Declining cognitive abilities is one of the key concerns for those individuals 60 years and older. Though not limited to this age group, this concern is on the rise and efforts are being made to better understand and treat age-related cognitive impairment. One treatment currently showing great promise is hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In this study, 63 healthy adults were evaluated with a 3 month course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. During this 3 month time period, each subject was given 60 hyperbaric sessions (90 minutes with 5 min air every 20 minutes) at 2.0 ATA. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy “was shown to induce cognitive enhancements in healthy aging adults via mechanisms involving regional changes in CBF. The main improvements include attention, information processing speed and executive functions, which normally decline with aging”. <view study> Read Less

Researchers in this study followed and documented a 23 year old female, with an 11 year history of migraines, non-responsive to conventional drug therapies and who began a course of intensive hyperbaric therapy (40 sessions at 1.5 ATA in 8 weeks). It should be noted that previous to starting her hyperbaric therapy, her migraines were severe and would lead to significant loss of function. By the 24th hyperbaric session, "she had only experienced a single migraine with aura but without debilitated pain. The patient stated that she never had a migraine with such little intensity prior to initiation of hyperbaric treatment and did not have to take any days off from work or school. Follow-up at the end of her 40-day treatment period revealed a highly-satisfied patient who had only experienced the single episode of a mild migraine during the entire course of treatment." <view study> Read Less

Currently, there is a great deal of focus and attention being put on hyperbaric oxygen therapy, due to the promising results seen in clinical research and the potential application that this can have for those individuals who have suffered a stroke or TBI. Now, there is strong evidence supporting the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy BEFORE brain trauma or injury, by preconditioning the brain with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This study shows that HBOT preconditioning stands as a robust prophylactic treatment for sequestration of inflammation inherent in stroke and TBI. Though we can't predict when the brain will be under traumatic stress (unless it's a planned surgical procedure),  hyperbaric oxygen may become one of the best ways to protect our brain from future injuries. The following groups of individuals would be the ones that would most likely benefit:

• Athletes and contact sports affecting the head
• Patients undergoing planned brain surgery
• High-risk stroke patients
• Those who are at risk for neuro-degenerative conditions
• Elderly

The future holds bright for the application of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for being part of both the treatment of brain trauma and for the prevention of the severity of damage that can subsequently occur <view study>     Read Less

Concussions, classified as mild traumatic brain injuries, are currently a major growing concern. The more we learn about this condion, the more we are able to see its devastating and long-lasting effects - even from just one concussion! Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a very simple and safe procedure that has helped many patients recover from traumatic brain and head injuries. Recently more attention has been focused on hyperbaric oxygen therpay for concussion recovery, with overwhelmingly positive results. This study supports these reported benefits and demonstrated improvement in 21 of 25 neurocognitive test measures that were observed. Subjects received 40-82 one-hour treatments at 1.5 atmospheres absolute 100% oxygen <view study> Read Less

Oxygen plays a central role in many pathological and disease states. This has led to a strong emphasis being placed on hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to help determine the role of oxygen within these states; moreover, to help determine if extra oxygen can help to improve the pathophysioloigcal processes going on within these disease states. In this particular study, researchers looked at oxygen's role in detoxification and its use for withdrawal symptoms in a morphine-dependent rat model. Through the evaluation of withdrawal symptom scores, biochemical indices and neurotransmitters, they found that HBOT was able to cause a significant reduction in both withdrawal symptoms and weight loss. Along with these benefits many key pathophysiological markers including dopamine and other neurotransmitter changes, also showed significant improvements. Together, these findings led the researchers to conclude that HBOT can effectively alleviate withdrawal symptoms induced by morphine dependence. Currently, there are many drug and alcohol centers that are using HBOT for a wide variety of uses, one of which is for addiction control. This study gives us a little more insight towards their rationale and potential benefits <view study>   Read Less