Healing Under Pressure

Several times each week, Doreen DeStefano, owner of Integrated Skin Care in Fort Myers, Florida, spends the lunch hour in her hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Purchased four months ago for clients, the chamber allows an individual to experience the benefits of pure oxygen delivered at increased atmospheric pressure. “There is no other anti-aging therapy for the body and the skin that is so effortless, and yet so effective, as hyperbaric oxygen therapy,” says DeStefano, a licensed esthetician and naturopathic doctor. 

Even before Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen—the naturally occurring active element in the atmosphere—in the late 1700s, physicians and scientists were intrigued by the possibility of using increased atmospheric pressure as a medical therapy. As early as 1662, Nathaniel Henshaw, a British clergyman, had built the first sealed chamber to treat ailments such as inflammation, scurvy and arthritis. Later, the Pneumatic Institution for Gas Therapy, established by British physician Thomas Beddoes (1760-1808), spawned the creation of institutes for compression therapy throughout Europe; by 1860, pneumatic spas had reached North America.

Supplemental use of oxygen increased with its availability. By the 1930s, hyperbaric medicine was used for diving and decompression sickness. During the 1960s, medical journals reported the benefits of pressurized hyperoxygenation (hyperbaric oxygen, or HBO) for carbon monoxide poisoning. This sparked an interest within the medical community that led to the building of hyperbaric units at such prestigious medical institutions as Duke University School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Children’s Hospital Boston (Harvard Medical School’s pediatric teaching hospital) and others.

Subsequently, benefits were observed when HBO was applied to skin graft acceptance, acute thermal burns, radiation ulcers and foot wounds from diabetes. In 1989, the American Board of Medical Specialists approved a related certification of added competency in Undersea Medicine, and in 1991 the National Board of Hyperbaric Medicine Technology issued its first certification to hyperbaric technicians.

Authors Richard A. Neubauer and Dr. Morton Walker report in their book, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: “For years, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) was used only in the treatment of decompression sickness. However, it is becoming more common in general practice as doctors become acquainted with its application….” Approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the American Medical Association, HBOT physically dissolves extra oxygen into the blood plasma to enhance tissue levels of the life-giving element.

According to Dr. David Perlmutter, a board-certified neurologist, this oxygenation produces several important long-term therapeutic benefits: enhanced growth of new blood vessels; increased ability of white blood cells to destroy bacteria and remove toxins; increased growth of fibroblasts (cells involved in wound healing); and enhanced metabolic activity of previously marginally functioning cells, including brain neurons.

Perlmutter is an internationally recognized leader in the use of hyperbaric treatment of neurological disorders, such as autism, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis, as well as stroke. He has used HBOT for 20 years at the Perlmutter Hyperbaric Center in Naples, Florida, which has four Sechrist Model 3200 hyperbaric chambers.

“These are the most technologically advanced monoplace, or single-person, chambers available,” advises Perlmutter. “Treatments typically last one to two hours, and patients can relax, watch television or even nap while they are monitored by trained technicians, with whom they can communicate through an intercom system.”

Hyperbaric oxygenation’s healing ways continue to impress practitioners who utilize its benefits. “HBOT is a fantastic adjunct therapy for any sort of cosmetic surgery,” reports DeStefano. “I have seen it reduce the post-healing time as much as 75 percent. If someone wants to have a cosmetic procedure done, they no longer have to experience all that down time.”

James Williams, a doctor of Oriental medicine who conducts monthly clinics at DeStefano’s Integrated Skincare, recommends that clients use the chamber immediately after bio-regeneration injections. He also recommends it for the clinic’s multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Says DeStefano, “One of our clients has completed 13 treatments. After eight to 10 treatments, she no longer had to take muscle relaxants. In Europe, HBOT is a protocol for MS.”

DeStefano, a runner, also has noticed that HBOT enhances her athletic performance. “The benefit of increased oxygen stays with me,” she says. “I find that I can get more mileage out of my running; but I have to be careful, because my muscles can’t always keep up with my increased aerobic capacity.”

For more information and to find a nearby center, visit the International Hyperbarics Association at www.IHAusa.org and call 877-442-8721.