The health benefits of oxygen have long been known, but in the medical community this notion has been taken to the next level. Patients seek less invasive treatments for illnesses, even though some of these treatments also carry a measure of risk. In this climate, it is necessary for an up-and-coming provider of holistic as well as allopathic medicine to educate themselves before hyperbaric facility planning.
The first and most obvious danger of this form of treatment involves the presence of oxygen containers which would be stored on-site. Canisters of O2 are highly combustible, and have been known to explode. Researching proper storage as well as required licensure allowing it is necessary, as such an accident would likely take out the entire operation and everyone in it.
So far the FDA has approved this method to treat divers who suffer from decompression sickness. This is a condition that results from coming up from very deep water too quickly, and it is the only condition that the FDA has approved to be treated in such a chamber. As such, vacation areas and long-distance cruise ships where many people go deep sea diving is a popular place for just such facilities.
Hands-down the most dangerous side-effect of any treatment occurs when patients place more confidence in the treatment than they should, believing it can cure illnesses for which testing and research has not yet been conducted. This particular treatment has promised to cure ailments such as cancer, diabetes, and autism even though no research has been conducted showing that there is anything more than a placebo effect taking place.
Patients and many doctors regard this procedure as benign and basically beneficial because it does improve the way the patient feels. When one is facing a potentially life-threatening disease, any treatment which improves a symptom can be viewed as showing promise. Unfortunately this can cause some patients to think they should resort to the chamber and cease other life-saving treatments such as chemo or radiation therapy.
Too few of the regular patients are aware of the side-effects that have been attributed to this particular therapy. Probably the most disturbing side-effect is the sudden onset of seizures effecting nearly one in ten patients who undergo treatment. Naturally, this therapy is never recommended for a patient who suffers from a seizure condition to begin with, and other patients are now being told that, after ninety minutes in the chamber, they must spend at least ten minutes outside it breathing room air.
Only slightly less disturbing is the fact that patients who undergo regular sessions may experience a form of myopia which appears to be temporary. This effect seems to last weeks or months, but it can be quite troublesome. Because the risk of this increases when a patient has multiple sessions, it is recommended that patients limit the amount of time they spend in the chamber.
An even more serious side-effect is the potential for permanent damage to the inner ear of patients who spend long spans of time in the chamber on a regular basis. This vertigo can cause any patient to fall, but especially those who are over the age of 65 or have terminal illness. Currently there is no system in place to track the hours of chamber-time a patient receives from various facilities, and there are no laws restricting it either.
The first and most obvious danger of this form of treatment involves the presence of oxygen containers which would be stored on-site. Canisters of O2 are highly combustible, and have been known to explode. Researching proper storage as well as required licensure allowing it is necessary, as such an accident would likely take out the entire operation and everyone in it.
So far the FDA has approved this method to treat divers who suffer from decompression sickness. This is a condition that results from coming up from very deep water too quickly, and it is the only condition that the FDA has approved to be treated in such a chamber. As such, vacation areas and long-distance cruise ships where many people go deep sea diving is a popular place for just such facilities.
Hands-down the most dangerous side-effect of any treatment occurs when patients place more confidence in the treatment than they should, believing it can cure illnesses for which testing and research has not yet been conducted. This particular treatment has promised to cure ailments such as cancer, diabetes, and autism even though no research has been conducted showing that there is anything more than a placebo effect taking place.
Patients and many doctors regard this procedure as benign and basically beneficial because it does improve the way the patient feels. When one is facing a potentially life-threatening disease, any treatment which improves a symptom can be viewed as showing promise. Unfortunately this can cause some patients to think they should resort to the chamber and cease other life-saving treatments such as chemo or radiation therapy.
Too few of the regular patients are aware of the side-effects that have been attributed to this particular therapy. Probably the most disturbing side-effect is the sudden onset of seizures effecting nearly one in ten patients who undergo treatment. Naturally, this therapy is never recommended for a patient who suffers from a seizure condition to begin with, and other patients are now being told that, after ninety minutes in the chamber, they must spend at least ten minutes outside it breathing room air.
Only slightly less disturbing is the fact that patients who undergo regular sessions may experience a form of myopia which appears to be temporary. This effect seems to last weeks or months, but it can be quite troublesome. Because the risk of this increases when a patient has multiple sessions, it is recommended that patients limit the amount of time they spend in the chamber.
An even more serious side-effect is the potential for permanent damage to the inner ear of patients who spend long spans of time in the chamber on a regular basis. This vertigo can cause any patient to fall, but especially those who are over the age of 65 or have terminal illness. Currently there is no system in place to track the hours of chamber-time a patient receives from various facilities, and there are no laws restricting it either.
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