Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Work For Lyme Disease

Studies On Lyme Disease Hyperbaric Oxygen And Hbot Treatment

As of today, HBOT does not have FDA approval for the treatment of Lyme disease and doctors use it as an off-label course of treatment. While it may not yet have FDA approval, there are numerous studies that have shown the effectiveness of HBOT in the treatment of Lyme disease.

A paper published in 1998 by W.P. Fife, Ph.D. and R.A. Neubauer, MD discussed the use of HBOT and hyperbaric oxygen with Lyme disease. They discovered that fibroblasts often protect the Borrelia bacteria from antibiotics, making traditional treatment options ineffective. Because HBOT delivers high levels of oxygen under elevated pressure, the oxygen penetrates deep into the tissue and provide an oxygen-rich environment where the bacteria are unable to survive. The study looked at 91 patients and treated them with HBOT while they maintained antibiotic therapy. At the end of the study, 84.8 percent showed significant improvement in symptoms as well as positive diagnostic changes in SPECT scans .â

Hyperbaric Oxygen Helps After Years Of Failed Treatments

So What Makes Hbot Effective

HBOT can be used to treat Lyme disease and is most specifically effective against neurological Lyme. The reason it is so effective was discovered in a 1998 study by William Fife at Texas A& M who found that by exposing spirochetes to oxygen they are weakened and can die off. After further research it was found that exposing it to above normal levels of oxygen, Borrelia bacteria are unable to survive. By doing dives of two atmospheres below sea level for 2-3 hours, 5 days a week for 12 weeks, the oxygen levels inside your body are risen by 10-15 above normal levels. The pressurized oxygen penetrates Borrelia bacteria, even those that have developed biofilms and antibiotic resistance, reducing inflammation in the brain and stimulating new stem cells that strengthen the immune system. Dependent on how advanced the Borrelia bacteria it may require slightly deeper dives, but this is determined through advanced monitoring.

The main side effects of HBOT are barometric problems that can cause ear pain, but Dr. Alvarez stated that if you can handle going up in an airplane then it shouldnt be an issue. Another side effect that may be irritating in the short term but is a sign that treatment is working is a Jarisch Herxheimer reaction. According to the study by Dr. Fife, all but one of the patients treated had this reaction. Dr. Alvarez agrees that herxing is a critical step on the road to recovery.

What Is Hyperbaric Treatment Like

There are two types of hyperbaric chambers, soft and hard. You want to do the rigid enclosure as it offers 100 percent oxygen compared to the quiet section only provides 25 percent. The partition I went in was a transparent tube, and your entire body was enclosed. You can not have your cell phone or any watch inside. The facility I went to had a television and music to entertain you during your treatment. My dives were approximately 90 minutes. It was very relaxing, and I didnt feel anything. However, if you are claustrophobic, you may have a difficult time. You need to go 10-30 times before you see improvements.

Because the treatment requires so many visits in a condensed period, it proves to be very costly and time-consuming. Some Chronic Lyme patients had attributed HBOT therapy to curing them when nothing else worked. HBOT facilities are hard to find as well, but you can try your local hospital.

I found this excellent summary of Lyme and HBOT Studies on the National Hyperbaric Treatment Center website.

Today, HBOT does not have FDA approval to treat Lyme disease, and doctors use it as an off-label course of treatment. While it may not yet have FDA approval, numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of HBOT in treating Lyme disease.

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Hbot For Lyme Disease: A Possible Adjunctive Treatment Of A Chronic Debilitating Illness

December 3, 2021 | By Dr. Rudy Gehrman

Lyme disease is a common bacterial infection in humans caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a tick-borne parasite. In the United States, B. burgdorferi is the only pathogen causing the disease, while the Eu and Asia have a few other related bacterial species which cause Lyme disease as well, including Borrelia afzelii or Borrelia garinii.

Importantly, Lyme disease typically only occurs in specific geographic areas. In Europe, its prevalence has primarily been observed in Scandinavian countries and Central Europe, with a minor number of cases reported throughout the rest of the country. Meanwhile, most Lyme disease cases in the USA occur in New England, the Mid-Atlantic states, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. On the contrary, the prevalence of Lyme disease is much lower on the Pacific Coast of the USA such as California or Oregon1.

The past decade has seen a small rise in the number of yearly reported Lyme disease cases by as much as 30,000 per year in the USA, and recent statements by the CDC estimate roughly 476,000 total cases in the USA yearly.

So how are individuals infected? Well, exposure to ticks is the key of course since Lyme disease is a tick-borne pathogen. Thus, persons with high exposure to tick-infested areas, such as in woodlands or fields in endemic areas, are at an elevated risk of becoming infected.

Texas A& M Case Reports

All patients were positive for Lyme disease with Serological Testing.

