Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) provides many therapeutic benefits for the person taking the treatment.

HBOT is effective because under pressure oxygen readily dissolves in all the body fluids including blood, plasma, lymphatic, cerebrospinal and interstitial fluid.

HBOT is defined as breathing 100% oxygen (normal air has 21% oxygen) at pressures greater than the atmospheric pressure at sea level (1.0 atmosphere or 1.0 ATA). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is done in a hyperbaric chamber which is a pressure vessel able to withstand pressures greater than 1.O ATA. During the treatment the patient sits or lies down comfortably inside the hyperbaric chamber. Most treatments are done at pressures from 1.5 to 2.5 ATA. The pressure is selected according to the condition the patient is being treated for. Treatments are usually given for 60 or 90 min at the selected pressure.

HBOT provides many therapeutic benefits for the person taking the treatment. HBOT is effective because under pressure oxygen readily dissolves in all the body fluids including blood, plasma, lymphatic, cerebrospinal and interstitial fluid.

The increase in oxygen in these tissues reverses hypoxia (oxygen depletion) which is often a cause of cellular damage in disease. HBOT also enhances the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) which improves the immune system's ability to remove toxins and fight infection, it increases fibroblast activity which promotes tissue repair and it enhances the metabolic activity of previously inactive brain cells restoring them to more normal function. This last effect is often seen in the treatment of cerebral palsy, stroke and traumatic brain injury.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a recognized and accepted primary or adjunctive medical therapy for the treatment of the following conditions:

1. Air or gas embolism
2. Carbon monoxide poisoning, cyanide poisoning, smoke inhalation
3. Gas gangrene/ Gangrene
4. Crush injury and acute traumatic ischemias
5. Decompression sickness
6. Enhanced healing of selected problem wounds and skin ulcers
7. Blood loss anemia
8. Necrotizing soft tissue infections ("flesh eating disease")
9. Refractory Osteomyelitis
10. Osteoradionecrosis
11. Compromised skin grafts
12. Thermal burns

In addition to the above conditions there are many other medical conditions that have been shown to benefit, often dramatically, to hyperbaric oxygen therapy:

1. Sports Injuries
2. Recovery from Surgery
3. Trauma, Broken Bones
4. Brain Injury
5. Cerebral palsy
6. Heart Attack
7. Stroke
8. Multiple Sclerosis in early stages of the disease.

A few other conditions that have benefited from HBOT are:

1. Migraine
2. Glaucoma
3. Hearing loss.
   

Before starting treatment the patient is examined thoroughly by a qualified hyperbaric physician to assess fitness for therapy and any medical contraindications. The physician informs the patient or their guardian of the risks of the therapy as well as benefits, and obtains consent from the patient before starting the treatment.

In conclusion hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a safe and effective adjunct to regular medicine in fact many hospitals around the world have a hyperbaric medicine department and incorporate HBOT into their practice. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy also offers great benefit for people with chronic conditions where medicine so far has not had a great deal of success like brain injury, stroke rehabilitation, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis.