Our bodies depend on oxygen for proper and efficient function, so oxygen circulation to our cells is crucial to our health. To fight cancer, our bodies are constantly dependent on oxygen. The connection between oxygen and cancer is clear, and it has been shown that an underlying cause of cancer is low cellular oxygenation levels. This serves as a reminder that oxygen needs to be emphasized and incorporated into cancer treatments.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) utilizes oxygen's significant healing properties for cancer treatment. HBOT has been a trusted treatment since the 1950s for heart and lung surgery and carbon monoxide poisoning, with over 10,000 successful clinical trials and case studies.
Hyperbaric therapy may seem intimidating, but it's a highly beneficial treatment. Breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber can help your body absorb more oxygen, promoting healing and fighting harmful bacteria. Many people have found relief through this therapy! In other words, hyperbaric oxygen therapy enriches your circulatory system with oxygen, which is then delivered to tissues throughout the body. This flow then works in multiple ways.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy:
Dissolves increased amounts of oxygen into the blood plasma.
Increases oxygen tension in hypoxic tissues.
Enhances white blood cell activity at the wound site.
Reduces edema by vasoconstriction.
Blocks cytotoxic effects of carbon monoxide and hypoxia associated with cyanide poisoning.
Accelerates formation of blood vessels (angiogenesis) and nerve endings in wounded tissue.
According to Natural Health, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is extremely beneficial for returning the body to health, as it "increases the dosage of oxygen and delivers more O2 to damaged areas in the body and stimulates the healing process." This therapy is also beneficial in that it:
Assists healing by raising tissue oxygen levels to normal in areas that are reduced through illness or injury.
Encourages new blood vessels to grow and carry additional blood.
Increases the ability of the body’s defense mechanisms to fight infection and kill bacteria.
It helps reduce any swelling that may occur around the area.
Even more noteworthy, 20 sessions of hyperbaric therapy can result in an eight-fold increase in stem cells. Oxygen is one of the most abundant and natural antibiotics and controls over 8,000 genes. This explains why oxygen-enriched therapies are so important in the fight against cancer.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is on the rise, and the prediction is that it will be integrated into more and more cancer treatments in the future. Dr. Jeffrey Niezgoda, president of the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine, stated that "Hyperbaric medicine is an incredibly powerful tool. It can be as helpful and therapeutic as a surgical scalpel in the right patient for the right indication. We’re seeing a rise in specialized wound and hyperbaric centers across the United States," thus supporting its powerful ability to aid in cancer treatment, especially as an alternative medicine.