Healthy aging – hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Aging means a decline in our physical and cognitive abilities. The good news is that we no longer have to accept this process. The essence of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is that 100% oxygen is breathed at a pressure much higher than atmospheric pressure, 2.5 atmospheres. Its main effect is to initiate and enhance the body’s own regeneration processes.

Its classical healing application area is diverse: from post-stroke rehabilitation to diabetic foot treatment to post-covid syndrome relief. It is particularly effective in the treatment of difficult-to-heal wounds, bone inflammation, prosthetic infections, and tissue damage after tumor irradiation.

We are learning more and more about the cellular mechanisms of aging. HBOT research is making great strides not only in the areas of healing, but also in the areas of prevention, cognitive and physical health maintenance, and anti-aging, with more and more results supporting its role in halting and even reversing cellular aging.

The high-pressure oxygen breathing during the treatment triggers a number of biological cascades that counteract the aging process. It triggers the gene segments, protein production, receptor function and cell differentiation that are responsible for rebuilding a given tissue. It is as if we were turning on a properly programmed 3D printer that produces what is missing.

Molecular analyses show that HBOT enhances the function of genes important for growth factors and antioxidant function, reduces age-related inflammatory processes, improves mitochondrial energy production, enhances stem cell activation. It increases the density of the capillary network, which potentially reverses the age-related capillary thinning that contributes to organ dysfunction.

A study published in the journal Aging found that HBOT can significantly lengthen telomeres, the protective caps on chromosomes that typically shorten with age, and reduce the accumulation of senescent, or so-called “zombie cells,” which are important factors in biological aging.

HBOT’s ability to stimulate neuroplasticity has shown particular promise in preserving cognitive function in the elderly. A study conducted at a leading research institute found that it improves memory, attention, executive function, and information processing speed.

It is recommended that the therapy be performed in a center that has a caisson chamber capable of providing the pressure used in the research and a 100% oxygen breathing protocol, where the staff is highly trained and has a constant medical presence, and where it meets the safety standards expected in the European Union. Under such conditions, the treatment is low-risk, which also makes it attractive for preventive medicine.

Although its widespread application is limited by its cost and time requirements, this therapeutic approach may become an increasingly important tool in the emerging field of age-management medicine and positions it as a promising intervention in the field of healthy aging.

Availability:

Dr. Szolnoki Nikolett

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy physician, medical director of Balance Medical Center

Balance Medical Center
8960 Lenti, Táncsics u 2/a
https://medical.balanceresort.hu/
hbot@balancemedical.hu