HBOT is the cutting edge stroke rehabilitation. It is the single most effective way to deliver oxygen to the traumatized brain.

A stroke is a form of cardiovascular disease, affecting blood flow to and within the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain either burst or is blocked. This causes areas of the brain, which are not receiving oxygen through the blood to die or become dormant. When these areas of the brain die from a stroke, the area of the body corresponding to the affected damaged area of the brain become dysfunctional.

HBOT treatments proceed by placing you in a chamber, and then increasing the atmospheric pressure. During the treatment you breathe pure concentrated oxygen. This saturates the tissues with oxygen, and reverses any areas of hypoxia (low oxygen levels). As a comparison, the average person breathes in about 6 pounds of oxygen a day. During a single hour of HBOT, a person will take in about 3-4 pounds of oxygen, which increases the oxygen content of the tissues by a factor of 2000%. This has some dramatic and extremely beneficial effects, not only for stroke, but also for a wide variety of conditions.

Some of the effects are to promote the growth of new blood vessels, decrease swelling and inflammation, deactivation of toxins, increases the body's ability to fight infections, clears out toxins and metabolic waste products, and improves the rate of healing. In stroke, the practical effects are to help heal any damaged brain cells around the site of the stroke (this is known as the penumbra). It helps get rid of free radicals caused by the stroke, reduces swelling and pressure on the brain, helps stop bleeding if present, and helps stimulate the growth of new brain cells. This translates into improvement or recovery of speech, strength, coordination, memory, cognitive skills, walking, and other areas that might have been damaged.

Recovery from stroke can be dramatic. The sooner HBOT is started after the stroke the better, but good results have been seen even after 15 years post-injury. Results for each individual are unpredictable, and depend on a large number of factors, such as severity of the stroke, location, length of time since the stroke, etc. Like other conditions, a multi-therapy approach is best.

Research results presented by the National Stroke Association (www.stroke.org) stated that stroke patients treated with between 1.2 and 2 ATA of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, showed promising results. Patients showed marked improvements in mobility, speech, memory, thinking and understanding after receiving this therapy.

In a study conducted by professionals representing Life Support Technologies, New Technologies, The Mount Vernon Hospital, Westchester Medical Center, and the New York Medical College, New York, HBO therapy was used to treat patients with numerous disorders, including stroke. The study showed HBO therapy decreased swelling, normalized water content in the brain and helped maintain blood-brain barrier integrity.