Hyperbaric oxygen therapy floods your tissues with extra oxygen for better healing responses. Though it’s been around for a while, HBOT may be a new concept to you. Here, learn about safety protocols to help you feel confident about the treatment.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) treats many medical issues, including slow-to-heal wounds, burns, compromised skin grafts, and other local and systemic problems. Yet because its use is relatively new, many people aren’t sure how it works — or whether it’s safe.
Vayu Advanced Wound Clinic is a leading provider of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for patients in San Antonio, TX. The practice offers the most advanced, state-of-the-art HBOT technology to manage an array of medical issues. https://www.vayuhyperbarics.com/services/hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy
In this month’s blog post, Dr. Badam explains what you need to know about HBOT and its safety.
HBOT: How it works
Oxygen plays a crucial role in all sorts of healing. With every breath, you take oxygen into your lungs, where it’s absorbed into the bloodstream. Since every organ and every cell requires oxygen for normal functioning, healing puts extra demands on your natural oxygen delivery system.
HBOT supplements oxygen intake and absorption to give your body the extra resources it needs to heal.
During HBOT therapy, you relax in a chamber that we pump full of pure oxygen. We gradually increase the pressure inside the chamber, making it easier for oxygen to be absorbed into your circulatory system.
Once absorbed, that extra oxygen goes to work, reducing inflammation and increasing your body’s immune system responses. At the same time, HBOT encourages the growth of new blood vessels for enhanced circulation.
HBOT is widely used to aid in diabetic ulcer treatment and for other slow-to-heal wounds and skin injuries. But we can use it for other medical conditions, including:
- Cardiac issues
- Stroke
- Depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Migraines
- Inflammatory bowel disease
We can also use it for general health to support optimal wellness.
Safety of HBOT
Any medical treatment or procedure has some degree of risk. As with other medical treatments, protocols exist to keep HBOT patients safe during therapy.
Safety begins even before you step into the special room or chamber. We perform a thorough medical exam to understand your specific medical history and concerns, so we can recommend the appropriate therapy regimen for you.
We also review the procedure, along with its risks and benefits, so you feel confident about your care.
Throughout your treatment, we closely monitor you, and you’re able to communicate with us, too. We closely monitor the oxygen level and pressure inside the chamber and adjust them for your comfort, reducing risks associated with excess pressure.
An advanced ventilation system maintains fresh air circulation while ridding the chamber of excess carbon dioxide. The chamber walls are transparent, so you never feel shut in.
Finally, we show you how to relieve uncomfortable sensations, like fullness in your ears or sinuses — similar to the fullness you feel when taking off in an airplane. Swallowing and yawning are two simple techniques that can help.
Learn how HBOT can help you
HBOT uses the natural benefits of pure oxygen to help your body heal naturally. To learn more about HBOT and to find out how it can help you, call us at 210-651-1112 or book an appointment online today.