What are the benefits and risks of using
hyperbaric oxygen chambers? Does this treatment heal diabetic
wounds?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) involves breathing pure oxygen
while in a sealed, pressurized chamber with up to three times normal
atmospheric pressure. HBOT is used in conventional medicine for very
specific reasons – to treat decompression sickness (“the bends,” a
painful and potentially dangerous condition experienced by divers
who surface too quickly) and carbon monoxide poisoning, to hasten
stroke recovery, and to promote healing of severe skin infections
and radiation burns. Medicare has also approved it for treatment of
diabetic wounds, although this use remains controversial and is not
recommended by the American Diabetes Association.
Tissues in the body require an adequate oxygen supply for normal
functioning and even more to survive injury. HBOT increases the
amount of oxygen the blood can carry, which raises or temporarily
restores normal levels of blood gases and tissue function to promote
healing and to fight infection.
HBOT for Brain Damage in Head Injury
In 2002 Medicare approved 30 sessions of HBOT for wounds that
haven’t healed after conventional treatment even though then – as
now – there is no scientific agreement that the therapy is effective
for this purpose. Since then, hundreds of hospitals have installed
HBOT facilities at a cost of approximately $500,000. If a patient’s
wounds haven’t healed after 30 sessions, hospitals must be able to
demonstrate that there has been some improvement in order to be
reimbursed for additional treatments. Experts who are dubious about
the effectiveness of HBOT treatment for diabetic wounds see the
growing use of it as a response to the reimbursement hospitals get
from Medicare – $450 for each two-hour session. These sums can add
up quickly enough to pay for the investment in the HBOT facilities
and generate additional hospital income.
Most HBOT chambers accommodate one person, although larger ones can
hold more than a dozen people at a time. During treatment sessions
(from 30 minutes to 2 hours) you lie still, try to relax and breathe
normally. At the end of the treatment, the chamber is gradually
depressurized.
Apart from its medically recommended uses, I’ve seen HBOT promoted
as a cure for cancer, a treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome, and
a way to reduce allergy symptoms, as well as a beneficial measure
for persons with AIDS, arthritis, sports injuries, multiple
sclerosis, autism, cerebral palsy, senility, cirrhosis, Lyme
disease, and ulcers. I’ve seen no persuasive scientific evidence
that HBOT can help patients with these conditions. Nor have I seen
evidence that lying in an HBOT chamber provides any general health
benefits.
Source
HBOT is not without risk. It can induce claustrophobia, fatigue and
headache. More serious potential problems include short-sightedness
(myopia) that can last for months after treatment, sinus damage,
middle ear rupture and lung damage. HBOT can worsen symptoms of
congestive heart failure and can lead to collapsed lung in patients
with some types of lung disease. Too much oxygen can also cause
seizures. HBOT is not recommended to address any condition in
pregnant women except when there are no other treatment options.
