This is important information as it powerfully infers that the problem is a failure of oxygenated blood to fully reach nerve ends triggering pain.
Another therapy indicated would be the simple drinking of a biological oxygen solution. In fact the whole syndrome of associated issues could benefit from both therapies.
All good.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Reverses Fibromyalgia in 70% of Patients, Researchers Find
February 8th, 2017
Fibromyalgia — a disorder that causes
pain and tenderness throughout the body — affects over 5 million adults
in the United States — mainly women, who make up 75-90 percent of those
diagnosed with the condition. Generally, fibromyalgia strikes in middle
age, but children can also be at risk. It occurs around the world and is
found in all races and ethnicities.
Scientists are unsure as to the cause of the condition, but some suspect it occurs when the body’s central nervous system doesn’t process pain properly.
Fibromyalgia usually begins after one has suffered from a physical,
psychological or emotional trauma — like illness, infection, injury or
upsetting life event. The disorder is also associated with irritable
bowel syndrome, migraine headaches, neurological issues, chemical
sensitivities, restless legs syndrome, brain fog, fatigue, insomnia,
mood swings, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, to name a few.
Needless to say, fibromyalgia can
severely disrupt daily life, work and relationships, especially since
anxiety and depression are close companions of the disorder. To make
matters worse, medical science hasn’t been able to offer much in the way
of effective treatment. Until now.
New Hope for Fibromyalgia Patients
Researchers at Tel Aviv University and
the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research, were studying the
positive effects hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) had on
post-traumatic brain injury patients, when they realized the same
therapy could be beneficial for those suffering from fibromyalgia.
“Patients who had fibromyalgia in
addition to their post-concussion symptoms had complete resolution of
the symptoms,” said lead author Dr. Efrati, who also noted his own
mother suffers from the disorder.
“Most people have never heard of fibromyalgia,” he said. “And many who have, including some medical doctors, don’t admit that this is a real disorder. I learned from my M.D. friends that this is not the only case in which disorders that target mainly women raise skepticism in the medical community as to whether they’re real or not. However, these days there are increasing efforts to understand the effect of gender on body disorders.”
The clinical trial was published in PLoS ONE
and found that women with fibromyalgia who were treated with hyperbaric
oxygen treatment were able to drastically reduce — or even eliminate —
the use of pain medications.
The study involved 60 women who had been
diagnosed at least two years prior with fibromyalgia. For a variety of
reasons, a dozen left the trial, but half of the remaining 48 patients
completed two months of hyperbaric oxygen therapy — receiving 90-minutes
of the treatment, five days a week.
The other half of the participants were
part of a “crossover-control group.” Before the trial and after the
two-month control period, they were evaluated and had no improvement in
their condition. But after the control period, they were given the same
HBOT as the first group — and experienced the same significant reduction
in symptoms.
The chambers expose patients to pure oxygen at two times the atmospheric pressure and are generally used for those suffering from embolisms, carbon monoxide poisoning, burns and decompression sickness.
The women who finished the treatment
experienced drastic improvement in their condition. “The intake of the
drugs eased the pain but did not reverse the condition,” said Dr.
Efrati. “But hyperbaric oxygen treatments did reverse the condition.”
He adds the therapy is “designed to
address the actual cause of fibromyalgia — the brain pathology
responsible for the syndrome.”
The treatment pushes additional oxygen
into the patient’s bloodstream, which in turn is delivered to the brain.
HBOT therapy ultimately encourages neuroplasticity and leads to the
healing of impaired brain functions. It has been used with success to
improve the quality of life for patients with mild traumatic brain
injuries — including stroke.
“The results are of significant importance since, unlike the current treatments offered for fibromyalgia patients, HBOT is not aiming for just symptomatic improvement,” said Dr. Efrati. “HBOT is aiming for the actual cause — the brain pathology responsible for the syndrome. It means that brain repair, including even neuronal regeneration, is possible even for chronic, long-lasting pain syndromes, and we can and should aim for that in any future treatment development.
“As a physician, the most important finding for me is that 70 percent of the patients could recover from their fibromyalgia symptoms.”
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Can Improve Traumatic Brain Injury and Fibromyalgia
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