Although there are various treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS),
hyperbaric oxygen therapy is one of the lesser-known treatment
options on the market and is often considered an ‘alternative’
therapy choice. By understanding what MS is and how the disease
affects the body, we are able to understand why HBOT can help treat
the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and improve the day to day trials
of those suffering from the disease.
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, immune-mediated disease that
affects the central nervous system and the relay of information both
within the brain and between the brain and the body.
The central nervous system (CNS) is composed of the brain, spinal
cord and optic nerves which themselves are made up of neurons and
nerve fibers. These neurons are coated in a fatty substance known as
myelin, which acts as an insulator, a protective shield and helps
speed up nerve transmissions.
When a person develops MS, their immune system is activated and
sends out cells known as T cells to destroy certain proteins in the
CNS that are viewed as dangerous. T cells respond to cuts and burns
the same way they respond in MS – by creating an inflammation in the
damaged area and calling more immune cells to the site of
inflammation. However, unlike with a cut or burn, people with MS
initiate an immune response against their own perfectly healthy
bodies. It is not known why T cells are activated and sensitized
against the CNS, but it is believed that both genetic and
environmental factors may play a role in causing this
immune-mediated disease.
What Does Multiple Sclerosis Do?
Once the body has initiated an immune response and begins attacking
the CNS medical practitioners notice the following:
Damaged/destroyed Myelin:
The severity of the disease varies between individuals, but in every
case some degree of myelin damage is noticeable. The cells that
produce myelin (oligodendrocytes) are also often damaged or even
destroyed, preventing the production of more myelin.
Scar Tissue:
Damaged myelin creates scar tissue known as sclerosis, which can be
seen on an MRI.
Interrupted Nerve Transmissions:
When parts of the myelin sheath or the nerve fibers it protects are
damaged, impulses travelling along the central nervous system are
interrupted, distorted or slowed down. This leads to a variety of
MS-like symptoms such as decreased visibility, tingling and numbness
in the extremities or even mobility problems.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Multiple Sclerosis
In the United States the relationship between the medical community
and HBOT is very controversial. However, many of the studies used to
disprove HBOT were conducted over short periods of time (four weeks,
for example) and on patients that had very little change of
undergoing any noticeable change in such a short time frame.
Consider the fact that HBOT is used to increase the amount of oxygen
a person inhales, and in doing so their body is able to normalize
oxygen levels in damaged tissues, such as nerve tissue damaged
during an immune attack. Moreover, HBOT can re-energize MS patients
by re-oxygenating tissue and thus decreasing fatigue symptoms.
Because HBOT is used to treat localized infections, it has been
postulated that HBOT could also be able to treat the inflammatory
attack that is multiple sclerosis. Introducing excessive amounts of
oxygen into tissue cells exponentially increases growth rates and
improves healing, which can decrease symptoms of MS and reduce
relapses.
Reported Benefits of HBOT
Reduction of fatigue
Improved bladder control
Increased mobility
Stabilization of MS-like symptoms
Increase duration between relapses
While there have been positive results in MS patients treated with
HBOT, it is important to remember that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is
not a cure for multiple sclerosis and is instead a treatment method
that can help alleviate some of the symptoms of the disease.
Getting Ready for Your Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber Session
Congratulations! You have decided to embark on your HBOT journey and
want to know what will happen when you step foot into that
hyperbaric oxygen chamber for the first time. Well, never fear
because we at H.O.P.E. are here to help you prepare for your
hyperbaric oxygen chamber sessions by providing you with all the
tools and information you need to know in order to have a pleasant,
successful treatment experience.
Before Your Treatment
In the HBOT chamber, patients are only allowed to wear clean
(comfortable) cotton clothing. You will also be asked not to wear
the following items into the chamber:
Cosmetics
Perfume or deodorant
Jewelry or watches
Wigs
Smoking materials, matches and lighters are strictly prohibited in
the hyperbaric chambers for safety reasons. Don’t worry though – no
matter what you see on television, pure oxygen is not flammable in
the slightest and there is no risk of an explosion in an oxygen
chamber.
Patients are also discouraged from drinking carbonated or
caffeinated drinks or alcohol two hours prior to their treatment. If
possible, it is recommended that patients give up smoking for the
duration of their treatment as it restricts the body’s ability to
transport oxygen. However, we understand that giving up smoking can
be a physically and mentally difficult process, and instead
encourage smokers to try not to smoke an hour or two before their
treatment.
During Your Treatment
When you are ready for your treatment you will be helped onto a
gurney and your vital signs will be taken by a staff member and
wheeled into a clear acrylic hyperbaric chamber – each chamber is
built to make patients feel comfortable and safe.
Once patients have entered the chamber, the treatment process is
conducted in three different phases.
1) Compression
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is conducted at pressures greater than
what we experience at sea level, so in order to reach these
pressures the oxygen chambers have to undergo compression. Once the
chamber is closed you will start to feel slightly warmer as the
pressure increases. The most noticeably aspect of compression is the
feeling of fullness in your ears similar to what you experience when
an airplane takes off or lands. Operators will have told you how to
equalize the pressure in your ears usually by ‘popping’ them. Most
people find that repeatedly swallowing works well, however if you
are struggling to ‘pop’ your ears and experience any significant
discomfort let the chamber operator know immediately and they will
decrease the pressure.
2) Treatment
The pressure in the oxygen chamber varies with each patient and is
ordered by the Hyperbaric physician or the referring physician, but
will always be above 1 atm. When the desired pressure is reached,
patients spend the duration of their treatment breathing in pure
oxygen. Because treatments usually last between 80-120 minutes
depending on the diagnosis, patients have the opportunity to sleep,
rest, or watch their favorite program or movie
3) Decompression
Once the prescribed amount of time has passed the decompression
process begins. Like compression, decompression happens slowly your
ears may feel strange again, but by this point you will know how to
adjust them in order to equalize the pressure. Once the pressure
inside the chamber equals the outside pressure an operator will open
the chamber and assist you out.
