Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that causes progressive nerve damage. To control the progress of the disease, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is now being tapped as one of the most promising treatment options. It counteracts the damage caused by MS by boosting the amount of circulating oxygen throughout the body, which is helpful in promoting healing, particularly on the affected nerves.
Hyperbaric Treatment
Research from various countries such as the United States, Russia, Argentina and Italy has shown that oxygen therapy or hyperbaric therapy was effective in easing common MS symptoms, which include muscular weakness, loss of coordination and difficulty with speech and vision. The process of breathing pure oxygen under a specific level of air pressure has shown promising results in managing the symptoms and slowing down the progress of multiple sclerosis.
Treatment Philosophy
Oxygen is essential to the growth and repair of tissues. When a tissue is inflamed, it interferes with the normal transport of oxygen to the other tissues and throughout the body. Multiple sclerosis is characterized by a severe lack of oxygen in the body tissues. This is why it easily causes scarring of the nerves and plaque formation. By boosting oxygen transport, the body regains its innate ability to heal and limit the damage caused by the disease.
How It Works
The use of a pressure chamber in hyperbaric treatment allows the patient to breathe pure oxygen, which results to vasoconstriction. The leaky blood vessels caused by MS constrict back to their normal size, which ultimately reduces swelling and inflammation. The treatment also prevents MS from causing fluid to gather, which often leads to the death of affected cells. Although certain drugs can achieve similar effects, the pure oxygen administered by a medical professional is the safest procedure that a patient can undergo. Aside from suffering minor ear discomforts due to the pressurized environment inside the hyperbaric chamber, this treatment has no known serious side effects.
Treatment Benefits
The main purpose of hyperbaric treatment is to control and attempt to heal the damage possibly caused by MS. Patients who undergo this treatment have noticed positive but transient results. In general, patients have noticed improvements in balance, visual field, mobility, strength and concentration, as well as some relief from ataxia, pain and dizziness.
Conclusion
Hyperbaric treatment does not eradicate multiple sclerosis. Rather, it is a welcome alternative to high-risk drug medications that are commonly used to relieve the patient of symptoms and hinder the progress of the disease. Given that the treatment is administered by a medical professional, patients can minimize the discomforts brought by the attacks or symptoms of the disease. It is an ideal complementary therapy to other treatment options available for multiple sclerosis.
Tags: multiple sclerosis, pure oxygen, administered medical, administered medical professional, damage caused, have noticed