For many years pure oxygen has been utilized as a treatment in hospitals and doctors offices, and this treatment often shows some very positive results. The procedure is relaxing as well as being non-invasive to patients who frequently are also suffering serious injuries or life-threatening disease. However, there are risks which must be understood while in the stage of hyperbaric facility planning.
The building itself must be up to code and authorized to store large amounts of pure oxygen on site. Oxygen canisters are flammable and can be highly explosive, thus posing a threat to the surrounding community. Not only that, but the office where the procedure is being carried out would be utterly destroyed along with everyone inside.
So far the FDA has approved this method to treat divers who suffer from decompression sickness. This is a condition that results from coming up from very deep water too quickly, and it is the only condition that the FDA has approved to be treated in such a chamber. As such, vacation areas and long-distance cruise ships where many people go deep sea diving is a popular place for just such facilities.
Possibly one of the more dangerous risks associated with it is the confidence that people put in this treatment to cure many diseases for which the FDA has not recognized it as being effective. A quick Internet search reveals claims that it can cure everything from cancer to diabetes, depression, and even autism. These claims have not yet been proven, as it is still in the research stage at this time.
Although research is still being done, because it is a benign treatment that truly makes patients feel better, many people suffering serious illness seek these chambers. Anything that can make a cancer patient feel better is generally regarded as a positive thing. However, patients are cautioned to continue their chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy if that is the treatment they agreed to in the beginning.
There are some health risks associated with this type of oxygen therapy, and patients should be aware of them. Seizures have been reported occurring as a result of high-oxygen saturation. Roughly ten percent of patients experience some form of seizure, so many facilities now require a ten minute period on room air for every hour and a half they spend in the chamber.
Oddly enough, temporary near-sightedness, also known as myopia, can occur as a side-effect of multiple long sessions in the chamber. By temporary, this generally means literally weeks or months of lessened visual acuity, potentially requiring corrective lenses which may have to be changed frequently. This comes as a real shock to patients who have had their vision corrected with Lasik.
This therapy has also been blamed for damage occurring to the inner ear. This can cause the patient to become unbalanced or uncoordinated, suffering from bouts of vertigo for seemingly no reason. There is no data at this time to indicate that this damage heals itself over time, and it is most certainly caused by the increased pressure which is achieved within the chamber itself. This side-effect is particularly dangerous due to the fact that the patients who seek this treatment most, the elderly and infirm, are the ones most likely to suffer serious injuries from a fall.
The building itself must be up to code and authorized to store large amounts of pure oxygen on site. Oxygen canisters are flammable and can be highly explosive, thus posing a threat to the surrounding community. Not only that, but the office where the procedure is being carried out would be utterly destroyed along with everyone inside.
So far the FDA has approved this method to treat divers who suffer from decompression sickness. This is a condition that results from coming up from very deep water too quickly, and it is the only condition that the FDA has approved to be treated in such a chamber. As such, vacation areas and long-distance cruise ships where many people go deep sea diving is a popular place for just such facilities.
Possibly one of the more dangerous risks associated with it is the confidence that people put in this treatment to cure many diseases for which the FDA has not recognized it as being effective. A quick Internet search reveals claims that it can cure everything from cancer to diabetes, depression, and even autism. These claims have not yet been proven, as it is still in the research stage at this time.
Although research is still being done, because it is a benign treatment that truly makes patients feel better, many people suffering serious illness seek these chambers. Anything that can make a cancer patient feel better is generally regarded as a positive thing. However, patients are cautioned to continue their chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy if that is the treatment they agreed to in the beginning.
There are some health risks associated with this type of oxygen therapy, and patients should be aware of them. Seizures have been reported occurring as a result of high-oxygen saturation. Roughly ten percent of patients experience some form of seizure, so many facilities now require a ten minute period on room air for every hour and a half they spend in the chamber.
Oddly enough, temporary near-sightedness, also known as myopia, can occur as a side-effect of multiple long sessions in the chamber. By temporary, this generally means literally weeks or months of lessened visual acuity, potentially requiring corrective lenses which may have to be changed frequently. This comes as a real shock to patients who have had their vision corrected with Lasik.
This therapy has also been blamed for damage occurring to the inner ear. This can cause the patient to become unbalanced or uncoordinated, suffering from bouts of vertigo for seemingly no reason. There is no data at this time to indicate that this damage heals itself over time, and it is most certainly caused by the increased pressure which is achieved within the chamber itself. This side-effect is particularly dangerous due to the fact that the patients who seek this treatment most, the elderly and infirm, are the ones most likely to suffer serious injuries from a fall.
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