What is Oxygen therapy?
Oxygen therapy is a medical treatment that provides your body with extra oxygen. There are several different ways in which this treatment is prescribed. Commonly, the element is breathed in from a metal cylinder through a tube. Depending upon the medical condition of the individual being treated, the oxygen will be inhaled through a mask, a nasal cannula (plastic tubes inserted into the nostrils), or a tracheostomy (a breathing tube placed within a surgically inserted hole in the neck).
Sometimes individuals are treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. During this process, they are placed in a pressurized chamber and breathe pure oxygen. The pressure allows the oxygen to infiltrate all of the tissues of the body. This encourages healing after serious wounds or severe infections. Other applications of oxygen therapy include treatment with ozone and hydrogen peroxide.
Oxygen, as it is sold for such treatments, is considered to be a medication. For this reason, you must have a prescription to obtain it.
What Diseases May Oxygen Treat?
The presence of high levels of oxygen often leads to the inability of bacteria, viruses, germs, and other harmful substances to survive. For this reason, oxygen therapy has been incorporated into treatment plans for a variety of ailments. Some of these include:
- Cancer: Nobel Prize winner Dr. Otto Warburg discovered that cancerous cells cannot grow in oxygen-rich environments.
- Respiratory diseases: Ailments of the lungs are often treated by oxygen therapy.
- Heart problems: Increased oxygen can prevent spasms of the heart muscles.
- Bacterial issues: E. coli and other dangerous bacterial issues can be treated with oxygen therapy.
- Viral diseases: The potential of oxygen therapy in this regard is large, as AIDS, the flu, hepatitis, and other serious illnesses are caused by viruses.
- Fungal infections: Candida albicans, a common parasitic fungus, has been successfully treated with ozone and hydrogen peroxide.
- Parasites: Malaria, among other diseases, can be treated with oxygen therapy.
It is a healthcare treatment that holds a great deal of potential. With further study, it may prove to be an important component in the treatment of more of the world's most dangerous diseases.