THE HEALING SANCTUARY

Hyperbarics

Our doctors are specially trained to give you treatments in these state of the art chambers.

Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments (HBOT)

At The Healing Sanctuary, we have two of our very own hyperbaric chambers conveniently in our own facility to assist in your recovery. We refer to these treatments as Mild Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments (HBOT).

By going into a Hyperbaric Chamber, you’re increasing the amount of oxygen your blood can carry. Since any type of wound requires oxygen to heal properly, by increasing the amount of oxygen you are breathing in and exposed to, your body can heal faster.

What is a Hyperbaric Chamber?

A hyperbaric chamber is essentially a chamber full of 100% oxygen, where the air pressure is three times higher than normal air pressure. When patients go into a hyperbaric chamber, their lungs are able to breathe in more oxygen than they would be able to take in breathing pure oxygen at normal air pressures.

Some symptoms that could be assisted with a hyperbaric chamber include unhealed wounds and burns, carbon monoxide and radiation poisoning, and several types of unhealed extremities. Each treatment is typically an hour, and for the best results, about 5 visits a week.

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FDA Approved Treatments for Hyperbaric Chambers

Decompression Sickness

One of the original uses of hyperbaric chambers was for decompression sickness (DCS). Decompression sickness is rare but is typically found in scuba divers, pilots, miners, astronauts, or anyone who works in high or low altitudes. DCS is when your body is unable to expand, or decompress, after being exposed to high air pressures.

A common symptom of DCS is “the bends,” which is extreme joint pain in the knees, shoulders, elbows, and ankles. Other signs of decompression sickness include difficulty urinating, amnesia, weak muscles, personality changes, blotchy rashes, and unconsciousness. HBOT is able to reverse these symptoms by refilling your tissue with oxygen, minimizing the bubbles in your bloodstream, and reducing swelling.

Unhealed Wounds

Wounds can take a long time to heal for a variety of reasons. Hyperbaric chambers have been proven to help with burns, infections, skin grafts, crush injuries, and diabetes-related wounds. Additionally, HBOT is helpful with treating gangrene, which is dead tissue caused by an infection, or lack of blood flow.

In order for a wound to heal, it needs oxygen exposure. By going through HBOT, the increased air pressure helps oxygen flow into the bloodstream much faster than at normal air pressure. With HBOT, your wounds will heal faster and pain in afflicted areas will subside.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

When your body is exposed to carbon monoxide, the oxygen in your red blood cells is replaced with carbon monoxide. This can cause you to experience feelings of nausea, headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, confusion, and fainting. Carbon Monoxide poisoning is often caused by inhaling combustion fumes or smoke during a fire. HBOT treatments help restore your oxygen levels and improve all symptoms.

Radiation Injury

Medical treatments, nuclear exposure, and work environments can all be the sources of someone being subject to radiation poisoning. Symptoms of radiation injury include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, headaches, increased heartbeat, loss of appetite, and general feelings of malaise. Hyperbaric chambers stimulate angiogenesis, which is the formation of new blood vessels. As patients undergo HBOT, their bloodstream is filled with oxygen to help repair those damaged tissues and blood vessels, helping restore the body to normal function.

Alternative Treatments with Hyperbaric Chambers

In order to provide you with the best care, The Healing Center prides itself in adopting new, innovative methodologies. Apart from the FDA approved uses of hyperbaric chambers, we offer promising therapy for conditions which are still being explored. All of these treatments are completely safe and have shown positive results in their introduction stages of study. We believe you should have access to a variety of holistic options so you can be in control of your own health. Here are some alternative hyperbaric chamber treatments we are excited to share with you:

Mild Autism

Several studies have found that children with autism experience oxidative stress and inflammation. Children with mild autism who have undergone HBOT have shown improved cognitive behavior and neurological function after treatments. In addition to physiological improvements after treatments, parents of the children “indicated statistically significant improvements in both groups, including motivation, speech, and cognitive awareness.”

