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Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Research

Combining Growth Hormone and hyperbaric oxygen produces better results

November 24, 2014
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Both growth hormone and hyperbaric oxygen therapy have been shown to increase growth factors and improve healing. This animal study looked at the effects of both, individually and combined, following surgery for ischemic colonic anastomoses. Combined therapy resulted in a favorable therapeutic effect on healing.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can Improve Surgical Procedures

July 20, 2014
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Ever wonder why some people recover well from surgery and others can have long term implications including infections and even amputations. It is now clear that hypoxia (low oxygen levels) clearly effects the response and recovery following surgery. Local hypoxic conditions account for longer time for healing and greater susceptibility for infections. Treatments with hyperbaric oxygen therapy can reduce the hypoxia in the body and have a substantial effect on reducing negative clinical outcomes, along with shortening the healing time, and reducing chances of infection. Many plastic surgeons are now recognizing the benefits of HBOT in their discipline and referring for HBOT post-op. This is making for better and safer surgical procedures, along with less down time and hospitalization

Opioid Receptors shown to be part of Hyperbaric oxygen’s pain-relieving effects

January 6, 2014
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Recent research has shown that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can help alleviate pain both in acute and chronic cases. Much attention has focused on the anti-inflammatory effects of HBOT and associated reductions in pain. This study, published in the European Journal of Pain in 2014, showed that opioid receptors may also have a big role in the positive effects of HBOT

Hyperbaric Therapy reduces pain following nerve injury

January 4, 2014
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This animal study induced sciatic nerve injury through chronic constriction. They measured inflammatory markers and then followed up with Hyperbaric oxygenation therapy. The results demonstrated an immediate pain relief following the procedure with repetitive applications giving more long-acting relief. These results correlated with the positive changes seen in inflammatory markers and reinforce the use of hyperbaric therapy for pain and inflammation, following nerve injury

Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy’s role in Stem Cell transplantation for type 1 Diabetes

December 27, 2013
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Human Embryonic stem cells have gained wide acceptance for the potential benefit of many conditions. Type 1 Diabetes is one of these conditions where this procedure is being tested. However, these stem cells have consistently failed to generate meaningful numbers of mature, functional β cells. Since oxygen is a strong driver of differentiation, researchers of this animal study looked at applying hyperbaric oxygen therapy to a group of rats following transplanted cells and observed an increase in the maturation of these cells, leading to increased insulin production. The future of embryonic stem cells may be to drive the differentiation and maturation of these cell by following the procedure with a course of hyperbaric oxygenation therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves muscle regeneration

December 13, 2013
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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a widely used treatment for many elite athletes for recovery from muscle injuries. This study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology looked at this relationship by taking a group of rats and inducing injury to the leg muscles. They then followed up with a program of 10 hyperbaric oxygen sessions over a 2-week period. The results demonstrated an acceleration in healing and functional recovery, with greater expression of IGF-1 and other repair factors noted at days 3 to 5

Hyperbaric oxygen improves growth factors following tissue transplantation

December 10, 2013
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Growth factors including blood vessels to transplanted areas are important and key factors for successful procedures. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been long-used for wound healing due to it’s ability to increase blood vessels to the area. This study looked at applying hyperbaric oxygen therapy following tissue implantation. The observed growth factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor, were shown to increase and support the notion that hyperbaric therapy can be used to enhance implantation procedures

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy improves post-concussion syndrome

November 29, 2013
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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has received a lot of attention over the past 20 years for helping patients following traumatic events. Though this therapy is not part of the approved medical treatments for traumatic brain injuries, both clinical research data and case reports have documented that there is a potential benefit from this procedure. Of late, mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI’s) have been in the news, due to the increasing understanding and concerns with concussions, particularly with athletes in sporting events. This study took 56 patients who had prolonged post-concussion syndrome following 1-5 years post mTBI. A “typical” program of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (this HBOT protocol included 40 treatment sessions (5 days/week), 60 minutes each, with 100% oxygen at 1.5 ATA) was given to the treatment group, which demonstrated significant improvements. These results led the researchers of this study to conclude that “HBOT can induce neuroplasticity leading to repair of chronically impaired brain functions and improved quality of life in mTBI patients with prolonged PCS at late chronic stage”

