ISSUE 19 ARCHIVE - OXYGEN HEALING

What you didn’t know about diving chambers

Reading Tanked Up, it is probably safe to assume that you are a diver, are interested in learning to dive, or at least have an interest in the diving world.

If so, you should know, as a responsible diver, what a dive chamber is and why it is important for us wannabe amphibians to have one on speed dial. For those of you, hopefully zero, who don't, a dive chamber, also known as a diving or hyperbaric chamber, is used to treat decompression illness (DCI) and whenever you go into the water you should always have the contact details of your nearest chamber to hand in case of an emergency.

However you might not be aware of what the incredible hunk of steel does whilst divers are keeping themselves out of trouble...

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is widely used in the USA, Australia, Germany and the majority of Europe, however HBOT is little known in the UK, and even less is known of the prolific success that it has in treating conditions such as non-healing wounds, diabetic leg ulcers, radiation proctitis and many other conditions.

As mentioned, hyperbaric chambers are more widely known by the general public for treating Scuba divers suffering from decompression sickness (the bends) and for treating professional sports players and athletes for sports related injuries. However, many people who could benefit greatly from HBOT are largely in the dark about how the treatment could help their own condition.

Oxygen Healing is a brand new website, set up by the London Diving Chamber, that aims to inform the public of HBOT and help raise awareness for the conditions that it treats.

How it works

Under normal circumstances, oxygen is transported throughout the body only by red blood cells. With HBOT, oxygen is dissolved into all of the body's fluids, including the blood plasma and lymph. Then it can be carried to areas where circulation is diminished or blocked.

The increased concentration means that the gradient for the transport of free oxygen from blood into the tissues is increased at least 10 fold.

In this way, extra oxygen can reach damaged tissues and the body can support its own healing process.

The increased oxygen also greatly enhances the ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria, reduces swelling and allows new blood vessels to grow more rapidly into the affected areas. It is a simple, non-invasive and painless treatment.

Medical Director of Oxygen Healing, Hyperbaric Doctor, Oliver Firth, is determined to spread the word of HBOT throughout the United Kingdom:

"Speaking to most people about working at a hyperbaric chamber, most either think of it being used to treat athletes or divers with the ‘bends'. This is frustrating to me as a hyperbaric physician as I know the benefits of using HBOT to treat a plethora of conditions including diabetic leg ulcers, post radiation injury and non- healing wounds. This treatment is championed in the USA, Australia and the whole of Europe, but for some reason the UK does not push it as a priority and leans towards solutions like limb amputation instead."

Oxygen Healing's chambers can run HBOT treatments on a daily basis. Each session lasts 1.45 hours (for DCI it is up to 7 hours in one sitting!) and the treatment is completely non invasive. Patients are required to sit in a specially made chamber for the duration of the session, with plenty of room to stretch out, relax and even read, whilst they breathe 100% oxygen at a high pressure.

For more detailed information on the conditions that HBOT can treat and for evidence and case studies for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, please visit the website or call 020 7806 4021 to speak to a member of the team.

Conditions treated by HBOT:

Diabetic Leg Ulcers
Wound Care
Radiation Proctitus
Sports Injury
Vascular Disease
Neurological Problems