Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy After Radiation Therapy for Cancer
By Dr. Michele R. Reillo
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used for decades to reduce the effects of radiation therapy administered for cancer. It is an indication paid for by most insurance companies, and yet few people realize that it is available to them. Today, we use hyperbaric during radiation therapy to minimize the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy during cancer treatment as well as afterward. Because hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces inflammation in bones and tissues that are affected by radiation, and because blood vessels are regenerated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy, patients who receive HBOT with radiation and/or chemotherapy have been shown to experience longer survival rates and experience fewer side effects than patients who did not receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Various types of cancer require radiation and chemotherapy, often in combination. The side effects of cancer treatment include severe fatigue, decreased white blood and red blood cell counts, pain, and nausea. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy minimizes these side effects, restoring energy levels by oxygenating damaged cells and tissues, reducing toxins produced by medications and radiation, and assisting the processing for medications through the liver.
It is very important to talk to your doctor about starting hyperbaric oxygen therapy with chemotherapy and/or radiation. Many physicians are unaware of the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of cancer and while it may be recommended after radiation therapy, HBOT is extremely beneficial during radiation therapy to improve quality of life and heal damaged cells. If you have been diagnosed with cancer and referred for radiation and/or chemotherapy, please call the Neubauer Hyperbaric Neurologic Center for an appointment. The consultation with the physician and education regarding how hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help you through the cancer treatment is invaluable. If you have received radiation therapy, please also phone the center.
Hyperbaric can restore your energy and heal the tissues and cells damaged during the cancer treatment.