Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Radiation Damage
Cancer patients who receive radiation treatment often suffer severe side effects from damaged tissue. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is used throughout the body for relief.
Significance
Undergoing radiation treatment for cancer often results in additional injury. "Once the cancer is cured, patients can suffer numerous painful and often debilitating disorders resulting from the radiation," says Dr. Allan Spiegel of National Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Palm Harbor, Fla. "These are unresponsive to most treatments except hyperbaric oxygen therapy."
Identification
Radiation damage is one of the 13 condition approved for treatment with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) by The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society(UHMS), the governing body of hyperbaric medicine.
Types
HBOT's value in treating damage of the jaw bone due to radiation has led to wider utilization throughout the body. "It has now also been applied to damage of the brain, damage of muscle and other soft tissues of the face and throat, damage to the chest wall, abdomen and pelvis as a result of radiation treatment," according to UHMS.
Process
Undergoing HBOT requires entering a sealed chamber and breathing pure oxygen at a pressurized rate greater than normal atmospheric pressure, forcing extra oxygen through the bloodstream.
Time Frame
Hyperbaric oxygen treatment for radiation damage takes from 1 to 2 hours with between 30 and 40 sessions required for effective relief of symptoms.
Tags: oxygen therapy, radiation treatment, Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment, oxygen therapy HBOT, Oxygen Treatment Radiation, Radiation Damage
