HYDERABAD:  Actor Anil Kapoor, who has been doing different workouts, has now taken to oxygen therapy. Taking to Twitter on Monday, actor Anupam Kher shared a video of Anil inside an oxygen therapy chamber placed in a room. In the clip, Anil was seen lying inside the chamber with an oxygen mask on. Reacting to the video, a fan tweeted, “This is o2 therapy….” Another one said, “This definitely seems to be that secret for his youth.” CE speaks to experts to know more about the therapy and who all can do it.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a therapy mode that involves breathing pure 100% oxygen in a pressurised chamber or environment. The air we breathe has 21% of oxygen. Usually used for altitude-related sickness whether high or low.

Mainly used in scuba divers landing up in developing air bubbles in blood vessels when they return fast to the ground level. HBOT is also indicated in people having burns-related infections, wound healing, carbon monoxide poisoning, pollutants detoxification, and radiation injuries. “HBOT is given in a specialised chamber under pressure called a hyperbaric chamber.

The high pressure in the chamber helps in improving the oxygenation of lungs. More oxygen in the body’s organ tissues helps in fighting infections, healing and detoxification. The therapy usually lasts for an hour or two and should be carefully monitored throughout the treatment and may need more than two or three sessions which usually depend upon the medical condition. A lot of hospitals and few private centres are offering this therapy for the people of Hyderabad,” Dr Gopi Krishna Yedlapati, Sr Consultant Interventional Pulmonologist, Yashoda Hospitals.

According to Dr Alok Rath, Consultant General Surgeon, CARE Hospitals, Banjara Hills, to benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy, you’ll likely need more than one session. “The number of sessions depends upon your medical condition. Some conditions, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, might be treated in three visits.

Others, such as non-healing wounds, may require 40 treatments or more. To effectively treat approved medical conditions, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is usually part of a broad treatment plan. This plan may include other therapies and medicines that are designed to fit your unique needs. In general, there are two types of hyperbaric oxygen chambers: A unit designed for one person. In an individual unit, you lie down on a table that slides into a clear plastic chamber.

This is known as a monoplace unit. A room designed to accommodate several people. A multi-person hyperbaric oxygen room usually looks like a large hospital room. You may sit or lie down during treatment. You may receive oxygen through a mask over your face or a lightweight, clear hood placed over your head. Whether you’re in an individual or multiperson environment for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the benefits are the same.

During therapy, the air pressure in the room is about 2 to 3 times higher than normal air pressure. The increased air pressure will create a temporary feeling of fullness in your ears. This is similar to what you might feel in an airplane or at a high elevation. You can relieve that feeling by yawning or swallowing,” says Dr Alok.

HBOT increases the generation of oxygen free radicals — inhibits bacterial metabolic functions, especially in anaerobes. “Additionally evidence is growing that HBOT alters the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators and may blunt the inflammatory cascade further studies are needed to elucidate this complex interaction,” says Dr Sravani Reddy Karumuru, Consultant General Physician & Diabetologist, Renova Hospitals, Langar House.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used to treat several medical conditions. And medical institutions use it in different ways. Your healthcare provider may suggest hyperbaric oxygen therapy if you have one of the following conditions:
■     Severe anaemia.
■     Brain abscess.
■     Bubbles of air in your blood vessels, known as arterial gas embolism.
■     Burns.
■     Carbon monoxide poisoning.
■     Crushing injury.
■     Deafness, sudden.
■     Decompression sickness.
■     Gangrene.
■     Infection of skin or bone that causes tissue death.
■     Nonhealing wounds, such as a diabetic foot ulcer.
■     Radiation injury.
■     Skin graft or skin flap at risk of tissue death.
■     Traumatic brain injury.
■     Vision loss, sudden and painless.

Risks 
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is generally a safe procedure. Complications are rare. But this treatment does carry some risk.

Potential risks include: 
■ Middle ear injuries, including leaking fluid and eardrum rupture, due to changes in air pressure.
■ Temporary nearsightedness, called myopia, caused by temporary eye lens changes.
■ Lung collapse caused by air pressure changes, called barotrauma.

Cited from New Indian Express