Hyperbaric Oxygen Can Improve Dementia

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) has multiple healing effects on the brain. We used to think that the brain only deteriorated as we aged. Now, we know that the brain regenerates, grows and changes. It’s called neuroplasticity. HBOT creates neuroplasticity, and there has been exciting research showing that the use of hyperbaric oxygen treatments helps reverse aging.

We at Bay Area Hyperbarics have treated multiple cases of dementia over the last 20 years. Vascular dementia is the most studied form of dementia to be treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Given that we have no conclusive tests to identify Alzheimer’s, there are fewer studies on Alzheimer’s and HBOT in particular. The patients with dementia who we have treated have improved significantly. For example, an 84-year-old man with dementia was brought in by his wife, who said he could no longer read, and spent most of his time on the sofa watching television. She said he kept bothering her frequently, asking her to sit with him in front of the TV. She was unhappy, because he no longer wanted to hike with her or work in the garden or around the house any longer. After his HBOT treatments, he began reading books again and carried on discussions with her as he had years prior. The best result for her was that they again began hiking together.

Results like these fill us with joy, and it’s why we do what we do. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves lives.