8 Reasons Why People Turn to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Every time you draw a breath, you’re sucking in the most critical resource your body needs — oxygen — which is more vital than even water. So when your body is in poor health, it makes sense that a boost in oxygen can provide the additional resources your body needs to heal.

This reality is at the core of our practice at Clover Oxygen Hyperbarics and Wound Center, where Dr. Leon Tio helps patients to regain good health by delivering 100% pure oxygen in a pressurized and safe environment.

There are many reasons why patients come to us. Here are eight conditions that we routinely, and successfully, treat with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

1. Diabetic foot ulcers

The most common drivers of visits to our practice are diabetic foot ulcers and slow-healing wounds. Each year in the United States, 1.6 million people develop a diabetic foot ulcer, which has difficulty healing thanks to poor circulation and nerve damage. 

With hyperbaric oxygen therapy, we sanitize the wound and fight off infection by providing the site with much-needed oxygen, which can fight off bacteria. This oxygen also promotes new cell growth.

2. Skin or bone infections

If you have a weakened immune system, bacteria, fungi, parasites, or viruses can lead to serious, and even life-threatening, skin and bone infections. With hyperbaric oxygen therapy, we can push back against these infections by giving your immune system the tools it needs to fight back.

3. Burns

For patients with bad burns that are slow to heal, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a frontline treatment. Not only do we deliver 100% oxygen, we pressurize the chamber by 2-3 times to force the oxygen into the damaged tissues to help them recover. This therapy also helps to prevent infection.

4. Decompression sickness

If you’re a scuba diver, you likely know all about the bends, or decompression sickness, which occurs if you rise too quickly to the surface and leftover nitrogen leads to the formation of bubbles in your bloodstream. Through hyperbaric oxygen therapy, we convert the bubbles back to liquid nitrogen and allow time for your body to properly rid itself of the gas.

5. Carbon monoxide poisoning

Each year in the US, 100,000 people head to the ER with carbon monoxide poisoning. One of the best ways to get rid of the carbon monoxide is to introduce oxygen, and loads of it, which we do very effectively with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

6. Chronic fatigue syndrome

Up to 2.5 million Americans have chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), which can have a debilitating effect, essentially rendering many home- or bed-bound. While fatigue may headline the symptoms, the condition also leads to widespread joint pain and cognitive issues.

Each of these symptoms can benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy, giving people with CFS some relief.

7. Recovery from injury or surgery

If you’ve had an injury, or if you’re recovering from surgery, a few sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy can support your healing process by reducing pain and inflammation and encouraging cellular turnover and repair.

8. Supporting the brain

With a neurological condition such as a stroke, multiple sclerosis, or a traumatic brain injury, hyperbaric oxygen can, and should, play a role in supporting your brain health. By introducing pressurized oxygen to your body, we can ensure that your brain is receiving enough oxygen to help with neurotransmission and function.

The above examples paint a picture about why this approach to healing is so beneficial. If you’re curious to learn whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy can play a role in improving your health and wellness, we invite you to contact Clover Oxygen Hyperbarics and Wound Center in Aledo, Texas, to schedule a consultation.