The brain is the most vital organ in the human body and controls all the neurological and physiological functions that are essential to lead a healthy life.
What Is Brain Injury or Traumatic Brain injury (TBI)?
Brain injury or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a condition that can occur due to motor accidents, injuries related to sporting activities, or any other accidents that result in head injuries.
The initial reaction experienced by patients can range from severe headache, fatigue, vertigo, to impairment of motoring abilities and can have debilitating effects on a patient’s speech, recognition, and other associated cognitive abilities that is caused by the rapid cell degeneration in the affected part of the brain tissue.
Most individuals experience recurring bouts of depression due to their inability to live a healthy life in an independent manner. Medical professionals identify this condition as Post-Concussion Syndrome or PCS.
Earlier, doctors would prescribe prolonged treatments for PCS wherein patients had to ingest anti-depressants and painkillers to experience the required relief. Patients were also required to undergo tedious physiotherapy sessions, but all these measures proved to be inadequate.
Over the last few years, the medical fraternity has been witnessing a major escalation in the number of traumatic brain injury cases in the United States. This drastic spurt in TBI cases has prompted medical experts to constantly evolve and seek better treatment solutions that can help these injured individuals regain their basic motoring skills and improve other cognitive functions, thereby enabling them to lead a healthier existence.
This quest for a safe treatment solution by medical experts world over has unearthed an age-old alternative therapy widely known as Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy or HBOT.
Listed below are a few queries that have been addressed to enlighten the readers about the various aspects of HBOT therapy benefits that can aid individuals with TBI by helping them cope and overcome their disorders to live a healthy life ahead.
What Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy or HBOT?
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a popular alternative treatment solution wherein the patient with TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury is initially placed in a pressurized chamber.
Thereafter, the medical experts administer varied doses of pure oxygen at enhanced pressure levels that can range from 1.2 atm to 5 atm depending on the extent of injury to the brain.
As the oxygenated blood flows to the damaged areas of the brain, the dormant cells are revived and cell regeneration is activated. The critical areas of the human brain that were deprived of oxygen are instantly rejuvenated by the fresh cell production, thereby restoring all impaired neurological and cognitive functions during the course of successive HBOT treatment sessions.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy does not require overnight hospitalization and is believed to be a safe treatment option and devoid of side effects.
Hyperbaric Therapy Benefits:
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has been in existence since centuries and has been used to treat various ailments over the years from chronic wound healing to decompression sickness that divers experience as they resurface from deep depths of the ocean.
Shai Efrati, a noted researcher in the field of hyperbaric science, strongly believes in the HBOT therapy benefits for patients with TBI. Efrati is of the opinion that cell regeneration is possible after a traumatic brain injury as the damaged tissues can be revived if HBOT treatment is administered at the crucial time as pure oxygen is known to be exceedingly beneficial in restoring a sense of well-being in the human body.
In America, the FDA has approved HBOT Treatment for thirteen conditions such as decompression sickness, wound healing, gas poisoning, etc. However, there is a lot of pressure being exerted on the FDA by hyperbaric experts to include numerous other neurological disorders like Traumatic Brain Injury, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. that impair basic functions of the human body.
Recent reports from the nation’s Department of Defense have revealed that an estimated 308, 853 individuals have been admitted into medical facilities for traumatic brain injury related complications between 2000 and 2017.
The medical fraternity in the United States is increasingly optimistic about the varied benefits that Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy offers and is viewing it as a viable treatment option for pain relief.
Dr. Paul G. Harch, a prominent physician based in New Orleans, strongly believes in the benefits of hyperbaric science as several patients have displayed significant improvements in their health conditions after undergoing HBOT sessions in his clinic over the last three decades.
America is currently witnessing a steady surge in the application of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy as HBOT centers are being set up in large medical facilities and clinics across the country at a frenetic pace.
HBOT Treatment Cycle:
To avail optimum benefits from HBOT treatment, the patient has to undergo hyperbaric therapy that can span between 60 and 90 minutes per session, three to five times a week, spread over a duration of 2 – 3 months.
This therapy can be administered through large hyperbaric devices at a large medical facility or through a portable set-up in a home environment.
Conclusion:
These positive attributes of HBOT treatment highlight the wide-ranging HBOT Therapy benefits that aid in mending traumatic brain injury cases and propagating good health.
