Early Onset Alzheimer’s And Dementia Intervention With Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Alzheimer's disease and dementia are highly challenging and debilitating conditions affecting millions of people worldwide. Both are neurodegenerative disorders that lead to a significant decline in one’s cognitive ability. This decline inevitably and severely impacts the quality of life of the patients and their families.
Early intervention for Alzheimer's disease and dementia is becoming increasingly important and prevalent with the growing occurrence of these conditions. Alternative therapies, such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, play a key role in this.
In this blog, we’ll delve into the potential of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) as a promising treatment option for Alzheimer's and dementia.
Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that most commonly affects older adults. It can lead to a gradual decline in memory, cognitive reasoning, and general thinking abilities.
Alzheimer’s disease is in turn the most common cause of dementia, accounting for approximately 70% of all dementia cases.
The term dementia is an umbrella concept that is used to encompass various cognitive impairments. This includes memory loss, but also language difficulties and impaired problem-solving skills.
What are the symptoms?
It is important to note that the symptoms of Alzheimer's and dementia can vary widely. However, they often include:
1. Memory Loss
This can manifest in difficulty remembering recent events, names, faces and people.
2. Language Impairment
Patients can increasingly struggle to recall the right words to express themselves or even struggle with following conversations.
3. Cognitive Decline
Challenges in reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making are all common symptoms.
4. Behavioural Changes
Patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia can experience and exhibit increased agitation, confusion, and even mood swings.
The Impact of Oxygen
Ongoing understandings of these diseases indicate that some harmful environmental factors, such as exposure to toxins and lifestyle choices, in addition to genetic predispositions, can contribute to the development of Alzheimer's and dementia.
One significant factor currently being understood is hypoxia. This condition is characterised by an insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain. An insufficient supply can exacerbate the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT): An Alternative Therapy
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (often referred to as HBOT) uses a specially designed hyperbaric oxygen chamber to allow you to breathe considerably higher levels of oxygen in a pressurised environment.
Breathing in higher levels of oxygen under pressure, then increases the amount of oxygen that can be and is dissolved in your blood. This, then, enhances oxygen delivery to tissues and organs, including-critically-the brain.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, through enhancing brain function by improving tissue oxygenation, can help mitigate various hypoxic conditions that could be contributing to the development and/or worsening of Alzheimer's and dementia.
How a hyperbaric oxygen chamber works
Enhanced Oxygen Supply
The pressurized environment inside the chamber increases the amount of oxygen that can dissolve in the blood. This then improves the efficiency of oxygen delivery to brain tissues.
Reduction of Hypoxia
HBOT helps protect brain cells from damage and supports their function through greater oxygenation. This directly alleviates hypoxic conditions.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects
Additionally, hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been shown to reduce inflammation in general. This is one contributing factor to the development of many neurodegenerative diseases.
Benefits of HBOT for Alzheimer’s and Dementia
There is increasing scientific indication that hyperbaric oxygen can offer both safe and effective benefits to people suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia. The potential is promising and multi-faceted.
Cognitive Improvement
Current and ongoing research indicates that hyperbaric oxygen therapy has the potential to improve cognitive function in individuals with Alzheimer's disease.
Patients who undergo HBOT have experienced noticeable improvements in everything from memory to attention, and executive functions. This then leads to a better overall quality of life.
Symptom Amelioration
Use of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber can help alleviate some of the symptoms associated with Alzheimer's and dementia. The improvement of oxygen supply to the brain and subsequent increase in oxygenation can reduce cognitive decline, help to improve one’s mood, and decrease various behavioural issues.
This too improves the wellbeing of the patient and their families.
Stem Cell Proliferation
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy offers a number of remarkable benefits, and the ability to stimulate stem cell proliferation is certainly onea topic that has long been discussed and researched. Stem cells play an integral role in brain repair and regeneration.
Over multiple sessions in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, the body mayone can benefit from a gradual increase in stem cells.
This increase then helps to enhance the brain's natural healing processes and can potentially slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.
Exploring Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
With research related to the long-term benefits and mechanisms of HBOT continuing to grow and the global population ageing, the demand for alternative but effective therapies for age and cognition-related conditions is growing.
A number of studies in the field have and continue to indicate that HBOT measurably improves tissue oxygen supply and ameliorates hypoxic conditions in the brain. Therefore, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is being increasingly used to help those living with conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia and give them and their support network hope.
HBOT is gaining acceptance and popularity as a viable treatment option due to its non-invasive nature and potential benefits in both clinical and public circles. This form of early intervention is fast becoming an essential step for millions of people worldwide towards managing these challenging conditions.
Welcome to Studio2Hbot
Studio2Hbot is a Perth-based provider of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
At our studio, we’ve created the ideal space to enhance one’s natural healing process–including those living with Alzheimer’s or dementia. If you would like to know more about how our hyperbaric oxygen chamber works, or how HBOT could potentially help you or your loved one, make sure to contact us today.
