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Alternative Hyperbaric Chamber Use

Posted by timothy on from the parents-cautioned-not-a-toy dept.

jtkooch writes "Most people associate the use of hyperbaric chambers with treatment of 'the Bends,' an affliction usually caused by the rapid depressurization of the body when SCUBA divers return to the surface too quickly. Masslive.com has an article showing that hyperbaric chambers along with oxygen can be used to treat other medical issues like the loss of a limb, gangrene, and tissue injuries suffered during radiation treatments for cancer."

3 of 41 comments (clear)

  1. The Benefits of Professional Sport by redwood2 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Although this seems kinda new I've heard of this kind of treatment being used by pro footbal franchises for several years now.
    It pays to quickly fix up that bruise or contusion on your star player...
    rather than paying him $10,000/second to sit on his ass.

    ahh pro sports!

  2. I thought it was metabolism rate, not oxygen by MeerCat · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The deeper you dive, the quicker you use your air - I thought (note, not claiming I'm right, just asking really) that a part of this was because as the pressure increases your metabolism speeds up, your body effectively ticks over at a much faster rate (I know I'm always hungry after a deep dive, much more so than after a shallow dive).

    Hence the (ahem, very dangerous...) practice of diving deep to clear a hangover - you shouldn't dive with a hangover for lots of reasons, but I know dive-masters who go deep with a hangover. 5 or 10 minutes at 30 metres and they're just taken the equivalent of an hour or two's recovery (or they're in such deep shit that the hangover is no longer a major concern).

    If true, this would explain quicker healing at pressure - whereas the explanation about "dissolving more oxygen" sounds rather dubious to me...

    Anyone with a proper understanding in a position to confirm/refute/discuss ??

    --
    T

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    I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered. - George Best
  3. Once again, /. isn't keeping up with the times. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    While I realize this site ain't exactly a medical journal, this is really old news. It fails to gain acceptance in the wider medical community because physicians cling to their orthodoxy the same way a priest might. Sad really, but we're only human after all.