Asthma Management with HBOT: A New Approach to Breathing Easier

Did you know that over 25 million people in the United States struggle with asthma, a condition that can make something as simple as breathing feel difficult? For most, managing asthma means using inhalers and medications—but what if there was another way to help you breathe easier?

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a treatment you might not have heard of yet. It’s been used for years to treat conditions like carbon monoxide poisoning and slow-healing wounds, but now it’s being studied for how it might help asthma by reducing inflammation and improving oxygen levels in the body.

In this blog, we’ll explore how HBOT could support asthma management and become part of a bigger plan to improve your health. Whether you’re looking for new ways to care for your lungs or just curious about different treatments, this blog will give you useful insights to consider.

Asthma Management with HBOT: A New Approach to Breathing Easier

Asthma – Brief Introduction

Asthma isn’t just about feeling short of breath now and then—it’s a long-term lung condition that affects how airways work. When someone has asthma, their airways get inflamed and narrow, making it harder to breathe. This can cause wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and trouble catching your breath.

Asthma can be triggered by many things, like pollen, pet dander, smoke, pollution, colds, or even exercise. What makes asthma tricky is that it can flare up without warning, turning a normal day into a stressful one.

Around 262 million people worldwide live with asthma, and it leads to high healthcare costs and missed work or school. While we don’t know the exact cause, it’s likely a mix of genetics and environmental factors.

The Risks of Relying on Traditional Asthma Treatments Over Time

Most people manage their asthma with inhalers and corticosteroids, which are highly effective at controlling symptoms and preventing attacks. However, long-term use of these treatments can sometimes bring additional challenges.

Why Inhalers and Bronchodilators Can’t Fully Control Asthma?

Inhalers, especially those with bronchodilators, help you breathe easier by relaxing the muscles around your airways. They’re crucial for managing asthma, especially during an attack. However, needing your inhaler too often might mean your asthma isn’t well controlled, and over time, these medications might not work as well as before.

Corticosteroids

Corticosteroids are often used to reduce inflammation in your airways, helping you breathe more easily. While they work well to control asthma, using them for a long time can cause side effects like weaker bones, a weaker immune system, and mood changes. These side effects can become more noticeable, especially if you need high doses to manage your symptoms.

Need Some Extra Support?

Because of these side effects, many people with asthma want to explore other ways to support their health. Complementary therapies can offer extra help, possibly reducing the need for high doses of medication.

Alternative Therapies for Better Asthma Control

Did you know that your diet can help improve asthma symptoms? While medications are essential for managing asthma, long-term control involves more than just taking medicine. One important factor is what we eat.

The Connection Between Diet and Asthma

Asthma is closely tied to inflammation, and what we eat can either increase or help control that inflammation. For example, diets rich in fruits and vegetables have been shown to improve asthma control. These foods are full of antioxidants that naturally reduce inflammation in the airways. When our diet includes plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fiber from these foods, we help our immune system work at its best, which can prevent asthma flare-ups.

On the other hand, some diets can make asthma worse. The typical Western diet, full of processed foods, red meats, and fried items, can increase inflammation in the body, including in the airways, making asthma harder to manage. So, while fast food and processed snacks might be convenient, they can actually hinder your asthma management.

Important Nutrients

Certain nutrients also play a key role in how well your lungs function. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and some plants, may help reduce inflammation in the airways.

Similarly, keeping your vitamin D levels up is important; studies in Pediatric Allergy Immunology suggest that people with asthma who have enough vitamin D often have better control over their symptoms.

Antioxidants, which are found in foods high in vitamins C and E, also help protect your lungs from oxidative stress, which can make asthma worse.

Managing Weight and Staying Hydrated

Managing your weight is another important part of controlling asthma. Being overweight can put more pressure on your lungs, making symptoms worse. On the other hand, losing weight if needed can help you breathe better.

Staying hydrated is also important. Drinking enough water helps keep the mucus in your airways healthy, which can help control asthma symptoms.

While diet isn’t a cure for asthma, the foods you eat every day can either help or hurt your efforts to manage it.

By choosing foods that reduce inflammation and support lung health, you can take an active role in managing your asthma. Just be sure to talk to your doctor before making any changes to your diet to make sure they fit with your overall health and asthma plan.

Introducing Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

HBOT involves breathing 100% oxygen in a special pressurized chamber. Normally, the air we breathe has about 21% oxygen, but during an HBOT session, you breathe in pure oxygen at pressures two to three times higher than normal. This allows your lungs to take in much more oxygen than usual.

The extra oxygen then travels through your bloodstream to parts of your body where circulation might be poor. This can help speed up healing, reduce inflammation, and improve cell function. For people with chronic conditions like asthma, these benefits can be really helpful.

For asthma patients, HBOT can help by reducing inflammation in the airways and improving lung function. By giving your body more oxygen, it may help manage some of the problems that cause asthma symptoms, offering a new way to support respiratory health.

Why HBOT Could Be Beneficial for Asthma Sufferers?

Asthma can feel like a constant struggle, with swollen and narrowed airways making it hard to breathe. While traditional treatments focus on managing symptoms and preventing attacks, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) offers a different approach by addressing some of the root causes of asthma symptoms.

Reducing Inflammation for Better Breathing

One of the biggest benefits of HBOT for asthma patients is its ability to reduce inflammation in the airways. Inflammation is a key cause of asthma, making the airways swell and narrow, leading to symptoms like wheezing and shortness of breath.

HBOT works by flooding the body with oxygen, which can help calm this inflammation. Studies show that HBOT can lower levels of certain inflammatory markers, like IgE, which are involved in allergic reactions that can trigger asthma attacks.

Improving Oxygen Flow to Support Lung Health

Asthma can make you feel short of breath even when you’re not having an attack. This is because the inflamed airways make it harder for oxygen to reach your lungs and circulate in your body.

HBOT helps by increasing the amount of oxygen your blood can carry, making sure your body gets the oxygen it needs to function properly. This improved oxygen flow can be especially helpful after an asthma attack, helping your body recover faster and easing symptoms.

Cellular Repair for Optimal Performance

Over time, chronic asthma can damage the tissues in your lungs. The high oxygen levels in HBOT help stimulate the body’s natural healing processes, aiding recovery in these damaged areas. It also helps create new blood vessels, which can improve lung function and overall lung health.

Safe and Effective Care Awaits – Contact Us Today

At Lakeshore Hyperbaric Center, your safety and health come first. Before starting Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), you’ll have a consultation with a specialist who will go over your medical history and current health to make sure HBOT is right for you and customized to your needs.

Every patient fills out a health questionnaire, helping us understand their specific needs so we can create a treatment plan that offers the most benefits while reducing risks. With these steps, HBOT is a safe way to improve your overall health, especially for managing conditions like asthma.

Our team is here to give you the best care, guide you through each step, and answer any questions you have about the therapy. By adding HBOT to your health plan, we hope to help you manage asthma better and improve your quality of life.

Asthma Management with HBOT: A New Approach to Breathing Easier

Asthma – Brief Introduction

The Risks of Relying on Traditional Asthma Treatments Over Time