Hyperbaric chamber treatment is a treatment for increasing the healing process. This involves being supplied with oxygen in a pressurized environment or chambers to be absorbed by your body’s cells.
Hyperbaric chambers are being considered for treating a bunch of other illnesses, including stroke treatment.
Stroke Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
A stroke occurs when there is a shortage of blood flow to a particular part of the brain. This decrease in blood flow deprives the cells of oxygen and can lead to short or long-term damage depending on how much of the brain was affected.
This process involves breathing in pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. This may help problems related to strokes such as slurred speech, memory loss, and reduced comprehension.
There is a theory that using this stroke treatment to the part of the brain it occurred, will reduce swelling of the brain and protect brain cells. This will reduce the extent of permanent brain damage. Hyperbaric chambers may help with regrowth in blood vessels and nerve cells.
Benefits Of Stroke Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
- Reduces inflammation in the brain. The increased oxygen allows more oxygen to pass through the cells, which helps in lessening the inflammation of the brain.
- Accelerates rehabilitation.
- Produces new blood cells which often lack in people who have strokes.
- Promotes stem cell recruitment.
- Possibility in reversing stroke damage because of the healing properties.
How To Prepare For Stroke Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
- Follow any instructions on yawning and swallowing. There will be instructions given for you yawning and swallowing. These are the times you will have to clear your ears to prevent ear pain.
- Do not smoke. Smoking can decrease your capacity to carry oxygen to your body. This may slow your function for increased healing.
- Avoid alcohol and gas drinks. This may affect your blood levels, so it is important to remain clean.
- Shower and do not apply lotions or perfumes. The therapy has to undergo a strict process to get accurate results.
- Wear clean clothing made of cotton. This smoothens the process, and since you will be in a chamber for well over 2 hours, it will provide you with a comfortable experience.
Alert Practitioners:
- If you are feeling ill. There may be harmful outcomes if you are sick, and you have to go through clearing your ears. The pressures may prove too stressful for your ears to handle resulting in damage.
- You have not eaten on the day of the session.
- You are taking certain medications that may impact the therapy.
- There may be a possibility that you are pregnant.
Conclusion
Stroke treatment is still in the testing phase regarding stroke hyperbaric oxygen therapy. They have tested it in small samples and can't yet 100% give it an all-clear for a proven treatment. The results are promising and ongoing. The hyperbaric chamber is a must for a lot of different illnesses and not only stroke. It is a useful tool that will be further researched and implemented.
