Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for cancer in Chicago is now available and easily accessible.
There is growing evidence that hyperbaric oxygen therapy has the potential to alleviate common side-effects associated with traditional cancer treatments, as well as in mitigating further tumor growth of malignant symptoms.
In this blog we will dive into the benefits that hyperbaric oxygen therapy brings to cancer patients.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Cancer
Cancer is a malignant disease where invasive cells grow uncontrollably and begin to spread into other parts of the body.
The human body is made up of trillions of cells, and cancer could begin from anywhere.
Through cell division, human cells normally grow and multiply to form new cells as per the body’s needs.
Some cells become damaged or grow old and die, and new cells take their place.
Over 18.1 million new cases of cancer and 9.5 million deaths worldwide were reported in 2018.
The number of new cancer cases per year is expected to rise to 29.5 million and cancer-related deaths are expected to rise to 16.4 million by the year 2040.
Symptoms of Cancer include:
- Fatigue that does not go away with rest.
- Sudden and unexplained weight gain or loss of 10 pounds or more
- Trouble swallowing, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and general eating problems such as loss of appetite
- Sudden and unknown bleeding or bruising
- Mouth sores, bleeding, pain, or numbness
- Swelling, thickening or lumps in the breast or other parts of the body
- Sudden and unexplained pains that don’t go away or becomes increasingly worse
- Lumps in the skin that bleed or turn scaly, non-healing sores, new moles or a change in a mole, or a yellowish coloring of the skin or eyes known as jaundice.
- A change in how your stools look,
- Constipation or diarrhea that doesn’t go away
- Pain when peeing, blood in the urine or needing to pee more or less often
- Cough or hoarseness that does not get better
- Headaches
- Fever or nights sweats
- Vision or hearing problems
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a procedure that floods the bloodstream with high amounts of oxygen.
It involves entering a pressurized chamber with high levels of oxygen, which is then absorbed by the blood cells through the lungs.
High pressure enables the body to absorb high amounts of oxygen.
This phenomenon has been observed in deep sea divers who suffer from too much oxygen intake, in a condition known as “the bends”.
When done in a controlled environment under the supervision of trained professionals, enriching the bloodstream with oxygen can become a boon for all sorts of ailments, as the excess oxygen is used by our cells to produce energy, promoting rapid healing, neuroplasticity, angiogenesis and even stem cell regeneration among its many benefits.
It has been proven to alleviate conditions such as:
- Various neuropathies (cerebral and bell’s palsy),
- Various neurological diseases (Autism, Dementia/Alzheimers)
- Non healing wounds such as those seen in crushing injuries, severe infections and diabetes
- Angiogenesis is the process of formation of new blood vessels. This process is highly stimulated by regular sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Cancer cells and the role of Oxygen
One of the biggest obstacles in cancer therapy is the ability of cancer cells to resist traditional treatments meant to induce apoptosis or cell death.
Many cancer patients experience sudden relapse and see a recurrence in tumor growth due to hypoxia.
Hypoxia is a condition in which tissues do not receive sufficient amounts of oxygen causing the tissues to die of oxygen starvation.
In tumor cells, hypoxia is caused by uncontrollable cell growth and abnormal metabolism, resulting in abnormal tumor blood vessels that cannot transport enough oxygen to the tumor cells.
While this kills off many of the tumor cells, some of them might survive the hypoxia and evolve into tumor cells that can survive hypoxic environments and are resistant to further radiation and chemotherapy.
This sub-population of super cancer cells then go on to proliferate and spread across the body, a phenomenon known as micro-residual disease.
Hypoxia’s role in this phenomenon has been known to doctors for at least 60 years and has thus far eluded any real solutions.
What are the types of Cancer?
- Carcinomas are the most typical kind of cancer, formed by the cells that cover the inside and outside surfaces of the body known as epithelial cells. These include prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces the onset of hypoxia in this type of tumor, preventing uncontrollable growth.
- Sarcomas are cancers that form in bone and soft tissues such as muscle, blood vessels, lymph vessels, fat cells, tendons and ligaments. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases angiogenesis, mitigating the ill effects of this type of tumor.
