Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been used for treatments of many neurological conditions, and many patients have benefited from this procedure. Recently, a new study titled “hyperoxia preconditioning: the next frontier in neurology?” has expanded on recent literature showing that hyperbaric oxygen can condition the brain. With this latest information, it would make common sense for those wishing to PREVENT the effects of more common neurological conditions like stroke, Alzheimer disease, etc. to have a full course of HBOT. <view study> Read Less

Though hyperbaric oxygen therapy is not an FDA-approved treatment for autism, there are progressively, and exponentially, more autistic families that are seeking out hyperbaric therapy for their children, and some claim amazing benefits. The purpose of this review was to analyze the data and studies and try to help shed more light as to some of the key mechanisms of actions <view study> Read Less

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is widely used for a variety of diabetes-induced conditions, particularly, but not limited, to wound healing. Its effects on diabetes-induced cataracts is still unclear. A study published in late 2001 in the Journal of Diabetes has given some new insights. They used lower pressures (1.25 ATA) and found that this dosage was able to delay both the development and the progression of diabetes-induced cataracts. <view study> Read Less

Lund University in Sweden has just published a study that will appear in a journal of the British Medical Association next month–February 2011. The aim of this study was to follow 2 groups of Diabetics with chronic foot ulcers. One group was treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy and the other group was given a placebo (they were put in a hyperbaric chamber but treated with air instead of 100% oxygen). Of important note is that even the air group will effectively be getting more oxygen. Even so, the group that were treated with 100% oxygen scored significantly higher in their physical and mental/emotional health. They reported:

• better social functioning
• better mental health
• better physical health

Overall, the study concluded  that Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves long-term health related quality of life <view study> Read Less

With the increase in pharmaceutical prescriptions for anxiety, this study may provide a safer and more natural option for those suffering from from this condition. In this study, a single application of hyprebaric oxygen therapy was shown to have an anxiolytic effect in mice. Typical HBOT programs involve the use of multiple sequential visits, in short duration. It would be therefore interesting to see if the conditioning of the brain through hyperbaric oxygen therapy can have a long-lasting effect on anxiety. Until further studies, we will not know, but what we do know is that there is an effect in the brain, probably mediated through the release of nitric oxide <view study> Read Less