Healing the Brain with Oxygen in Greater Charlotte

by Dr. Roger Hunter

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, concussion, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other neurological conditions all involve wounds to the brain. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been shown to be effective in treating all wounds, including those to the brain.

HBOT is a medical treatment administered in a chamber in which the patient breathes 100 percent oxygen under pressure. This treatment produces up to a 15-fold increase in blood oxygen concentration, causing oxygen to reach every cell in the body. This stimulates healing in all tissue, including the brain. It is an extremely safe, non-invasive, painless therapy.

All wounds to the brain cause inflammation and swelling. Because the skull does not expand, that pressure exerts itself on the very delicate tissue of the brain, cutting off the circulation and oxygen supply to the affected cells. If that condition lasts for more than a few hours, the cells become damaged. If it lasts for a few days, that damage becomes permanent.

These wounds can be caused by trauma to the head as in the case of concussion, TBI or PTSD. They can also be caused by systemic issues such as a blood clot lodging in an artery in the brain, as in the case of a stroke. In this instance, there is a core lesion with cells that are dead and unsalvageable. However, there are many cells surrounding that lesion that are metabolically nonfunctioning, and those cells can be made functional with HBOT even years after the stroke. The function those cells provide can be restored. Brain wounds can also be caused by inflammatory processes caused by infections of the brain and spinal cord, as in the case of meningitis, or the body's reaction to some vaccine injuries. HBOT promotes healing in the brain in many ways, but these are the most important.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY. HBOT is a more potent anti-inflammatory agent than steroids, so it will reduce the swelling in the brain very quickly. This is especially important with acute brain injuries occurring within 10 days.

OXYGENATION. HBOT oxygenates the tissue that has not been receiving sufficient oxygen due to the swelling and in the case of acute injuries, keeping it alive and preventing permanent damage.

ANGIOGENESIS. HBOT causes the body to produce vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and recruits stem cells to regenerate blood vessels (angiogenesis) to permanently supply new blood flow to the affected tissue.

STEM CELLS. HBOT induces stem cell mobilization from their storage in the bone marrow to the blood stream by an eight-fold increase. It is important to emphasize that stem cells mobilized by HBOT hone in on tissues that have suffered damage and signal a need for regeneration. In addition to mobilization, HBOT induces the differentiation of stem cells to the different tissues such as heart, muscle, kidney and brain.

MITOCHONDRIA FUNCTION RESTORATION. The "cell's powerhouse" is restored by HBOT.

Dr. Roger Hunter is the owner of Nirvana Hyperbaric Institute, located at 146 Medical Park Rd., Ste. 110, in Mooresville. For more information or a free consultation, call 704-471-4100 or visit www.NirvanaHBO.com.