Hyperbaric Oxygen Can Improve Rheumatoid Arthritis
How Hyperbarics Helps
Increases Oxygen in the Bloodstream 1,200% Above Normal
Dramatically Decreases Inflammation
Relieves Pain
These results suggest that HBOT may be an effective treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis, (RA) is a painful and debilitating disease. Our experience at Bay Area Hyperbarics has resulted in surprising relief for patients during an acute flare-up. One patient could not work and was fully incapacitated. Her hands were swollen, red, very painful and her ability to move them and perform basic daily tasks was greatly reduced. For example, holding a pen was painful. She came in desperate for relief.
After only a week of hyperbaric treatment, her inflammation, swelling and pain were negligible. She returned to work and her husband was so grateful he sent us a case of wine as a thank you.
The studies and articles on hyperbaric oxygen therapy have been quite positive for both animal studies and human studies. For example on study found the following: “SOD activity, lipoperoxide value in serum, ESR, and Lansbury's index of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis under hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) were ... investigated. SOD values of synovial fluid and of leukocytes in synovial fluid from rheumatoid arthritis group were found to be higher than those from osteoarthritis group. No significant difference was found the SOD values in leukocytes of blood and synovial membrane between two groups. In the patients with rheumatoid arthritis under HBOT, the SOD activity was increased, whereas lipoperoxide values was decreased. Furthermore, ESR and Lansbury's index showed a remarkable recovery. These results suggest that HBOT may be an effective rheumatoid arthritis treatment.”
If you are considering hyperbaric oxygen therapy for you or someone you love, give us a call. We can help you evaluate your situation and if HBOT is the right choice.
Patient Experiences
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Ruth, 68
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy significantly reduced Ruth's pain for the three years we stayed in contact.
Ruth was a retired school teacher, who loved volunteering as a docent at museums. However, her rheumatoid arthritis made simple tasks, such as picking up a piece of paper or writing, extremely painful and difficult. After 40 hyperbaric treatments, Ruth was virtually pain free and actually wept for joy at how she felt thirty years younger and was able to hike and return to her volunteer work!
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Sam, 76
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy allowed Sam to continue to keep active by working as long as he wanted.
Sam loved working as a Runner for a contractor, and handling small jobs. It kept him feeling young and engaged. However, his arthritis made his hands look–as he said–like hooks, rather than hands. After two sets of 20 treatments, Sam was able to go back to work and feel like a productive member of society! It gave him his life back.
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Related Articles
Still looking for answers?
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What is Hyperbaric Medicine?
Hyperbaric medicine, also called hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT, is a medical treatment where a patient sits or lies in pressurized chamber and breathes 100% oxygen. In HBOT, oxygen dissolves into the blood, thus raising the oxygen concentration to very high levels.This increased oxygen is a primary building block for tissues, muscle, and bone repair. Among other benefits, it kicks off cell reproduction, heals injuries and infection more rapidly, and decreases inflammation.
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Does HBOT kill cancer cells?
Current research indicates that hyperbaric oxygen does not kill cancer cells. However, there has been a small amount of research indicating that hyperbaric oxygen might reduce the size of certain tumors. Also, there has been a study on mice using hyperbaric oxygen, along with a ketogenic diet, to reduce tumors. Hyperbaric oxygen causes many different healing modalities to kick into gear. Could its effect on strengthening the immune system inhibit the growth of cancer cells? Nobody knows. There are numerous studies conclusively showing that hyperbaric oxygen does not encourage cancer cells or tumors to grow. Some patients claim the hyperbaric oxygen makes them feel a lot more comfortable and functional after chemotherapy and also during healing. Note that some chemotherapy drugs are not to be used with hyperbaric oxygen, as the chemotherapy drugs can be enhanced and thus become toxic. A good hyperbaric oxygen facility (such as Bay Area Hyperbarics) will always call the chemotherapy manufacturer to ensure that hyperbaric oxygen therapy will be helpful and not damaging to the patient.
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What is the CPT code for HBOT?
The CPT code for HBOT is G0277.
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Does Medicare cover HBOT?
Medicare covers Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for approved conditions, and many insurance companies also cover approved conditions. If your condition is not approved by your insurance, we can discuss our special rates. Give us a call at (408) 356–7438. We are happy to discuss your options with you.
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Can HBOT help Neuropathy?
Hyperbaric treatments help heal neuropathy by regrowing small blood vessels and nerves that have died from disease, injuries from radiation and aging. Patients often experience numbness and or pain when they start treatment. Hyperbaric treatments most often bring back sensation and make, for example, walking easier and more enjoyable.
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Why would a physician consider HBOT?
A physician would consider using hyperbaric chamber therapy under a variety of situations. Physicians most typically refer patients to hyperbarics when the patient is not healing with traditional medical interventions and hyperbaric chamber therapy is approved by Medicare for this condition. Some patients experience significant unresolved pain and unremitting disease states that the mechanisms of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a hyperbaric chamber are known to affect, such as the down regulation of inflamatory genes. For an example, some patients have experienced severe, unremitting hives with itching, which did not improve with any specialists interventions. Some physicians will consider hyperbaric chamber therapy if the patient has no other good avenues for improving their failing health, and they know the hyperbaric chamber therapy is safe and will not harm the patient.
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What is Hypebaric Oxygen Therapy?
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HB0T) is a medical treatment where you inhale 100% oxygen in a chamber with increased atmospheric pressure. HBOT injects 400x the oxygen into your tissues and bones and mobilizes stem cells. It regrows healthy tissues in the brain, blood vessels, skin and bones. It also reduces pain and swelling, and speeds recovery. It is simple, effective and painless.