Director Lee Jae-cheol’s ‘Functional Medicine and Immunotherapy’ (34) Why cancer and hearing loss patients receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Jae-cheol Lee, President of the Korean Society of Functional Medicine, President of BanH Clinic

The environment preferred by cancer cells is by far the least oxygen. The biggest difference between cancer cells and normal cells is whether they use complete combustion respiration or incomplete combustion respiration, which is used to generate energy. In fact, malignant cells use 5 to 10 times more glucose than normal tissue and tend to convert most to lactic acid. This is why cancer patients are constantly tired, suffering from various pains, and limiting their glucose-rich diets.

Sudden hearing loss and tinnitus are known to be caused by hypoxia in the cochlea due to decreased blood circulation. Because the organs belonging to the ear are very fine, the blood circulation of the surrounding capillaries can be good to maintain their function.

Continuing to feel short of breath, low in oxygen saturation, and persistent cough following corona infection are also cases of lack of oxygen as a result. This is because the inflammation that occurred during corona virus infection can cause wounds in the capillary bronchial tubes, or the remaining sputum or inflammation can accumulate and decrease the saturation of the lung parenchyma and cause a chronic lack of oxygen.

After all, cancer, sudden hearing loss, tinnitus, and long covid are all diseases that are caused or a result of a lack of oxygen in the body.

Oxygen makes up regarding 20% of the atmosphere, but it plays a really important role in our body. What would happen if we put more oxygen into our body than it absorbs by breathing at atmospheric pressure? We call this hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy is to generate energy efficiently and increase the metabolic function of cells. It is also known to improve detoxification ability to effectively remove waste products and toxins from the body, increase immunity and antioxidant power, and help cell and blood vessel regeneration. In other words, it can increase all anti-aging related effects.

An Israeli study actually found that the length of the telomere, a region that protects DNA at both ends of chromosomes and evaluates the degree of aging by its length, increases in patients who have been continuously treated with hyperbaric oxygen. It was also reported that the proportion of old-age cells was significantly reduced by 37%. Until now, it has been known only that lifestyle modification and vigorous exercise are the only ways to slow the shortening of telomeres.

In addition, hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been recognized as effective in tissue recovery through peripheral circulation to the extent that it can be paid for in carbon monoxide poisoning, diving disease, burns, diabetic foot ulcers, tissue necrosis following radiation therapy, and resin splicing surgery.

The hyperbaric oxygen therapy machine is usually composed of a single chamber, and high concentration of oxygen is injected into the closed chamber at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure while lying down, and the high concentration of oxygen is inhaled.

However, since hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a one-time treatment that does not resolve the symptoms, it is recommended to proceed repeatedly until the symptoms improve. In addition, the simultaneous administration of other intravenous nutrition therapy or antioxidants can produce a much larger and faster effect than the single effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, so it is better to actively combine these treatments.

Jae-cheol Lee, President of the Korean Society of Functional Medicine, President of BanH Clinic

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