The rampant spread of COVID-19 across 220 countries at breakneck speed has emerged as a daunting challenge to the world medical community.
Researchers are investing a lot of time and effort to trace the origin and understand the symptoms of this pandemic. Top research teams are relentlessly conducting test-trials to find an effective vaccine to counter this deadly strain of coronavirus. A vast number of COVID-19 related fatalities have occurred due to pulmonary infections and respiratory failures.
Medical experts are leaving no stone unturned in their mission to discover other viable treatment methods that help in building immunity against COVID-19.
In recent months, doctors are increasingly suggesting the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to boost immunity in patients combating these afflictions.
Firstly, it is of crucial importance to understand how COVID-19 spreads from one individual to another.
COVID-19 is known to spread through contact exposure to sneeze and cough droplets or saliva of the infected patient. It is advisable to take adequate precautions such as:
- Strict adherence to social distancing norms.
- Wear masks and gloves.
- Use sanitizers.
- Wash hands with soap for 30 seconds on a regular basis.
- Cover mouth and nose whilst sneezing or coughing.
- Avoid contact with individuals ailing from any respiratory disorders.
- Refrain from touching eyes, nose, mouth or other parts of the face.
- Sanitize all surfaces at home or office with alcohol-based disinfectants.
What Are The Symptoms Of COVID-19?
Patients with COVID-19 are known to experience the following symptoms during the initial 2 to 14 days:
- Cough.
- Fever.
- Breathing difficulty.
- Cold.
- Pneumonia.
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
The COVID-19 virus is known to induce varied reactions in patients depending on their immunity levels ranging from short-term impact to extreme life-threatening complications.
In some instances, there is a possibility of the situation rapidly worsening, with patients developing pneumonia-related difficulties such as ARDS.
What Is Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)?
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a respiratory complication that is known to occur in certain COVID-19 patients due to reduced levels of oxygen in their blood plasma. Patients have displayed signs of ARDS in approximately 8 days post contracting the COVID-19 virus.
The deprivation of oxygen in the lungs caused by ARDS has the potential to damage vital organs such as heart, kidneys, and liver, thereby increasing patient mortality rates in the affected zones. ARDS can lead to fluid retention within the blood vessels of the lungs and cause a condition known as hypoxia.
Hypoxia impairs the ability of the lungs to process and deliver oxygen to other parts of the body. Patients combating this condition need to undergo necessary treatment at the earliest as prolonged hypoxia can prove to be fatal at times.
Physicians have been recommending hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to patients seeking relief from hypoxia for several decades. This alternative therapy is now being recommended for providing relief to Covid-19 patients.
How Can HBOT Build Immunity Against COVID-19?
HBOT is a time-tested treatment that relies on the use of pure oxygen to effectively relieve the symptoms of hypoxia in COVID-19 patients.
The Process Of HBOT Treatment For COVID-19 Patients:
During the HBOT session, the COVID-19 patient enters a pressurized, sealed device known as a hyperbaric chamber.
Thereafter, hyperbaric experts administer pressurized pure oxygen to the patient through tubes or facemasks at levels that vary between 1.2 to 3 ATA.
The increased pressure inside the chamber instantly dissolves the pure oxygen into the body fluids of the COVID 19 patient and boosts the oxygen-rich plasma to parts of the lungs that are affected due to hypoxia.
Medical professionals handling COVID-19 patients have witnessed positive improvement in the lung pathology reports of their patient’s post HBOT as this process enables the body to curb any further deterioration of vital organs.
Hyperbaric experts based in Wuhan Yangtze River Shipping General Hospital have observed the following changes in COVID-19 patients post their HBOT sessions such as:
- Reversal of hypoxemia levels.
- Improvement in the liver and gastrointestinal condition.
- Enhanced tissue cell oxygen uptake.
- Reduced chest pain.
- Lowered lung inflammation.
- Increased stem-cell production.
- Stabilized blood pressure levels.
Dr. Paul. G. Harch, a top hyperbaric specialist based in New Orleans, is extremely optimistic about using HBOT to counter COVID-19.
Research studies have indicated that the pure oxygen-induced to patients during HBOT aids in building immunity against COVID-19 by:
- Improving hypoperfusion levels.
- Blocking or delaying cytokine storms.
- Healing of damaged lung tissues.
- Accelerating fresh tissue generation.
The medical community has been using hyperbaric oxygen therapy to successfully treat varied health disorders for six decades.
However, the recent findings by hyperbaric researchers based in Wuhan and other parts of the world have provided a much-required boost to the medical professionals in their war against COVID-19.
The above-mentioned research statistics clearly indicate that HBOT can be used as a viable treatment solution to help build immunity against COVID-19.