- Leukemias are cancers that start in the bone marrow. These cancers create large quantities of abnormal white blood cells that build up in the blood and bone marrow, crowding out normal blood cells, making it harder for the body to absorb oxygen, control bleeding or fight off infection. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy promotes healthier white blood cells through oxygenation.
- Lymphoma is cancer that forms in T cells or B cells, known as lymphocytes. These are white blood cells that are part of the immune system responsible for fighting off diseases. Abnormal/cancerous lymphocytes can build up in lymph nodes, lymph vessels, and in other bodily organs. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy energizes blood and immune cells, allowing for the body’s natural defenses to flourish and fight against this type of tumor.
Hyperbaric Oxygen as Cancer treatment
Cancer cells consume oxygen and are known to benefit from angiogenesis.
So there is a concern that by flooding the body with oxygen we might end up stimulating cancerous tumor growth even more.
However, studies have shown that as tumors outgrow their oxygen supply, their growth is not actually inhibited.
Some cancers have been observed to resist treatment and spread progressively throughout the body faster when they become starved of oxygen, in a condition called hypoxia.
By enriching your system with concentrated oxygen, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can actually suppress further tumor growth by improving angiogenesis and preventing tumor hypoxia from occurring, thereby making cancer cells easier to eliminate via traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation.
It also further stimulates the natural healing processes in your body, reducing the pain, inflammation, and infection around the affected areas.
A study on Hyperbaric Oxygen and Cancer
A trial was conducted between 1987 and 1997 to evaluate the effects of radiation therapy combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy in patients suffering from cancerous brain tumors.
Two groups of patients with malignant glioma were locally irradiated with nitrosourea-based chemotherapy, but one group was also made to undergo regular sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
CT and MRI scans showed that 73% of the patients who underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy showed tumor regression after the trial period, while only 29% of patients in the group without hyperbaric oxygen therapy showed regression within the same time frame.
In conclusion, there is evidence that hyperbaric oxygen is a useful and effective form of treatment for malignant gliomas.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Cancer
There are many different types of treatments associated with cancer.
For this blog we will primarily focus on the two most common procedures used worldwide.
- Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses powerful drugs or chemicals to rapidly kill fast-growing cells in your body.
- Radiation therapy involves exposure to controlled amounts of radiation to target and kill cancer cells.
An issue with traditional radiation and chemotherapy is cancer-related cognitive impairment or what is known as “chemo brain”, a term used to describe cognitive dysfunction such as thinking and memory problems that cancer survivors experience during and after cancer treatment.
Symptoms include becoming disorganized, confused, mental fog, difficulty concentrating or multitasking, short attention span as well as learning impairments.
A test was conducted involving 10 long-term brain tumor survivors with severe cognitive deficits who were given hyperbaric oxygen therapy after radiosurgery and neurosurgery.
Patients were tested via cognitive tests, quantitative electroencephalographic (EEG) examination, IQCODE for memory performance, continuous reaction time test (CRTT), and number connection test (NCT).
After 6 weeks of hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions, the patients showed a significant improvement in their cognitive abilities.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is primarily a means to increase oxygen in the blood and cells of the body and promotes angiogenesis or the formation of new blood vessels.
Supplementing hyperbaric oxygen for cancer treatments
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy provides patients with a natural and holistic approach to health and healing.
Our Chicago HBOT clinics offer the best holistic alternatives for you and your family.
Dr. Ralph DeStephano has closely worked with and helped thousands of patients treat and alleviate a wide range of debilitating conditions.
Using HBOT therapy, Dr. Ralph DeStephano has introduced a different kind of holistic approach to patients who have tried everything available to them.
Many of our patients come to us after they’ve ended up without any positive results and even left with negative side effects from many of the prescription medications they’ve taken under the guidance of their previous doctors and healthcare providers.
We encourage you to explore a safe, natural alternative that is changing lives each and every day.
To learn more about the benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and how it can improve your life, visit https://hbotchicago.com or call us at (815) 675-0675
