appropriate treatment in any situation where breathing of oxygen has been compromised, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, near drowning, tunnel collapses, mining accidents, diving accidents, smoke inhalation, high altitude sickness, etc. It is also the treatment of choice for gas gangrene. (Gas gangrene is a bacterial infection that produces gas within tissues and is caused by a bacterium.)

The uses of HBOT in conjunction with other forms of treatment are numerous. There is evidence that it is beneficial for treatment of stroke, for brain and spinal cord injuries, cerebral edema, multiple sclerosis, peripheral neuropathy, frostbite, chronic fatigue, migraine headaches, wounds that won’t heal or heal with difficulty, burns, bone issues such as infections, inflammations, and fractures that won’t heal, and complications which arise from radiation treatments or surgeries,3, 6 to name a few. In each case we can readily see the relationship to circulation, and the resulting benefit that may be the result of oxygenation under pressure.

The beneficial effects of HBOT for quicker injury recovery as well as for general well-being are now well enough known in certain circles that a number of professional sports teams now own or lease their own HBOT chambers, while a number of other professional athletes also use this form of therapy.7, 8

HBOT is not only useful as a medical device, but is also used in promoting general health through detoxing the body. We live in an age where it is near impossible to be in an environment that is free from toxins. Since oxygen exchange is a major contributor to cleansing, HBOT is being used to remove toxins retained in everyday living. “HBOT has been shown to have detoxification effects and suppresses inflammation.6, 9 Most of our chronic diseases are now recognized to result from chronic inflammation. When you begin to add up all of these beneficial effects of hyperbaric oxygen and combine them with the many other documented effects of HBOT on disease processes that are catalogued in The Oxygen Revolution, it is apparent that hyperbaric oxygen may in fact have anti-aging effects.” 4

HBOT is quite safe, and provides extra oxygen with few side effects when used properly as recommended. Safe guidelines indicate that the chamber should be below 3.0 atmospheres absolute, with virtually no issues reported at pressures below 2.0 atmospheres absolute. Given the inherent nature of oxygen, being highly explosive, the chambers are carefully designed to prevent fire as well as other dangers.

Some of the more common side effects include minor ear or sinus pressure, claustrophobia, fatigue or headache. Some longer-term effects may include myopia (short sightedness) that can last for weeks or months, sinus damage, ruptured middle ear, and lung damage. When administered improperly, oxygen toxicity can also result. However, the reported number of any of these side effects is very small.

There are a few situations where HBOT should be used with caution or not used at all. Caution should be exercised when treating people with severe congestive heart failure, those who are prone to oxygen toxicity, patients with certain lung conditions, and pregnant women.5 If possible in these situations, other forms of treatment are advisable as a first choice.

Since HBOT is well recognized as a safe, highly-effective form of therapy, why is it not more widely used? Why is it that many doctors are not even aware that it exists? Well, there are several reasons. As of yet, most doctors are still not familiar with this form of treatment, in part, because many medical schools do not yet teach hyperbarics or even own an HBOT chamber. In addition, the chambers are costly in themselves, not to speak of the requirement for trained staff to operate them. Also, insurance carriers may and do choose at times not to pay for this treatment. Furthermore, “it is characteristic of the medical establishment, as with any establishment, to be disposed toward preserving the existing order.”3 Another reason has to do with the fact that in the medical community the HBOT is used as a “last resort,” resulting in an unsatisfactory outcome, hence compromising interest in this modality. “Unfortunately, hyperbaric medicine’s critics will often point at these failures and say, ‘we knew it wouldn’t work.’ It is important for both doctors and patients to understand that, as with all treatments, HBOT is more effective when used in a timely manner.”3 Nevertheless, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is gaining a foothold, and calls for research in many different medical situations.

In addition to the references listed at the end of this article, another all around link for HBOT therapy is www.ihausa.org/faq.html

It is my hope that in presenting this article you will be inspired to do your own research and possibly find an ally in healing that is safer and has less side effects than the typical “drug” route, or maybe even in preventing illness in the first place.

  1. Hamblin, D.L. Hyperbaric oxygen: its effect on experimental staphylococcal osteomyelitis in rats. J Bone Joint Surg 50:1129–1131, 1968.
  2. Davis, J.C. and Hunt, T.K. Refractory osteomyelitis of the extremities and the axial skeleton. In Davis J.C. and Hunt T.K. (eds): Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Bethesda, Maryland: Undersea Medical Society, 1977, pp. 217–227.
  3. Neubauer, R.A., MD and Walker, Morton, MD: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Avery Publishing Group, Garden City Park, NY., 1998.
  4. www.altmd.com/Articles/Hyperbaric-Oxygen-Therapy-HBOT-for-Anti-Aging
  5. www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3x_Hyperbaric_oxygen_therapy.asp?sitearea=ETO
  6. www.o2plus.ca
  7. www.hbotreatment.com/sportsinjury.htm
  8. www.hyperbaric-oxygen-ca.com/Athletes.htm
  9. www.altmd.com/Articles/Hyperbaric-Oxygen-Therapy-HBOT-for-Anti-Aging