The word "pressure chamber" sounds somehow frightening. What this device is and what it is intended for, few people know. In fact, there is nothing wrong with this word. This medical equipment for hyperbaric oxygenation is a small hermetically sealed space in which pressure is created below or above atmospheric. In appearance, the pressure chamber resembles a bathyscaphe with porthole windows, but it is not located in the depths of the sea, but in a bright, sterile room. Barotherapy was first used in 1955.
The principle of HBO
Pressure chamber - what is it? This is a unique opportunity to apply the latest scientific developments for treatment. The principle of its action is due to the laws of physics, which are regulated by the dissolution of gases in the interstitial fluid. Everyone knows that a person without food and water can last no more than a month, but oxygen starvation in a few minutes leads to death.
Absolutely in all pathological processes, when oxygen delivery to tissues is impaired, hypoxia develops. Vital organs such as the brain, heart, kidneys, and liver cannot function properly. The causes of hypoxia can be different: reduced hemoglobin, poor patency of blood vessels, heart failure, diseases of the respiratory system.
To resolve these conditions, specialists have developed oxygen therapy. For her, special equipment is used - a pressure chamber. Pressure treatment can increase the body's resistance to adverse factors. It is proved that even clean atmospheric air cannot eliminate hypoxia at the cell level.
Under pressure, oxygen dissolves faster in the interstitial fluid and blood plasma, thereby delivering the necessary amount of nitrogen to the organs. As a result, the affected area restores its functions. The conditions created in the medical chamber are equivalent to immersion five meters under water. During the session, the patient can lay his ears, but this is where all the unpleasant sensations are exhausted.
The benefits of barotherapy
The method has a wide range of positive effects. Barotherapy has an anti-inflammatory and decongestant effect, accelerates the formation of bone marrow, and normalizes collagen production. So, to the question: "Pressure chamber - what is it?" can be answered as follows: this is a modern technical device that is used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes, restores blood flow, promotes the growth of capillaries and prevents the development of osteoporosis, which is clinically proven.
Hyperbaric oxygenation allows to reduce drug therapy as much as possible, shorten the recovery period, help patients cope with severe chronic pathologies and significantly strengthen the immune system. It is also actively used to treat erectile dysfunction in men. HBO shows successful results in narcology (relieves withdrawal symptoms), surgery, cosmetology, pediatric pediatrics and veterinary medicine.
Where is the method used?
Hyperbaric oxygenation is included in the complex of recreational activities in many sanatoriums and dispensaries. Procedures significantly reduce the risk of dangerous diseases, have a tonic and tonic effect, relieve irritability, pathological fatigue and increase muscle tone. After a full course of therapy, patients note an improvement in the psycho-emotional state and an increase in working capacity.
Physiotherapy is used in sports medicine to accelerate the recovery period after injuries and physical exertion. The number and time of the session is calculated individually. On average, the duration of therapy is from 5 to 12 sessions. The time spent in the oxygen room is about an hour. The pressure chamber is usually well tolerated.
Indications for hyperbaric oxygenation
In addition to problems with the heart, blood vessels and blood circulation, the method is used to treat almost all chronic ailments. Oxygen therapy is used to combat diabetes, periodontal disease, scleroderma, furunculosis, obliterating endoarteritis, cirrhosis of the liver, psoriasis and gastric ulcer.
The method is indispensable for hepatitis (any form), pancreatitis, hearing loss, mental illness, enterocolitis, multiple sclerosis, impaired cerebral circulation and obesity. In addition, it is used to treat intoxication with any poisonous products, gas gangrene, frostbite, air embolism. It also eliminates various wounds and traumatic ischemia of the pressure chamber.
Contraindications
Unfortunately, HBO, like any other therapeutic procedure, is not a panacea. Experts do not recommend using it for people with high blood pressure, epilepsy, polyps, acute colds, cysts, abscesses and fear of confined space (claustrophobia), as well as for blood diseases and fever. In all other cases, the oxygen chamber shows excellent results. What kind of vessel it is and why it is needed has been described above. Health and well-being!