Chemotherapy drug enhanced by hyperbaric oxygen therapy

November 28, 2013
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The chemotherapy drug Gemcitabine, is used for treating certain cancers, including advanced pancreatic cancer. It delivers oxygen to the tumors and thus makes the chemo drug more toxic to the targeted cancer, allowing a greater cancer killing effect. This results of this study (published in the anticancer research journal) confirmed this effect, and showed a significant enhancement of Gemcitabine’s cancer killing effect when hyperbaric oxygen therapy was applied concurrently

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps the damaged brain

November 27, 2013
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This study looked at physiological changes that  occurred in the brain with the application of hyperbaric therapy following traumatic brain injury. They noticed an improvement in the blood-brain barrier, a reduction in inflammation and inflammatory proteins, a reduction in both swelling and the size of the damage, and more importantly an improvement in neurological status including motor and cognitive function

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for sudden hearing loss

November 24, 2013
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59 patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss were given hyperbaric oxygen therapy and all improved. However, if given within the first 14 days following hearing loss, better prognosis was noted

Hyperbaric oxygen increases new blood vessels towards traumatic tissue

October 28, 2013
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Following spinal cord injuries, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been shown to produce a positive effect on healing, but it still remains unclear of the main mechanisms of action. This study followed spinal cord injuries treated with HBOT and demonstrated that this group had higher and longer expressions of VEGF (Vascular endothelial growth factor), which is responsible for the growth of new blood vessels. This follows many other studies and citations, particularly with non-healing wounds, where HBOT facilitates the body to produce more blood vessels to damaged tissue, for long terms benefits

New Roles for Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy in brain tumors

September 24, 2013
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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is now being used in conjunction with both chemotherapy and radiotherapy for it’s ability to help increase the sensitivity of both treatments for malignant brain tumors. The authors go over some of the new protocols being deployed, with one of them being radiation therapy given within 15 minutes from hyperbaric exposure. This allows more oxygen into the brain, thus making the radiation therapy more effective. In addition, carboplatin-based chemotherapy combined with hyperbaric oxygen show a significant advantage in survival for recurrent malignant brain tumors

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces pain associated with inflammation

August 5, 2013
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This study published in the Journal of Pain, recognizes past clinical data for the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in models of pain. Here they looked at daily application of hyperbaric oxygen for 1 week and evaluated physiological changes that may explain the analgesic effects of hyperbaric therapy. The results showed a reduction in numerous inflammatory markers, along with pain relief. By understanding the mechanism, HBOT may get more wide use for being a safe and effective way to reduce inflammatory pain

New brain tissue growth occurs from long course of hyperbaric oxygen

July 5, 2013
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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is widely used as an effective off-label use for stroke victims. Research has found that this therapy not only targets oxygenation of the effected area and reduces inflammation, but also has been shown to promote bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) to proliferate and mobilize, which essentially becomes an important part of the neurogenic (nervous system growth) effects that have been demonstrated from hyperbaric procedures. Mobilization of these BMSCs to the damaged areas were more improved in long course hyperbaric treatments, suggesting the duration of therapy is crucial for promoting their neurogenic effects

Combined Radiation therapy and Hyperbaric therapy for Malignant tumors

July 2, 2013
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Hypoxic tumors (tumors with low oxygen levels) are noted as one of the main reasons for failure to control malignant tumors with radiation therapy. Since hyperbaric oxygen improves oxygen supply to hypoxic tumors, thus increasing their levels, hyperbaric oxygen has sound clinical grounds for being used alongside radiation therapy. This study published in the International Journal of Clinical Oncology goes over the rationale for using this combination in more detail

Ketogenic diet & hyperbaric oxygen prolongs survival in metastatic cancer

June 27, 2013
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Researchers found a significant anti-cancer effect when mice with systemic metastatic cancers were exposed to the combination of a ketogenic diet alongside hyperbaric oxygenation therapy. Recently hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been receiving a lot of attention for it’s beneficial effects when combined with chemo and radiation therapy. Now, it’s being looked at how natural therapies can also be enhanced

Low-pressure hyperbaric oxygen helps blast-induced injured military subjects with post concussion disorder and PTSD

December 30, 2012
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Sixteen military subjects received a ‘typical dose’ of low pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy (40 1.5 ATA/60 min HBOT sessions in 30 days) for mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries. Results of this study demonstrated significant improvements in symptoms, cognitive testing, quality of life, and physical exam findings. These results were confirmed with brain imaging scans that were done before and after treatments.

