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What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy? Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy is a medical treatment that uses the administration of 100 percent oxygen at a controlled pressure (greater than sea level) for a prescribed amount of timeusually 60 to 90 minutes. The air we normally breathe contains 21 percent oxygen, 78 percent nitrogen, and 1 percent carbon dioxide and all other gases. Increasing the pressure of the air we breathe through the administration of HBO therapy has the effect of dramatically increasing the number of oxygen molecules entering the bloodstream, up to 2000 percent. This increase in oxygen under controlled pressure means that oxygen can reach bone and tissue that is normally not accessible to red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. HBO therapy affects the body in other ways. For example, it enhances the function of white blood cells, which fight infection. This is important because increasing the efficiency of white blood cells through the use of HBO therapy has a positive effect on the immune system. Also, HBO therapy has a positive effect on peripheral blood vessels and causes the formation of new capillaries, which are tiny, thin-walled blood vessels. Such formations effectively increase blood flow to the body's extremities (your hands and feet). HBO therapy is approved by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of many conditions including burns, diabetic ulcers and carbon monoxide poisoning, to name a few. See Approved Indications for HBO Therapy and Investigational Indications for HBO Therapy for a complete list of medical conditions receiving HBO therapy. This article is Copyright © 1999 by the Chico Hyperbaric Center (HBOToday.com). Permission is given to reproduce it, in its entirety, and including this notice. Telephone: Email: Chico Hyperbaric Center Web Site Developed & Hosted by Access Now 2000. Copyright © 1999-2001. All Rights Reserved. # |
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