Taiwan Case Report

This case report on Hyperbaric Oxygen and Lyme was published in 2014 by Huang et al. In April 2003, the then 31-year-old healthy man began suffering from intermittent low- and high-grade fever.

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Hbot For Lyme Disease

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy supports recovery from the disease with enriched oxygen, increasing blood flow and bringing essential nutrients to the cells. Lyme disease is a microaerophile, meaning that it thrives in low oxygen environments. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can directly kill the organism by flooding it with oxygen.

As an integrated healing center, our clinical team is trained to support you through your personalized treatment plan and any questions you may have about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Our mission is to provide relief to you in your wellness journey.

Pricing:

Hard-Shell Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy :

Introductory session $200

90 minute single session $190

Package 5 sessions $875

How Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Hbot Help Lyme Disease

Thousands of people are affected by Lyme disease throughout the world. Often it can be misdiagnosed as other illnesses, therefore the Centers for Disease Control say the number of sufferers may be 5 to 10 times more than the estimated number. It is commonly called the great mimicker.

The symptoms of Lyme disease are varied which include fever, flu symptoms, headaches, fatigue and muscle and joint pain. Lyme disease is often, but not always, accompanied by a rash that looks like a bulls-eye at the site of a tick bite. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is usually transmitted via the bite of an infected tick, which carry the bacterium in their stomachs. Its interesting to note that this is a relatively new disease, having only been formally recognized in 1975, based on the original case that occurred in Lyme, CT. While Lyme infections in the U.S. are most common in the northeast, especially in New York, where over half of all tick are thought to carry the bacteria-they have reported in all 50 states, as well as numerous other countries around the world.

Late-disseminated Lyme causes a variety of problems like immune-system dysfunction, nervous system disorders, cognitive disorders, chronic sleep troubles, cardiac problems and even personality and mood swings. While late disseminated Lyme is not fatal, symptoms can be so disabling that many patients become bed-bound.

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Effects Of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy On Lyme Disease

29 January 1998

The purpose of this study was to determine if hyperbaric oxygen therapy affected Lyme disease caused by the spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi.

The spirochete B. burgdorferi is a microaerophilic organism carried by the Deer tick and transferred to humans and other mammals by its bite. Symptoms often begin by a bulls-eye rash and erythema migrans. Symptoms may include pain in joints and muscles, sore throat, fever, swollen glands, and mental fogginess. If not diagnosed within the first one or two months, the disease may become a chronic infection. At that time it apparently becomes sequestered in fibroblasts and other cells which, in turn, appear to protect it against effective treatment by all known antibiotics so far tested. The disease is difficult to diagnose without serological findings and requires the skill of a highly qualified physician, experienced in treating this disease.

Dr Bill Rawls Treatment Guide

Want to see more Lyme disease treatment ratings? See What Dr. Rawls has to say about popular treatments and therapies in his Lyme Disease Treatment Guide.

Dr. Rawls is a physician who overcame Lyme disease through natural herbal therapy. You can learn more about Lyme disease in Dr. Rawls new best selling book, Unlocking Lyme. You can also learn about Dr. Rawls personal journey in overcoming Lyme disease and fibromyalgia in his popular blog post,My Chronic Lyme Journey.

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Our Approach To Lyme Disease

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Traditional treatment for Lyme Disease involves antibiotics, either oral, injections, or IV. Co-infections frequently require a different treatment plan than antibiotic therapy as they are not always effective for Lyme Disease. The bacteria associated with Lyme Disease are very sensitive to oxygen and are debilitated in a highly oxygenated environment. Research shows a significant improvement when HBOT is used to treat Lyme Disease, even with patients who have not been successful with antibiotic therapy. HBOT decreases inflammation, oxygenates the entire body, stimulates the growth of new healthy blood vessels, and releases stem cells, up to 800% more after twenty sessions. Research shows that the efficacy of antibiotics in the case of Lyme Disease is increased as new blood vessel growth allows the medication to penetrate deeper into tissues.

How Hbot Works In The Body

• Removal of Bacteria and Toxins â The increased levels of oxygen in the blood delivered from HBOT kills off bacteria and viruses, while also removing heavy metals and toxins often present with Lyme disease.
• Production of Stem Cells â Increased levels of oxygen in the blood help stimulate the production of additional stem cells in the body. These stem cells seek out and repair damaged tissue. This helps alleviate joint and muscle pain associated with chronic Lyme disease.
• New Blood Vessels and Better Blood Flow â HBOT treatments work to greatly reduce the levels of inflammation in the body by helping to grow and establish new blood vessels to allow oxygen-rich blood to reach inflamed tissues.
• Stimulates the Production of White Blood Cells â Higher oxygen levels promote the production of white blood cells and give the bodyâs immune system a boost. This, essentially, promotes the bodyâs healing properties and the body begins recovery.
• Repairs Brain Function â The pressurized levels of oxygen HBOT delivers to the body stimulate brain function and help restore cognitive abilities, with most patients recovering most, if not all, memory and functional thinking.
• Damaged Organs Recover â In chronic cases where organs such as the heart, liver, and eyes are affected, the increased oxygen contributes to healing and, in most cases, the organs return to normal function.

