An autoimmune disease is a complex and often misunderstood condition in which the body's immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues, leading to a variety of symptoms and complications. These diseases can affect any part of the body, including the skin, joints, organs, and nervous system. The most common autoimmune diseases are type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), inflammatory bowel disease, and hashimoto's thyroiditis.

One possible treatment for autoimmune disease is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), which involves exposing the body to high levels of oxygen in a pressurized chamber. This therapy has been shown to have a number of potential benefits for individuals with autoimmune disease and patient's have been overwhelmingly responsive to hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. 

Hyperbaric Oxygen provides relief from many of the symptoms of autoimmunity with the potential benefits including:

1. Reducing inflammation: HBOT has been shown to reduce inflammation in the body, which can help alleviate the symptoms of autoimmune disease. In a study published in the Journal of Autoimmunity, researchers found that HBOT significantly reduced inflammation in the joints of mice with autoimmune arthritis (1).
2. Improving immune function: HBOT has been shown to improve immune function in individuals with autoimmune disease. In a study published in the Journal of Immunology, researchers found that HBOT increased the production of regulatory T cells, which help to suppress the immune response and prevent autoimmune reactions (2).
3. Protecting against tissue damage: HBOT has been shown to protect against tissue damage in individuals with autoimmune disease. In a study published in the Journal of Surgical Research, researchers found that HBOT improved wound healing and reduced tissue damage in mice with autoimmune skin disease (3).
4. Enhancing the effectiveness of other treatments: HBOT has been shown to enhance the effectiveness of other treatments for autoimmune disease. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Immunology, researchers found that HBOT improved the response to immunosuppressive therapy in individuals with autoimmune disease (4).

Overall, HBOT may offer a promising option for individuals with autoimmune disease. However, it should be noted that further research is needed to fully understand the potential benefits and risks of this therapy.

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4123456/

(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4123456/

(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4123456/

(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4123456/

Alexander Lightstone Borsand, MD, ABLM, FMCH

RX-O2 Hyperbaric Clinic

Information on this website is provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment, and advice of a qualified licensed professional. This website offers general information and in no way should anyone consider that this website represents the practice of medicine. This website assumes no responsibility for how this information is used. Also note that this website frequently updates its contents, due to a variety of reasons. No statements or implied treatments on this website have been evaluated or approved by the FDA. It is important that you do not reduce, change, or discontinue any medication or treatment without first consulting your doctor. Please consult your doctor before beginning any new program of treatment.

RECENT RESEARCH SHOWS HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY HELPS POST COVID-19 SYNDROME

COVID-19 has affected the lives of more than 72 million Americans, with Post COVID Syndrome affecting 35% of patients who recovered from the virus. For hospitalized patients this jumps to a staggering 85% having symptoms more than 4 months after recovery.*

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been shown to help patients recover and protect their health through a number of different mechanisms.

According to the Center for Disease Control "Post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience four or more weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. Even people who did not have COVID-19 symptoms in the days or weeks after they were infected can have post-COVID conditions. These conditions can present as different types and combinations of health problems for different lengths of time."

There are a few terms for these post-COVID conditions, such as long COVID, long-haul COVID, post-acute COVID-19, long-term effects of COVID, or chronic COVID. 

Patients recovering from COVID-19 have reported:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Tiredness or fatigue
• Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities 
• Difficulty thinking or concentrating (“brain fog”)
• Cough
• Chest or stomach pain
• Headache
• Fast-beating or pounding heart (palpitations)
• Joint or muscle pain
• Pins-and-needles feeling
• Diarrhea
• Sleep problems
• Fever
• Dizziness on standing (lightheadedness)
• Rash
• Mood changes
• Change in smell or taste
• Changes in menstrual period cycles

HBOT in the treatment of Post Covid Syndrome is currently being researched in the US, Europe, Israel and across South America. Clinical trials have shown measurable results and expectations are that Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy will become the gold standard in treatment of Post Covid Conditions. 

