What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
A hyperbaric oxygen chamber utilizes a higher-pressure environment which increases blood flow to certain areas of the body. This increase of blood flow helps your body in many ways as your blood contains nutrients and molecules that enable your body’s damaged tissues to heal faster. There are different types of conditions that a hyperbaric oxygen chamber can be used for as the effects of HBOT can help heal damaged tissue, encourage blood vessel growth, reduce swelling, and increase overall health by help boost your body’s natural defense mechanisms. Through these applications, HBOT has gained a lot of widespread attention due to its positive results. At NorCal Brain Center, we want to be up to date with technology that can help our patients lead a better life, so we are proud to introduce the addition of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
What are Autoimmune Diseases?
An autoimmune disease is when your own immune system attacks your own body because it doesn’t recognize it as its “own”. Our immune system is normally there to help protect us against foreign invaders and pathogens. When it senses that we have these in our bloodstream and tissue, it sends cells to fight them off. Ideally, our body is supposed to know by itself when molecules are invaders or when they are normal. An autoimmune disorder is characterized by the body’s inability to do just that. Symptoms of an autoimmune disorder can range from fatigue, achy muscles, swelling and redness, and many others. If you suspect you have an autoimmune disease, please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask for a free consultation.
How Can HBOT Help People With Autoimmune Diseases?
A hyperbaric oxygen chamber can be used to treat infections in the body because it helps increase your body’s ability to fight off infections and increases its natural defense mechanism. In boosting your immune system like this, your body can fight off the inflammation that is brought on a lot of times by autoimmune diseases. By increasing the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream, you are essentially allowing more oxygenated blood to come in with its nutrients and heal the damaged tissue. HBOT is also helpful when dealing with infections because pathogens that enter your body and cause damage are not able to survive while in the presence of active oxygen, essentially what the hyperbaric is putting into your bloodstream.
Are There Any Side Effects?
Every human body is different and can respond to HBOT in many ways. Common side effects are plugged ears, like what you feel when you are in an airplane or going up on a mountain. This is completely normal and is just your body’s way of adjusting to the higher pressure. Normally after HBOT the ears, like they do usually, will pop on their own. Feeling lightheaded or dizzy is also normal and is also part of your body’s way of dealing with the higher pressure. Please come to NorCal Brain Center if you have any questions at all about HBOT and would like to know if you are a candidate for HBOT. Make an appointment for a free consultation today and call (408)585-5275!