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How Can Hbot Help Treat Lyme Disease

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, or HBOT, offers a unique treatment to Lyme disease that traditional therapies do not offer. As with most bacteria, the ones that cause Lyme disease are anaerobic. This means they are unable to survive in oxygen-rich environments. So, while the bacteria may develop resistance to traditional antibiotics, they cannot thrive in high levels of oxygen. Therefore, it only makes sense that HBOT and oxygen help.

HBOT treatments deliver high concentrations of oxygen under pressurized environments. The oxygen enters the body and effectively kills the disease-causing bacteria. While traditional therapy begins with antibiotics, many physicians are adding HBOT treatments at the same time, allowing the two treatments to work together to effectively cure the patient.

But hyperbaric oxygen doesnât just kill off the bacteria associated with Lyme disease. The high concentrations of oxygen help to treat symptoms and conditions that, for many, remain constant after test results show no more infection. In cases of PTLDS, HBOT often provides relief when nothing else does. Conditions such as joint and muscle pain, chronic inflammation, cognitive complications, and nerve damage often return to normal during the treatment.

Message From Dr Alexander Alvarez Md

After practicing medicine for 35 years, Ive seen far too many patients struggling with Lyme disease for too long. Living with lingering Lyme symptoms year-after-year can be a lonely and constant battle for the 10 to 20 percent of people not able to achieve remission with antibiotics. Ive witnessed patients who have spent the past 10 years taking prescription medications before learning that HBOT is a viable medical solution. After three months of Aviv Clinics proprietary HBOT protocol, patients are symptom-free and wishing they would have known sooner it could have saved years of living in the shadow of Lyme disease.

With May being Lyme Disease Awareness Month, there is no better time to share a snapshot overview on HBOT and how it treats chronic symptoms. I invite you to explore how Avivs personalized treatment is revolutionizing how to promote healing in Lyme patients.

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Mainstream & Alternative Treatment Of Patients With Lyme Disease

Patients diagnosed early with Lyme Disease by a mainstream practitioner are typically prescribed oral antibiotics, recovering quickly and in most cases completely. According to the CDC, there are approximately 10-20% of patients who continue to suffer from recurrent or persistent symptoms. These patients are generally those who were diagnosed later after being infected.

In the 1980s a vaccination was developed to protect against Lyme Disease. This has since been withdrawn from the market due to fairly severe side effects that patients were developing including deformities.

Today with the increase of alternative practitioners other treatment options are being explored including infrared sauna, HBOT, diet manipulation, salt and vitamin C protocols and herbal antibiotic treatments. Alternative practices such as qigong and acupuncture have also been used to treat the disease, particularly those with chronic illness.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: More Lyme Quackery

Hyperbaric Oxygen is another unnecessary therapy marketed for Lyme disease.

The FDA and Inside Edition have warned the public about cure-all claims made about HBOT. According to the FDA:

HBOT has not, however, been proven to be the kind of universal treatment it has been touted to be on some Internet sites. FDA is concerned that some claims made by treatment centers using HBOT may give consumers a wrong impression that could ultimately endanger their health.

Another statement by the FDA specifically cautions regarding unproven Lyme disease treatment:

If you are considering the use of a HBOT device for yourself or a loved one, be aware that some claims of what it can do are unproven. For example, HBOT devices are not proven to cure cancer, Lyme disease, autism or Alzheimers disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends you check with your health care provider before using a HBOT device to make sure you are pursuing the most appropriate care.

A 2015 review of 30 unproven or disproven therapies advertised for Lyme disease noted No study of in humans with Lyme disease has ever been published. Why use hyperbaric oxygen when Lyme disease is a treatable infection?

HBOT is not cleared as safe and effective for Lyme disease by the FDA, and HBOT is not approved for Lyme disease by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society .

One hyperbaric oxygen peddler was disciplined for the unauthorized practice of medicine.

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Transmission And Prevention Of Lyme Disease

In the United States, most cases of Lyme disease occur in the upper mid-western states, upper north-eastern states and the northwestern states on the West Coast. Ticks live in shady, wooded areas or heavily grassy areas and remain close to the ground. They can cling to tall grass, brush, and shrubs. The ticks responsible for the transmission of Lyme disease are typically in the nymph stage and are very small.

While they can bite and attach anywhere on a human, they are more likely to attach in hidden or hairy areas, such as the armpit, groin, and scalp. While it is possible, the transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi does not occur unless the tick has attached and been feeding for more than 36 hours. When hiking or camping, it is essential to check for ticks on a regular basis. And also remove them as soon as possible. The longer a tick remains attached, the greater your risk is of developing Lyme disease.