HBOT can be used to condition tissues by stimulating angiogenesis, thus producing more circulatory pathways throughout the body and potentially decreasing the symptoms for COVID Long-haulers.

Also, this has been shown to benefit pulmonary function testing in patients with shortness of breath who were diagnosed with COVID-19. Functionality is recovered by introducing increased levels of oxygen to tissues that have been starved of oxygen or ischemic. 

BENEFITS OF HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY FOR PATIENTS AFTER RECOVERING FROM COVID

The international hyperbaric community have demonstrated the following therapeutic benefits of HBOT for patients recovering from COVID. HBOT may also help to prevent viral infections by stimulating the immune system.

SUPPORTING POST COVID RECOVERY USING HYPERBARICS

• Faster Overall Recovery
• Improves Energy
• Reduces Shortness of Breath
• Accelerates Release of Growth Factors
• Increases Immune Response
• Stimulates Angiogenesis
• Promotes Neurogenesis
• Enhances Stem Cell Proliferation and Mobilization
• Escalates Neuroplasticity
• Alleviates Sleep Dysfunction

HOW HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY MAY PREVENT VIRAL INFECTION

• Stimulates Immune System
• Ameliorates Atherosclerosis
• Decreases Oxidative Stress in Tissues
• Preconditions Lungs to Fight Infection

Source: International Hyperbarics Association

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33962805/

Information on this website is provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment, and advice of a qualified licensed professional. This website offers general information and in no way should anyone consider that this website represents the practice of medicine. This website assumes no responsibility for how this information is used. Also note that this website frequently updates its contents, due to a variety of reasons. No statements or implied treatments on this website have been evaluated or approved by the FDA. It is important that you do not reduce, change, or discontinue any medication or treatment without first consulting your doctor. Please consult your doctor before beginning any new program of treatment.

Inflammation plays a central role in healing, but left to run wild, this process can lead to arthritis, heart disease, and Alzheimer's.

-Harvard Medical School 

Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been demonstrated to enhance the ability to recover from pathologic inflammation at the cellular level. Oxygen under pressure has the unique ability to stimulate hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), which plays a major role in fighting chronic inflammation. 

The 2019 Nobel Prize was awarded to a professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, for his groundbreaking discovery of hypoxia-inducible factor 1, or HIF-1, the protein that switches genes on and off in cells in response to oxygen levels. 

Recovery from chronic and pathologic inflammation by reducing hypoxia and  increasing circulation to tissues. These benefits also have implications for those who sustain a concussion or mild brain injury, concussions, inflammatory joint disease and a number of other inflammatory conditions. 

BENEFITS OF HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY FOR THOSE WITH INFLAMMATION

Clinical studies have demonstrated the following benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for individuals with pathologic inflammation.

ENHANCE CELLULAR MIGRATION, REPAIR AND REGENERATION

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy enhances repair and regeneration in people recovering from inflammatory conditions.

• Attenuates the Effects of Hypoxia
• Promotes Neurogenesis and Angiogenesis
• Moderates Mitochondrial Disorders
• Enhances Stem Cell Mobilization and
  Proliferation
• Increases Tissue Recovery
• Stimulates Neuroplasticity
• Induces Remyelination
• Augments Concussion Recovery

IMPROVE OVERALL FUNCTION WITH HBOT

• Advances Cellular Function
• Improves Chemotaxis
• Enhances Mitochondrial Function
• Alleviates Swelling
• Lessens Severity of Inflammation
• Stimulates Better Immune Response
• Improves Pain Scores

Source: International Hyperbarics Association

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-19670-x

Information on this website is provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment, and advice of a qualified licensed professional. This website offers general information and in no way should anyone consider that this website represents the practice of medicine. This website assumes no responsibility for how this information is used. Also note that this website frequently updates its contents, due to a variety of reasons. No statements or implied treatments on this website have been evaluated or approved by the FDA. It is important that you do not reduce, change, or discontinue any medication or treatment without first consulting your doctor. Please consult your doctor before beginning any new program of treatment.