Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, or HBOT, may provide new hope for those with cerebral palsy. People with cerebral palsy have trouble with learning, hearing, seeing, thinking, and movement due to brain and nervous system malfunctions. HBOT has improved these functions in cerebral palsy research participants.
One of the challenges doctors have faced while treating this disease is shifting the brain’s lower blood flow and metabolism when someone is affected with cerebral palsy. HBOT generates 20 times more oxygen through the body, which increases blood flow to the brain. Regular HBOT treatments can promote new blood vessel growth, which means the body increases oxygen flow over time.
The increased oxygen supply can also repair cell membranes and blood-brain barrier damage that often leads to brain swelling. HBOT decreases swelling, improves brain tissue, and moves the body back toward its natural healing mechanisms. The success of HBOT as a therapeutic approach in these cases is believed to be triggered because the body is not actively working to absorb oxygen on its own. More oxygen is available to improve metabolism and clean cancer-causing free radicals from the blood.