Stroke
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States affecting more than 700,000 individuals each year. The leading cause of disability among adults, four out of five families will somehow be affected by stroke over the course of a lifetime.

A stroke is not only personally devastating to the patient and their family; it can be financially draining. The average cost of care for a patient up to 90 days after stroke is between $15,000 and $35,000. This does not include the initial hospitalization. The total cost of stroke to the United States is estimated at $43 billion per year. (www.theuniversityhospital.com/stroke/stats.htm)

A stroke is a form of cardiovascular disease, affecting blood flow to and within the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain either burst or is blocked. This causes areas of the brain, which are not receiving oxygen through the blood to die or become dormant. When these areas of the brain die from a stroke, the area of the body corresponding to the affected damaged area of the brain become dysfunctional.

In order to understand how stroke occurs and the damage it can cause, it is useful to understand the basic anatomy of the brain. The signs and symptoms of a stroke depend on which region of the brain is affected and how severely.

Swelling of tissues, resulting in lack of blood flow and oxygen, often accompany the death of cells in the brain tissues of stroke patients. HBO therapy allows oxygen to better penetrate parts of the body where blood flow is hindered by decreasing the swelling of the traumatized areas of the brain as well as other swollen tissues.
When oxygen is delivered it is dissolved in the plasma and nourishes the tissue. When oxygen is delivered under pressure, as in an HBO chamber, it has a much better opportunity to penetrate the parts of the body where blood flow has been hindered.

Research results presented by the National Stroke Association (www.stroke.org) stated that stroke patients treated with between 1.2 and 2 ATA of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, showed promising results. Patients showed marked improvements in mobility, speech, memory, thinking and understanding after receiving this therapy.

In a study conducted by professionals representing Life Support Technologies, New Technologies, The Mount Vernon Hospital, Westchester Medical Center, and the New York Medical College, New York, HBO therapy was used to treat patients with numerous disorders, including stroke. The study showed HBO therapy decreased swelling, normalized water content in the brain and helped maintain blood-brain barrier integrity.

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Oxygen8 Wellness Center and its use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy are not intended to cure or diagnose any medical conditions. All healthcare programs should be discussed with your doctor. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.