For those who are just now hearing about fibromyalgia, it’s not by all means a new disease. However, there has been more and more attention lately. Why?
Because of the number of people who are diagnosed with this. It becomes something that is more common as people realize. In fact, many people wonder if other diseases that mimic the signs of fibromyalgia are often misdiagnosed in years past.
Because of the popularity of this disease and so many people interested in how it can be treated, there have been several studies done to see what works and what does not work.
However, it is important to remember that the treatment for people with fibromyalgia is really about the person. What works for one person can not work for another, so finding treatments is really trial and error for most people.
The hope of treatment
A new hope of treatment for many patients with fibromyalgia is Oxygen Chamber therapy. It’s a therapy that has been around for a while.
In fact, if you were to read on this line, you will find that many people say that it is the cure for all ailments, including for many cancers, diabetes and others.
However, many health professionals warn that it is a therapy that is still in its early stages of trying for what it really does for a person.
Originally it was a therapy designed for those who regularly scuba diving. Many who do so often suffer with decompression sickness. With this treatment, the person can regain the oxygen levels they need to feel better.
How it works?
When a person is placed in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, the air pressure is increased to three times the normal air pressure. With these types of conditions, the lungs are able to take more oxygen than you can.
For those who take more oxygen, it helps the blood to carry more oxygen to organs throughout the body, while helping to fight bacteria and stimulate the release of growth factors and stem cells. He is in this process that promotes healing.
Are there any risks with this therapy?
Because so many people are told that this therapy could help them, they often wonder about the risks they might face if they were to get this therapy. The good news is that this is generally considered safe for those who use it.
However, there are few known risks. These risks include:
- Variations in air pressure can cause changes in the eye, results in temporary nearsightedness
- It can be broken ear drums to pressure
- collapse of the lung can be caused when the air pressure changes
- Too much oxygen in the central nervous system can cause seizures in a small number of those who use this
However, people should rest assure that most doctors will monitor their progress and can stop the pressure when they feel that it is getting too much.
For those who follow this treatment, they may find that they are extremely tired or even very hungry after finishing.
However, this is normal and should not affect normal activities at all. It should be noted that the FDA does not consider a therapy that is allowed to use for fibromyalgia.
They recognize that this therapy for the treatment of:
- Scuba divers
- diabetic wounds
- Radiation damage to cancer treatment
- infection grave
- Severe burns
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
How it works? fibromyalgia
Now that you understand more about what this type of therapy is, how can it help fibromyalgia patients? To understand this, you have to look at the studies that have been done.
The most attractive study used only women. Women are more likely to be plagued by fibromyalgia compared to men, hence many of these studies will focus only on women.
In this study, 48 women who had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia for at least two years were the participants. Of these 48 women, they were divided into two groups:
- The first group received no oxygen chamber therapy at all, and simply stuck to the regiment they had been for the last two years.
- The other women received 40 oxygen chamber treatments in two months. They received these 5 times a week, each session for 90 minutes.
The patients who were treated received 100 percent oxygen at twice the normal limit of atmospheric pressure and this was administered in cylindrical chambers.
Once women were done with these treatments, the majority of them no longer had the pain and tenderness they already believed.
This is a big win for the world of fibromyalgia! And better yet, the study took the women who received no treatment and provided them with the treatment as well. The results were just as good!
The study noted that women who have actually started this treatment do not conclude that they are able to get out of their pain medications or at least decrease the use of them.
This news is amazing, as most fibromyalgia patients find the amount of prescriptions they believe to be one of their main problems! People who also participated in the study reported less general fatigue as well.
Which is logical because most people have determined that it is the constant state of pain that makes you feel very tired.
Although this new therapy has not been approved by the FDA for the treatment of fibromyalgia, most people are hopeful.
The first studies of this therapy on those who have fibromyalgia is rather promising.
For those who do not suffer with fibromyalgia, this could mean that they have a treatment option that could make the results in a few months. The results are so promising that they feel as if they have never had fibromyalgia.
