More than 700,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, with two-thirds surviving and requiring some type of rehabilitation.1 The widely accepted standard rehabilitation treatment is not meant to “cure” the effects of stroke because it cannot reverse any brain damage. Rather, its goal is to help a stroke survivor become as independent as possible—often with only partial success, unfortunately.
But there is a treatment that can wake up neurons in the brain that otherwise are considered dormant or dysfunctional as a result of stroke. It can produce such truly miraculous results that it’s hard to believe it’s not a regular part of rehabilitation for every single stroke survivor.
Understanding Stroke
During a stroke, blood flow is restricted or completely cut off in a portion of the brain, causing the cells in that area to die. While the cells directly affected by the “attack” can’t be revived, the surrounding cells around the injured area can be.
You see, those neighboring cells become dysfunctional or “stunned” due to the damage the stroke caused to the surrounding blood vessels. Without adequate blood flow to the area, the amount of oxygen that gets delivered to those cells is severely limited. It’s enough to keep them alive for months—even years—after a stroke, but not enough for them to function normally or generate new synaptic connections.
Those cells need a major “jolt” to get moving again. And research shows that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is just the jolt they need.
Pure Oxygen Reenergizes Cells
During an HBOT session, the patient lies in a special pressurized chamber and breathes in 100 percent pure oxygen. The hyperbaric oxygen saturates the patient’s blood and quickly increases the concentration of oxygen in the blood, particularly in injured areas that have a poor blood supply. The higher concentration of pure oxygen heals wounds and areas of tissue damage, reduces swelling and builds new blood vessels. In the case of stroke, the dormant cells around the immediate area of injury “wake up” and start working again.
HBOT’s remarkable effects on stroke recovery were highlighted in a recently published study. This trial involved 59 patients who suffered either an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke six to 36 months prior to the start of the study and had at least one motor dysfunction.2
Researchers randomly assigned patients to either the treatment (HBOT) group or cross group (serving as a control group for two months, then undergoing HBOT). The participants in the treatment group received two evaluations—at baseline and after two months of HBOT. The cross group got three evaluations—at baseline, after two months of no treatment and after two months of HBOT. Evaluations included questionnaires covering the ability to perform various functions such as bathing, dressing, grooming, brushing teeth, walking, climbing stairs, eating, cooking, doing housework, driving, etc. Brain scans and quality of life evaluations were also performed.
Researchers randomly assigned patients to either the treatment (HBOT) group or cross group (serving as a control group for two months, then undergoing HBOT). The participants in the treatment group received two evaluations—at baseline and after two months of HBOT. The cross group got three evaluations—at baseline, after two months of no treatment and after two months of HBOT. Evaluations included questionnaires covering the ability to perform various functions such as bathing, dressing, grooming, brushing teeth, walking, climbing stairs, eating, cooking, doing housework, driving, etc. Brain scans and quality of life evaluations were also performed.
The HBOT protocol involved 40 daily sessions, 90 minutes each, five days a week.
Amazingly, almost every single study volunteer who underwent HBOT—both in the treatment group and in the HBOT-treated cross group—saw substantial improvements in their daily activities, neurological evaluations, brain scans and quality of life. These results become even more significant considering the participants in the control (no treatment) period of the cross group experienced absolutely no improvement in any of the evaluation measures.
Most notably, brain images after HBOT showed that the treatment led to “reactivations of neuronal activity in the stunned areas…. The changes in activity were sufficiently robust to be clearly detected.” The researchers further concluded, “The observed reactivation of neuronal activity in the stunned areas imply that increasing the plasma oxygen concentration with hyperbaric oxygen is a potent means of delivering to the brain sufficient oxygen for tissue repair.” Furthermore, they stated that the neurological improvements after HBOT can even occur long after the stroke, meaning it’s never too late to seek this therapy.
Side effects of HBOT are minimal, with the most common adverse reaction being ear pain.
Finding HBOT Near You
Many complementary physicians, hospitals and outpatient treatment facilities offer HBOT for treatment of stroke and other neurological diseases (Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injuries and cerebral palsy), inflammatory conditions like fibromyalgia and arthritis, wounds, ulcers and carbon monoxide poisoning.
If you have experienced any of these conditions and traditional treatments have failed, we recommend giving HBOT a try. To find a location near you, visit Hyperbaric Link.
References:
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/poststrokerehab.htm.
- Efrat S, et al. PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e53716.
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