New Implications for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Colorectal Cancer

August 20, 2012
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Hyperbaric oxygenation therapy is being researched for many conditions and their pathophysiological effects. In this study, the anti-inflammatory effects of HBOT showed benefits in reducing the carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer following induction. In today’s pro-inflammatory world, this could have huge impacts on reducing the rates of pathogenic inflammatory-related tumors

HBOT for Brain Tumors

August 1, 2012
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A new study just published on Feb 2011 in the journal of cancer makes a strong argument for applying hyperbaric oxygenation therapy (HBOT) for those patients who have had either surgery or radiation therapy for brain tumors. The study followed patients who had been treated with HBOT and there was a marked improvement in cognitive function which was supported and documented by standard neuropsychological testing

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Chronic Radiation Injury

August 1, 2012
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Virgina Mason Hospital’s hyperbaric unit has pulled together a report which documents 411 of their patients who took course in HBOT following radiation therapy, for the diagnosis of chronic radiation-induced tissue damage. The results were quite dramatic. For example, a positive outcome from hyperbaric treatment occurred in 94% of patients with osteoradionecrosis of the jaw. Hopefully, this will encourage the medical community to make stronger recommendations for hyperbaric therapy

Hyperbaric Oxygen & Temozolomide for Glioblastoma

July 20, 2012
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Temozolomide is currently being used for aggressive brain tumors, among other cancers. The effectiveness of this treatment is reduced with tumor hypoxia (low oxygen levels). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was shown in this study to reduce tumor hypoxia and thus help to increase the effectiveness of Temozolomide against the glioma, producing a much more powerful anti-tumor activity. This research is consistent with many recent studies showing the added effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy with conventional therapies like chemotherapy, in helping to increase the effectiveness of these therapies

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy finally approved for the treatment of sudden hearing loss!

July 20, 2012
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Temozolomide is currently being used for aggressive brain tumors, among other cancers. The effectiveness of this treatment is reduced with tumor hypoxia (low oxygen levels). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was shown in this study to reduce tumor hypoxia and thus help to increase the effectiveness of Temozolomide against the glioma, producing a much more powerful anti-tumor activity. This research is consistent with many recent studies showing the added effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy with conventional therapies like chemotherapy, in helping to increase the effectiveness of these therapies

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Diabetes

July 20, 2012
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Currently, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a valuable hospital tool for diabetics with chronic non-healing wounds and is a therapy that is reserved for late stages of diabetics. With recent literature supporting the use of HBOT for earlier onset, this new study gives us further hope that hyperbaric oxygen should be used for early stage diabetes and not just reserved for later stages. Here, it was shown that obese, diabetic rats given HBOT enhanced glucose and lipid metabolism in the skeletal muscle. Since obesity runs rampant in the diabetic population, and the concomitant effects of blood sugar elevation damaging the small blood vessels of the body, HBOT may prove as a valuable resource for diabetics, not only for its aid in cardiovascular disease and wound healing support, but for also lowering the levels of blood sugar; thereby, causing less damage in the body

Type 1 Diabetes Prevented by HBOT

July 20, 2012
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A new study has just been published in the journal of Diabetes (July 2012) illustrating the dramatic effects on mice when HBOT was applied. The study follows autoimmune diabetes development in non-obese diabetic mice. The results co-inside with other studies showing benefit for autoimmune diabetes. We now need to look at early intervention for children who are in the midst of developing Type 1 diabetes, and also for those that are at higher risk

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Inflammatory Bowl Disease

July 20, 2012
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Many private hyperbaric facilities are are providing HBOT for those inflicted with IBD, most commonly Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis. This new study demonstrates the usefulness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for these conditions by showing the lowering of inflammatory markers and oxidative stress, alongside the improved clinical outcomes

Preventing the effects of a stroke or an aging brain with HBOT

July 19, 2012
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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been used for treatments of many neurological conditions, and many patients have benefited from this procedure. Recently, a new study titled “hyperoxia preconditioning: the next frontier in neurology?” has expanded on recent literature showing that hyperbaric oxygen can condition the brain. With this latest information, it would make common sense for those wishing to PREVENT the effects of more common neurological conditions like stroke, Alzheimer disease, etc. to have a full course of HBOT.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy may improve Anxiety

February 13, 2012
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With the increase in pharmaceutical prescriptions for anxiety, this study may provide a safer and more natural option for those suffering from from this condition. In this study, a single application of hyprebaric oxygen therapy was shown to have an anxiolytic effect in mice. Typical HBOT programs involve the use of multiple sequential visits, in short duration. It would be therefore interesting to see if the conditioning of the brain through hyperbaric oxygen therapy can have a long-lasting effect on anxiety. Until further studies, we will not know, but what we do know is that there is an effect in the brain, probably mediated through the release of nitric oxide

