Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help promote healing in the body by increasing its exposure to oxygen. This type of treatment is especially useful for neurological conditions such as brain damage caused by stroke. Bringing more oxygen to the brain can help it to recover from damage and function more efficiently. The Hyperbaric Centers of Texas offers this type of treatment to patients who need it.
What are Hyperbaric Treatments?
Hyperbaric oxygen treatments involve placing the patient in an enclosed chamber for a short period of time. While the patient is enclosed, he or she is exposed to high-pressure oxygen. This allows the patient’s body to receive extra oxygen, which promotes healing of certain conditions.
Some doctors use partial hyperbaric treatments, where they expose only a particular part of the body to high pressure oxygen. However, true hyperbaric treatments require the patient to be completely enclosed in the oxygen chamber.
How Do these Treatments Help Neurological Disorders?
Hyperbaric oxygen treatments help promote healing in the brain by flooding it with oxygen. This is especially important in the event that a patient has a stroke because damaged brain tissue needs oxygen in order to repair itself. It is also used to treat other neurological conditions, such as cerebral palsy and autism.
Is the Treatment Safe?
Most patients experience few side effects. Some patients may have an earache or headache while in the oxygen chamber; this side effect is similar to what many people experience during takeoff or landing while traveling by airplane. This kind of pain usually goes away once the treatment ends.
A few people suffer oxygen toxicity while taking this treatment. Oxygen toxicity is very rare, and doctors monitor the patient’s ability to breathe while he or she is in the oxygen chamber to ensure the patient’s safety. To reduce the risk of oxygen toxicity, patients should breathe normally while getting hyperbaric oxygen treatments.