The effects of HBOT in those with autism is still under study and the small participation sampling results in not statistically significant data due it being an open-labeled case study. Of all those tested, there have been no adverse effects or significant risks. Hyperbaric treatments for those with mild autism are still being approved nationally, and are awaiting double-blind studies to determine the efficacy of HBOT as a treatment for autism. Knowing the safety of and lack of risks, The Healing Sanctuary offers HBOT for those who are interested in this holistic healing for those with mild autism. If this is something you may be interested in, we’d love to visit and see if HBOT is right for you or someone you know.

Stroke

According to the American Stroke Association, “A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts (or ruptures). When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it and brain cells die.” Symptoms of a stroke include trouble speaking, severe headache, sudden confusion, vision impairment, muscle weakness, and paralysis on one side of the body.

Recovering from a stroke is strenuous, and has long term side effects. However, recent studies have found that HBOT can help “restore a significant amount of neurological function in brain tissue thought to be chronically damaged by stroke…even years after the original injury.” Many stroke patients have noted great improvement after undergoing HBOT, saying they have had “remarkable clinical improvements including increased sensation, language skills, and movement ability,” (Sukel). However, due to differing results in studies, hyperbaric oxygen therapy for strokes remains unapproved by the FDA in the United States.

Neurological (PTSD, Brain Trauma & Memory)

Neurological disorders affect people of all ages. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy helps increase levels of oxygen to help recover & repair brain tissue, improve memory loss, increase neuronal stem cell growth & improve cognitive functioning among a varity of ailments/injuries.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be caused by events where someone undergoes severe fear, shock, or distress. Those who suffer from PTSD often have lasting effects such as anxiety, flashbacks, and difficulty sleeping. Veterans, abuse victims and disaster survivors are all likely to experience PTSD.

Post-traumatic stress is a mental disorder, which often times leads to and has several overlapping symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI), a neurological disorder caused by trauma to the brain. HBOT has shown high effectiveness in improving symptoms of TBI, some of which include headaches, nausea, and disorientation. Studies have indicated that after TBI patients undergo HBOT, they’ve had “significant cognitive improvements” such as improved memory, functionality, and attention. This is a direct result of HBOT stimulating and activating different parts of the brain. For those seeking help recovering from PTSD and Brain Trauma, HBOT can be a great treatment.

Arthritis

Arthritis is the inflammation of the joints. A broad term to describe several different medical conditions, arthritis is most commonly found in the hands, wrists, feet, ankles, and knees. Although there is no definitive cure for arthritis, HBOT has been found to greatly reduce swelling and inflammation in arthritis patients. A medical study on patients with rheumatoid arthritis found that 91% of patients noticed improvement after undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Other studies have found that HBOT is helpful with inhibiting the development of arthritis, and is most effective in the early stages. However, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can reduce swelling and inflammation in all stages of arthritis.

There are over 100 types of arthritis, so it’s difficult for all variations to be tested and approved for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. However, we believe that HBOT can be an excellent alternative therapy for those with arthritis.

Hyperbarics

Side Effects

With every treatment, there are potential risks and side effects.

Some patients have experienced lightheadedness when leaving the chamber, ear popping, temporary nearsightedness, seizures, collapsed lung, low blood sugar, and decompression sickness. Others have felt anxiety or claustrophobia in the chambers.

At The Healing Sanctuary, we have mild hyperbaric chambers that are less likely to have damaging effects, and it is our goal to help you feel as comfortable as possible during your treatment.

Alternative, or “off-label,” procedures are not currently FDA approved for HBOT, and there are associated risks with these treatments. However, all patients go through a physical before receiving their first HBOT in order to assure that hyperbaric treatments are a healthy and effective option for their condition.

The Healing Sanctuary wants you to recover as quickly and efficiently as possible. With several types of treatment through hyperbaric chambers available, there is so much hope for your healing.

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