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Sports-Related TBI

January 21, 2012
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For decades now, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been an off-label use for traumatic brain injuries (TBI’s). More and more, private clinics are opening up to provide this therapy for those suffering from TBI’s (both acute and chronic victims) and documenting success. Now, a recent article has just been published showing two football players that were successfully treated for TBI. Both were documented with their improvements by functional brain imaging concomitantly with neurological examinations. Of important note, one player was suffering from symptoms of TBI for more than 10 years and still showed benefits from HBOT. With more professional athletes being diagnosed with concussions and putting their career at risk, the implications for timely hyperbaric therapy are enormous

Hyperbaric Oxygen Improves Ovarian Transplantation

January 20, 2012
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Recent literature has shown value in applying hyperbaric oxygen therapy for helping the viability of organ transplants, including liver and kidney. Now, a new study has shown that hyperbaric oxygen therapy  was significantly effective in enhancing the survival of transplanted ovarian follicles and therefore, can be effectively used for the enhancement of survival of transplanted ovarian tissues

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy may help Obesity

January 19, 2012
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Preliminary studies in mice have confirmed potential benefits for obesity. Here in this study, they focused on diabetic obese mice that had fatty liver disease. This is a population base that is on a significant rise for humans. The mice that were given hyperbaric oxygenation therapy, had a significantly lower body weight than those of the control group. The authors concluded that HBOT has the advantage of improving obesity in patients with metabolic syndrome. The only disadvantage was greater oxidative damage that would occur in the liver. This could easily be rectified with proper dosing of oxygen and proper nutritional therapy for antioxidant protection at the time of delivery. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, has already been researched for helping the diabetic population, in many ways (like wound healing, cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, blood sugar control, and much more); Now, we can add metabolic syndrome to the equation

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for traumatic brain injury

January 19, 2012
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This study reviews the effectiveness for applying HBOT for TBI, and makes a strong argument for both the early application, and also for delayed treatments, with the common variable being multiple sessions at low atmospheric pressure. This dosage would reduce intracranial pressure, improve mortality, as well as promote neurobehavioral recovery

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for Degenerative Discs

November 1, 2011
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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a used to treat difficult wounds in many cutting-edge hospitals and wound centers mainly due to it’s ability to promote growth of new tissue and blood vessels. Researchers have now taken this further to see if the healing effects of oxygen can also be shown for the intervertebral discs. This is a debilitating condition for a wide range of the population and are seen in more as people age and also for those who have suffered physical trauma to the area (ie, contact sports or accidents and falls). The following study shows us the mechanism involved in hyperbaric oxygen’s application for treating degenerative discs. Since this treatment modality is non-invasive, it should now get considerable attention for an adjunct treatment modality for disc degeneration

Hyperbaric Oxygen promotes Neurogenesis

June 27, 2011
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Neurogenesis is the growth and development of the nervous system with new neurons. This process has been shown to be significantly enhanced through the application of hyperbaric oxygenation therapy, particularly following trauma to the brain or central nervous system. A recent article titled “Hyperbaric oxygen therapy promotes neurogenesis: where do we stand?” has just been published. In this article, proposed physiological mechanisms of action are looked at, in a way to gain better understanding of oxygen’s role in neurogenesis

HBOT highly effective treatment following Radiation Therapy

April 19, 2011
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Radiation therapy is a standard of care for many patients undergoing cancer treatments; however, when pelvic radiation is performed, it’s successes also can come with a debilitating side-effect where the bladder becomes inflamed leading to a painful and bleeding condition called hemorrhagic cystitis (HS). This is a very difficult condition to treat. Promising new research, just published in March 2011, is now giving hope for these sufferers. This study clearly demonstrates successful therapy with long-term follow up when patients were treated with hyperbaric oxygenation therapy. Here, a standard program of just 40 hyperbaric sessions were given to 25 patients who were diagnosed with HS. More importantly, all patients had already failed conventional therapy. So get ready for the results–ALL 25 PATIENTS IMPROVED AND WERE SUCCESSFULLY TREATED. Furthermore, after close to 2 year follow up, no regressions were shown. The results of this study are truly remarkable and makes for a strong argument to add hyperabric oxygenation therapy to standard of care and a primary treatment option for those with HS. The authors of the study support this previous statement by adding in the fact that hyperbaric oxygen is highly effective and safe, non-invasive therapy for HC secondary to pelvic radiation

