HBOT: An effective means to ease drug withdrawal symptoms
Addiction is a condition when one’s body becomes dependent on addictive substances to such an extent that it loses its natural ability to function. To get rid of such an addiction and reprogram the body, detoxification is often considered to be one of the best solutions that can play a vital role in reducing the dependence of the body on addictive substances.
As such, many people dread detoxification as the treatment is presumably painful and uncomfortable due to the withdrawal symptoms witnessed during the process. Depending on the severity of addiction, many patients experience different types of withdrawal symptoms, ranging from a mere headache, fever to serious conditions, such as insomnia, tremors, emotional imbalance, etc.
To avoid the deterioration of withdrawal symptoms into a life-threatening condition, detox should always be done under medical supervision and on time. In the light of the above-mentioned requirements, detoxification in a well-equipped rehab and treatment of pure oxygen in a high-pressure chamber are often observed as some of the proven ways to ease withdrawal symptoms.
Oxygen speeds up healing process
According to the Washington State University researchers, the hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) helps the patients in alleviating opioid withdrawal symptoms with ease by accelerating brain recovery.
HBOT, a noninvasive and painless treatment technique, exposes the patient to a chamber filled with oxygen at a level higher than atmospheric pressure for an hour to breathe pure oxygen through a mask. This results in an increase in oxygen in the bloodstream, the generation of new stem cells, and the natural repair of damaged organs and tissues, which further contribute to recovery from addiction speedily.
As oxygen is essential to almost every biochemical process, HBOT becomes beneficial for most of the medical conditions. Like antibiotics, oxygen helps in the faster recovery of damaged tissues, clearing of toxins and improvement of decision-making capacity, thereby, speeding up the healing process. Due to the natural tendency of oxygen to wash off the stored toxic substances, HBOT becomes a useful component of drug and alcohol detoxification.
Benefits of hyperbaric chamber
Since, in a hyperbaric chamber, the patient is exposed to pure oxygen, the benefits of the therapy extend from just detoxification of the addiction. In the case of detoxification of alcohol or drugs, the oxygenated blood tends to increase the stem cell production by 800 percent, which helps in regeneration of tissues in the pancreas, liver and brain and other areas affected by alcohol and drug abuse. Besides addiction, HBOT also helps in repairing damaged bodies as the therapy escalates tissue regeneration. Also, the increased oxygenated blood flow to damaged tissues works to decrease swelling and inflammation, thereby generating new blood vessels.
Types of HBOT
Primarily, HBOT is of two types, mild HBOT and high-pressure HBOT. While mild HBOT uses a lower atmospheric pressure of 1.3 ATA and up to 60 percent of oxygen, higher pressure HBOT generally uses a pressure of 1.5 ATA or greater and up to 100 percent oxygen.
Being considered as a safer option due to fewer side effects, mild HBOT has become immensely popular among people as an alternative medical treatment. Interestingly, it can also prove to be an effective and safer treatment for children. Since it uses optimum oxygen, mild HBOT chambers are available on rent for in-house use. However, high-pressure HBOT uses a large steel tank and is only offered at specialized clinics at much more expensive and inconvenient prices.
With the availability of the option of portable HBOT chambers, one can undergo the treatment within the comforts of the home itself. This has further eased the painful withdrawal symptoms of detoxification.
Road to recovery
Exploration of HBOT is a step forward in helping the patients recover from their addictions. As withdrawal symptoms are certain during detoxification, which can be painful and may even turn life-threatening, it is always advisable to undergo detoxification in a rehab center, where the patients are provided proper medical assistance.
If you know someone who is addicted to alcohol or drugs, the Florida Detox Helpline can assist you to get the complete information on detox facilities in Florida. You may also call us at our 24/7 helpline number 855-920-9869 or chat online with one of our experts who will connect you to the best detox center in Florida.