HBOT - Stroke ( CVA - Cerebro Vascular Accident) - Brain attack

A stroke or a brain attack is a medical emergency, and treatment must be sought as quickly as possible because strokes can lead to death or permanent disability.

Strokes occur due to problems with the blood supply to the brain that carries vital oxygen supply needed for the brain to function normally. When stroke occurs, brain cells are deprived of oxygen and begin to die:  During a stroke the blood supply is blocked or a blood vessel within the brain ruptures, causing brain tissue to die.

When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain such as memory and muscle control are lost. How a person is affected by their stroke depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged. For example, someone who had a small stroke may only have minor problems such as temporary weakness of an arm or leg. People who have larger strokes may be permanently paralyzed on one side of their body or lose their ability to speak. Some people recover completely from strokes

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) works by saturating a person’s blood and plasma with oxygen resulting in increased oxygen delivery to tissues. In fact, because HBOT forces oxygen into the body under pressure, oxygen dissolves into all of the body’s fluids including the blood plasma, the lymph, and the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. All of these fluids carry the extra oxygen to the tissues and cells of the body, even where circulation is poor or blocked.

The extra oxygen in the tissues helps the healing process in many ways, including:  

Enhancing the white blood cells’ activity at wound sites and ability to fight infection; promoting the development of new blood vessels for increased circulation to hypoxic areas; assisting the body to build new connective tissue in damaged areas; reducing edema by vasoconstriction; and blocking cytotoxic effects of many harmful gases/poisons.

Stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death and the most common cause of neurological disability. Stroke, also called cerebrovascular accident (CVA), refers to the loss of functioning brain tissue caused by circulation problems in the brain. These circulation problems decrease the brain’s supply of blood, and therefore its supply of oxygen. Without oxygen, brain cells called neurons begin to die. Depending upon the location of neuron death, a person may experience paralysis, spasticity or rigid muscles, reduced mobility, speech &/or swallowing difficulties, mental changes, decreased memory, and personality changes.

The decreased blood supply to the brain can occur for three reasons:

1)Ischemia – lack of blood flow caused by narrowing or blockage of an artery

2)Embolism – blood clot that sometimes blocks an artery & cuts off blood flow

3)Hemorrhage – bleeding within the brain No matter what causes a stroke, the result is a localized area of damage in the brain called an infarct.

The injured area has a central core of damaged tissue that cannot be repaired, surrounded by an area that is not as heavily damaged. Between the damaged tissue and the unaffected, normal brain tissue is a zone called the penumbra. The penumbra contains dormant/idling neurons that are intact but nonfunctioning.

The brain consumes 20 percent of the body’s oxygen, but that is only enough oxygen to operate five to ten percent of neurons at any one time. The regeneration process requires much more energy. The tenfold increase in oxygen levels during HBOT treatment supplies the necessary energy for rebuilding neuronal connections and stimulating inactive neurons to facilitate the healing process.

HBOT, by providing extra oxygen under pressure, helps wake up these idling cells so they can recover their function. Once these neurons begin working again, many of the symptoms of stroke disappear.

HBOT also has many other benefits for the treatment of strokes, which include:

▪    Relief of oxygen starvation or hypoxia

▪    Increased microcirculation or capillary development to increase blood flow

▪    Decreased brain swelling or edema by constricting nearby blood vessels

▪    Relief of muscle spasticity

▪    Reduction of free radicals that continue to cause tissue damage

▪    Stimulation of nerve impulses through the brain and spinal cord

▪    Protection of the integrity of cell membranes so they can function properly

The awareness and results demonstrated worldwide from hyperbaric oxygen therapy for conditions such as traumatic brain injury and stroke recovery drive us to spread the word and help be a resource for those who may benefit from this kind of therapy.