Could something as simple as concentrated oxygen help ease the
symptoms and slow the progress of Alzheimer's?
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting
for 60 to 80 percent of cases. There’s not a lot you can do to
prevent it or treat it, though eating this could increase your risk.
Now, a promising new study from Tel Aviv University suggests that
hyperbaric oxygen treatments may improve symptoms experienced by
patients with Alzheimer’s.
What is hyperbaric oxygen treatments?
Used for conditions as varied as autism, lupus, and sports injuries,
the therapy involves breathing in pure oxygen in a pressurized room
or chamber in which air pressure is increased to twice that of
normal air. According to the study researchers, “the added oxygen
stimulates the release of growth factors and stem cells, which
themselves promote healing.”
Alzheimer’s Disease On Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
For the study, scientists built a custom-made hyperbaric oxygen
chamber for mice bred to develop Alzheimer’s. Over the course of 14
days, the researchers gave the mice hyperbaric oxygen treatment for
an hour each day. At the end of the two weeks, the analysis of the
mice suggested that the treatment had alleviated some of the damage
and symptoms of Alzheimer’s compared to mice who didn’t get the
treatment. The treated mice had 40 percent less of the brain plaque
associated with the disease; inflammation in the brain had dropped
by a similar percentage.
Although the study was performed on mice, the treatment shows
promise for human application. Lead researcher, Uri Ashery, PhD, of
Tel Aviv University’s Sagol School of Neuroscience and the Faculty
of Life Sciences, told ScienceDaily.com that, “We have now shown for
the first time that hyperbaric oxygen therapy can actually improve
the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease and correct behavioral deficits
associated with the disease.”
Health Benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Testing in humans is next, say the researchers. In the meantime,
bear in mind the everyday habits that reduce the risk of dementia.
Source