Radiation treatment can destroy cancer and save a patient’s life, but it also can induce secondary injuries such as burning, infections, and in rare cases severely damage the lymphatic system or even lead to paralysis. This kind of damage is known as Hemorrhagic Cystitis or bleeding bladder, and includes conditions like pelvic wounds, vaginal fissures, rectal fissures, urinary urgency, frequency and incontinence, and bleeding. Traditional medical solutions to treat this condition, such as blood transfusions or surgery, are often painful; worst of all, experts still do not have a reliable method of predicting who and when a patient will expire these symptoms, with some patients experiencing severe symptoms decades after their radiation therapy was administered.
The good news is that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a proven (study link Riberio de Oliveira et al 2015, Shilo et al 2013 and Cardinal et al 2018), natural treatment for radiation damage. At BAH we see many people with collateral radiation damage, sometimes 20 years after their radiation treatments, and have used hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to treat the side effects. Oxygen therapy halts the degradation and prevents worsening of the symptoms and damage such as bone loss, infections, wounds, bleeding and pain. It also heals by stimulating bone cells to reproduce rapidly, grows new tiny blood vessels which feed healthy new cells, and causes new stem cells to grow and migrate to damaged areas. Along with growing the new tiny blood vessels and lymph system it also regenerates nerve cells including those in the brain.
We encourage people with radiation damage to seek out HBOT quickly because the greater the radiation damage the harder it is to treat - sometimes the damage can be so great that it’s even impossible to treat. With that said, we are very proud to mention that Fiona St. John, the mother of the owner of Bay Area Hyperbarics (BAH), Lisa St. John, was treated successfully for radiation damage with hyperbaric oxygen decades after her radiation exposure, and you can read more of her story below (link)
Can HBOT Stimulate Cancer? Some people worry that if HBOT stimulates cell reproduction could it also do that with cancer cells too? It is a thoughtful concern so there have been many researchers and published studies by oncologists and others that show HBOT does not affect cancer cells or tumors. That means that HBOT will not stimulate cancer recurrence or growth. They wrote “the conclusion in both reviews was that HBO did not promote cancer growth, and that the use of HBO in patients with malignancies was considered safe.” Target Oncol. 2012 Dec; 7(4): 233–242.
There are some studies that show when treating head and neck radiation injuries with HBOT there can be a reduction in cancer recurrence. The hypothesis is that HBOT repairs the damaged mitochondria in some precancerous and damaged cells. This has not been studied enough for us to know if this is true.
Pre and Post Surgical Use of HBOT for Radiation Injuries HBOT is also used to strengthen the tissues and bones prior to surgery to insure that healing occurs successfully and without complications. With radiation damaged in areas such as the head and neck, 20 treatments of hyperbaric oxygen are often prescribed before surgery to regrow tissues, bones and stabilize the jaw. Then after surgery, they are prescribed 10 treatments to complete the healing and prevent complications.
At Bay Area Hyperbarics, we have treated patients for 20+ years. HBOT has helped our patients return to normal lives. They tell us it also seems to heal their fatigue from “chemo brain” and radiation so they get their energy back.
Studies on healing hemorrahgic cystitis with HBOT show a 76%- 96% partial or complete resolution of the radiation therapy side effects. (Riberio de Oliveira et al 2015, Shilo et al 2013 and Cardinal et al 2018)
If you are interested in finding out more about yours specific diagnosis, give us a call. We can also discuss with you what your insurance covers and discuss your financial options.
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