Hyperbaric Pressure helps improve Lung Cancer Treatment

January 19, 2011
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More research is demonstrating the importance of combining hyperbaric oxygen therapy with conventional drug therapy for cancer for sensitizing the cancer cells, ultimately leading to more cancer death. Here, this study showed us that just elevating the pressure and combining a promising anticancer agent caused more destruction to the cancer cells

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for Degenerative Disc Disease

January 19, 2011
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The Journal of Orthopaedic Research just published on article demonstrating the beneficial effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on human degenerated intervertebral disks. During the course of the study, the researchers were able to evaluate physiological changes associated with regeneration of tissue, thus proposing various methods of action

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Improves Outcomes for Diabetics

August 19, 2010
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It is well researched that diabetics can benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a primary treatment for foot wounds, ulcers, and other hard to heal injuries. However, the major complication to diabetics is in cardiovascular disease and coronary events (CE) like sudden heart attacks, strokes, etc. The main contributing factors to this elevated risk are poor glycemic control, elevated inflammatory markers and atherosclerosis. In this study, they monitored these factors in diabetics being treated with HBOT for diabetic foot wounds. With no surprise, all parameters including fasting blood sugar, haemoglobin H1C, CRP, and lipid profiles were statistically significantly improved. The researchers concluded that the application of HBOT caused better glycemic control and had beneficial effects on atherosclerosis. With this, HBOT may be the answer in reducing risk of CE’s and therefore reducing both debilities and mortalities that are commonly observed in the diabetic population

Hyperbaric Oxygen Significantly Reduces Tumour Volume in Ovarian Cancer

August 19, 2010
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A landmark study provided by the Ohio State University in Columbus has just been published in the Journal of Cancer Biology & Therapy and the results are consistent with the latest research validating the use of HBOT in Cancer therapy. It has already been well established that solid tumours are low in oxygen (hypoxic) and it is this factor that limits conventional therapy like chemo and radiation, and allows for resistance to congenital treatments. In this study, the addition of HBOT (90 minute sessions daily for up to 21 days at a dose of 2.0 ATA)corrected the hypoxic tumour and leading to enhancement of chemotherapeutic regimen for ovarian cancer. In addition and of extreme significance is that the application of HBOT alone caused a significant reduction in tumour size. This study confirms recent literature supporting the use of HBOT with and without conventional therapy

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for the treatment of Macular Degeneration

July 19, 2010
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Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a main cause of vision loss in North America and is expected to impact our society considerably as our aging population grows. This publication clearly demonstrates the value of HBOT as 14 patients with advanced AMD made significant improvements in vision following hyperbaric oxygenation therap

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Enhances Antioxidant Status Promoting Healthy Aging

July 19, 2010
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Some people still think that HBOT can be harmful by causing excessive oxidative and free radical disease. This study should finally put this controversy at rest. One of the main mechanisms of action in providing HBOT is the body’s compensation and ability to increase its Natural antioxidant defences. In return, the body is more geared at handling our current influx of stressors, including dietary and environmental chemicals. All studies have demonstrated an increase in anti-oxidant protection following HBOT and this study showed the genetic changes in antioxidant levels following HBOT. Here, the gene expressions were increased and thus a considerable elevation in our antioxidant defences. Understanding the role of free radical damage its positive correlation with accelerated aging and chronic disease states, preventative HBOT may hold a key in promoting healthy aging

Hyperbaric Oxygen in Combination with Chemotherapy

July 19, 2010
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The proliferation of cancer cells in this trial was reduced by the application of both HBOT and chemotherapy (5-FU). However, the combination of the 2 resulted in a marked and significant synergism in the reduction of cancer cell proliferation. HBOT’s role in this chemosensitization may be a powerful addition to current cancer practices

Hyperbaric Oxygen: A Safe & Successful Treatment for Retinal Artery Occlusion

July 19, 2010
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5 patients were followed after receiving HBOT for Retinal Artery Occlusion. All patients improved and there were no complications to the treatment

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for Femoral Head Necrosis

May 19, 2010
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The University of South Florida has just shown us that the application of HBOT caused significant pain relief in just 20 treatments. In addition, range of motion was also significantly improved; the difference being that 20 to 30 sessions were needed to obtain this positive response.  This study was a double-blind randomized, controlled, prospective study and the positive results were confirmed by MRI reports. More importantly, the 7 year follow up revealed that all patients remained substantially pain and none required hip arthroplasty