Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating condition affecting people Worldwide. It can cause extreme physical and mental exhaustion.
You can also experience a wide range of symptoms. You may suffer from headaches, muscle pain, difficulty concentrating and sleeping, and more.
There is no known cure for CFS. But treatments are available to manage the symptoms. The treatments can help reduce its severity.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment option. We found it beneficial for people suffering from CFS. It helps in:
- Increasing tissue perfusion (blood flow)
- Improving cellular energy production
- Reducing oxidative stress and
- Stimulating immune system responses.
All these can lead to improved physical and psychological well-being. It is important to note that not everyone will enjoy this treatment option.
This treatment is not preferable for pregnant women. People with certain medical conditions should avoid this treatment.
For most people with CFS who are otherwise healthy enough for high-pressure treatments, HBOT can provide much-needed relief from their often weakening symptoms.
Here we will explore HBOT and how it can help treat chronic fatigue syndrome.
What is Chronic Fatigue?
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is popularly known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. It is a long-term complicated illness.
We can characterise this underlying medical condition by extreme fatigue or illness. It affects people for a long period (at least up to 6 months).
This ailment can affect anyone, especially women in their 40s. Even children can also get affected by this. The causes of CFS are still a mystery.
There are lots of theories that lie behind the cause of it. There is no specific test to diagnose this illness. According to researchers, viral infections, psychological stress, or other factors can trigger CFS.
They believe that some factors lead people to become more prone to this condition. The factors may be:
- Viral Infection, like Glandular Fever
- Bacteria Infection, e.g. Pneumonia
- Hormonal Imbalance
- Genetic Problems
- Immune System Disorders
- Mental Trauma and Stress etc.
Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue:
The symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome can differ for each individual. Even their severity can change from day to day. Signs and symptoms may include the following:
- You can experience extreme fatigue or exhaustion after performing physical or mental activity. We call this Post-exertional malaise (PEM). The exhaustion will last for more than 24 hours.
- Facing problems with memory or concentration
- Chronic Insomnia or other sleeping disorder
- Muscle or joint pain
- Enlarged and swollen lymph nodes in your neck and armpits
- Experience dizziness that gets worse when you get up from a sitting or lying position.
They can also experience headaches, sore throat, fast or irregular heartbeats, and flu. Even they become more sensitive to light, sound, smell, food, and medications.
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a therapeutic process. In this procedure, a patient breathes 100% pure oxygen inside an enclosed chamber.
The chamber has been pressurised to more than double the normal atmospheric pressure. The increased pressure allows the lungs to absorb more oxygen than usual.
Even it helps ease healing throughout the body. We use this therapy for decades to treat certain medical conditions. We suggest using this to treat
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Decompression sickness and
- Wounds that would not heal.
The entire process can last for about 60-90 minutes. During that time, the person can relax in the chamber, read books, watch movies, and even nap.
How Can Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Help to Treat Chronic Fatigue Condition?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can treat patients suffering from CFS. This procedure will speed up the recovery from injuries.
It restores normal brain function after a concussion. This also speeds up recovery from surgery. Our cells' mitochondria similarly function as the car's combustion engine.
It requires food and oxygen to produce energy through metabolism.
The efficiency of our metabolism system depends on the great level of food and oxygen intake. And, of course, on better exhaust mechanism.
Well-balanced diets positively impact our mitochondria. But we also need an adequate oxygen supply. This is the situation when Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy comes in.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Process
It is an FDA-approved, non-invasive, painless treatment procedure. It involves breathing 100% pure oxygen from a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
These are tube-shaped rooms or chambers.
This oxygen chamber can accommodate one or many people. The air inside this hyperbaric oxygen chamber is 100% pure and oxygenated.
That’s the reason why the chamber's air pressure can be raised to levels that are higher than usual. The trained professionals can conduct the entire procedure.
Only the experts have enough experience in calibrating the oxygen level and pressure. In this oxygen chamber, the patients can have fresh air in a high-pressure environment.
It allows our lungs to intake more oxygen. As a result, it helps fill our red blood cells with as much oxygen as they can handle.
Additionally, our blood plasma is pervaded with oxygen. The blood circulation process helps our body cells to absorb all that oxygen.
This leads our mitochondria to receive a sudden increase in oxygen level. Well, this can cause them to produce more energy and burn more calories than usual. You can utilise this energy for various body functions.
Use the energy for recuperating, irritation reduction, fat burning, brain function, and more. It can also help strengthen our immune system and repair DNA and damaged cells.
In the case of chronic fatigue syndrome, HBOT can help our body to oxygenate.
This leads our mitochondria to function at a much higher level. Even it can boost our cells to increase our energy level.
This sudden increase in energy helps us to reduce our stress levels. Even offers better focus and enhances productivity.
All these can effectively lessen the psychological factors associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
What does Research Say About the Effects of HBOT in Treating CFS?
Currently, there needs to be more consent for its treatment. But you know there is viable evidence that HBOT can assist in its management.
In 2013, sixteen people diagnosed with CFS participated in a study. According to the study, patients received 15 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
The session was continued for three consecutive weeks (five days a week). The experts thoroughly assessed the outcomes to compare their fatigue levels.
The evaluation is to check the results before and after the session.
After completion, we found that all patients can well-tolerate the HBOT process. It also indicated that they have no such complications or side effects. The study result shows that their scores on the VAFS, FSS, and FQLS improved significantly.
The best part is that it reduces Chronic Fatigue Syndrome severity. Especially helps them with a nurtured healthy well-being. So, HBOT not only helps us in healing but also enables our body to operate to its full potential.
The Bottom Line
In recent days, CFS has affected millions of people. It is a disorder that weakens your body for a long.
The situation will become worse with physical and mental strains. The patients may experience lots of syndromes.
It may be muscle exhaustion, headaches, joint pain, sleep disorder etc.
To combat this situation, we recommend undergoing HBOT treatment. A hyperbaric oxygen chamber forces more oxygen into your bloodstream. It is higher than usual that your body can take during breathing.
This can speed up the healing process by increasing blood flow to injured areas. It provides more vital nutrients and oxygen directly to the affected tissues.
This treatment can help reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation. Even it helps fight infection by promoting white blood cell activity.
Are you looking for an effective way to improve healthy well-being? Opt for HBOT under medical supervision.
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Summary:
HBOT is a treatment process. It has the potential to combat various acute and chronic conditions.
The process involves the use of pressurised oxygen chambers and delivers oxygen-rich air directly into the lungs.
If you are suffering from CFS, read this article to get a complete overview.
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