Referred to as "the most natural of medications," Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO therapy) can speed up the healing of a variety of difficult wounds; reverse and reduce the effects of strokes, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis and head injuries; help treat radiation necrosis associated with cancer; enhance immune defenses; and renew dormant, ischemic neurons. Best of all, the treatment is painless and safe, even for newborn children.

The premise behind HBO therapy is simple: deliver more oxygen to oxygen-starved (hypoxic) cells and the cells will recover more quickly. When cells in the body are deprived of oxygen, they can either die or become dormant. If oxygen is reintroduced to the area, it nourishes and revives the dormant cells. The key to healing is getting oxygen to the area that is cut off or suffers from reduced blood flow. This is what HBO therapy can do.

Oxygen is normally carried through the body by the red blood cells. The air we breathe is made up of just 21% oxygen. HBO therapy uses a specially designed chamber to safely deliver 100% oxygen to a patient at a higher pressure.

By administering pure oxygen in a pressurized environment, the blood and other body fluids become saturated with oxygen. HBO therapy forces oxygen not only into the red blood cells, but also the fluid blood plasma and the white blood cells. The plasma releases the oxygen more readily than the red blood cells, diffusing to areas (within one-hundredth of an inch or slightly more) where the blood flow and oxygen supply is restricted. Additionally, HBO therapy can induce new blood vessel growth, bringing fresh blood and oxygen to the damaged tissues and dormant nerve cells. The tissues can gradually repair themselves and return to normal or near-normal activity.

Studies of HBO therapy on stroke patients have shown marked neurological improvement, even in patients who have been paralyzed for as long as 15 years. Wounds -- including burns, poorly healing skin grafts, and progressive infections of skin or deeper tissue -- heal up to 30% faster with HBO therapy. Plus, when therapy is discontinued, the positive effects remain.

In the United States, more widespread use of HBO therapy has lagged because many physicians are not trained in medical school about the benefits of hyperbaric chambers.

In other countries, hyperbaric oxygen treatment is integrated into the medical system. In Japan, for example, ambulances are equipped with portable hyperbaric bags, allowing patients suffering from strokes, heart attacks, near drownings and other emergency conditions to receive pressurized oxygen on the way to the hospital. All medical schools in Italy include hyperbaric oxygen treatments in their curriculum.

The good news is that in the past ten years, publicity and understanding about HBO therapy by the general public and the medical profession in the United States has increased. The American Medical Association and the Food and Drug Administration have approved HBO therapy for a number of conditions. More insurance carriers now recognize the therapy as a treatment. Currently, approximately 350 chambers are operating in this country, though still a small number compared to other countries such as Russia, where there are more than 3,000 chambers.

HBO therapy does require a prescription from a doctor. Sometimes prescribed as a primary emergency treatment, HBO therapy is more often prescribed as a cost-effective additional rehabilitation. A trained, certified chamber operator administers the treatment, which can vary from one to two hours. The number of treatments varies with the condition. While in the chamber, patients can rest or listen to music. The only discomfort reported is minor ear or sinus pressure, similar to that experienced when ascending or descending in an airplane.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is not a cure-all, nor can it bring dead tissue back to life, but it can and does assist the body heal wounds by providing the most important and natural element of the body's function: oxygen.