Extra dosage of oxygen to the body always has positive and beneficial results.
It helps in improving oxygen content in the blood, blood plasma and the different organs of the body.
It also accelerates the recovery and healing process of damaged cells and tissues in different parts of the body.
This rather controversial therapy, with an impressive success history is carried out in acrylic chambers, known as hyperbaric chambers.
Some of these chambers, namely multiplace hyperbaric chambers, are designed to accommodate two to ten patients simultaneously, while others can hold only one patient at a time.
This second type of chamber is known as monoplace, or personal hyperbaric chambers.
The logic that guides this therapy is simple: hyper means increased or heightened, while baric is related to pressure.
Hyperbaric therapy is administered in acrylic chambers where the atmospheric pressure of the pure oxygen that is injected into it is raised to 100%.
Under such high atmospheric conditions, oxygen dissolves faster into the different tissues and organs and results in better circulation of blood and quicker healing of damaged cells, tissues and organs.
In personal hyperbaric chambers, the treatment process is intermittent.
There is generally an hour's break between two subsequent sessions to allow the patient's body to get accustomed to the increased levels of oxygen.
Extensive research and publications have attested the benefits of using a personal hyperbaric chamber.
In Oxygen Therapy: the First 150 Years, it has been clearly stated that extra or supplemental oxygen supply is highly beneficial for those patients who have been admitted to hospitals.
In fact, hyperbaric oxygenation therapy obtained using personal hyperbaric chambers can treat autism, breast cancer, cerebral palsy, asthma, headaches, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, stroke, wound healing and many other conditions.
The concept of using hyperbaric therapy is centuries old, its use and benefits being formulated as early as 1662.
However, it was medically used only in the 1800s.
Following this, HBOT therapy was used during the First World War, and later on to treat deep-sea divers during the 1930s.
Clinical trials conducted in the 1950s uncovered the benefits of this treatment.
This therapy also has its own shares of risks.
Sinus and Ear Pressure: Increased pressure levels can cause pain to the sinus and ears, especially for children.
Anxiety Attacks: The space of a personal hyperbaric chamber is rather small.
This might lead to the patient feeling claustrophobic and nauseous.
Before investing in a personal hyperbaric chamber, the patient should be certain that he can handle closed spaces and not be affected by them.
In such chambers, it is not possible for a family member to accompany the patient, and therefore the patient should be confident about himself/herself before investing in a personal chamber.
Recent models, however, have a transparent glass cover that enables patients to have a clear view of other people and communicate with them.
Even then, patients who tend to have panic attacks must carefully reconsider their decision.
Fire: With the pressure being raised to the highest level, hyperbaric chambers are often at the risk of catching fire.
The introduction of flame or intense heat within the chamber when the pressure of oxygen reaches 100% is highly dangerous and can result in fatal explosions.
Owning a personal hyperbaric chamber is a profitable investment for those patients who need to undertake repeated and extensive treatments.
However, utmost care should be taken while administering this treatment because of the inflammable nature of the components that are used in the process.