Retrolental fibroplasia

Definition

Oxygen therapy is a form of treatment that uses oxygen in elemental or compound forms to heal various disease conditions and strengthen the immune system. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) is a mainstream treatment that involves placing the patient in a pressurized chamber with pure oxygen (O₂). Bio-oxidative therapies are alternative treatment approaches that emphasize increasing the oxygen content of the blood through proper breathing and diet, together with the use of ozone and/or hydrogen peroxide in the treatment of specific diseases or weakened immune systems. Ozone therapy is considered a mainstream form of medical treatment in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and Russia.

Purpose

The purpose of HBO therapy is the reversal of conditions or processes caused by inadequate oxygen in the body (e. g., asthma, carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke inhalation, decompression sickness, and mountain sickness); or the speeding-up of healing in traumatic injuries or infections by increasing the amount of oxygen present in body tissues (e. g., crush injuries, skin grafts, soft tissue infections, bone inflammation, or damage caused to bone and soft tissue by radiation therapy).

Bio-oxidative therapies are used to treat conditions ranging from AIDS, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases to acne, dental surgery, allergies, arthritis, and herpes infections. Ozone therapy and hydrogen peroxide therapy are considered multi-disease treatments, and are based on the oxidizing capacity of these substances. Ozone and hydrogen peroxide are thought to inhibit tumor growth, kill viruses, help the immune system by stimulating the production of white blood cells and interferon (a family of proteins that can both stimulate the immune system and exert antiviral action), and improve the efficiency of oxygen transfer from the blood to body tissues.

In addition to direct treatment of human beings, ozone is used to purify city water supplies; disinfect beverage containers prior to bottling; inhibit the growth of molds and bacteria in stored fruits and vegetables; and remove odors from the air in sewage treatment plants, railways and tunnels, paper mills, and food processing plants. Hydrogen peroxide is used in the treatment of drinking water for farm animals, to cleanse milk cans and storage tanks, and to increase plant growth rate and productivity.

Precautions

Consultation with a physician is essential before these therapies are administered.

HBO is not given to patients with untreated pneumothorax, a condition in which air or gas is present in the cavity surrounding the lungs. It is also not used for premature infants, because of the risk of retrolental fibroplasia, a condition in which the blood vessels in the retina of the infant's eye do not develop normally. Retrolental fibroplasia can cause blindness in children born prematurely.

HBO is used cautiously in patients with a history of pneumothorax, chest surgery, emphysema, middle ear surgery, uncontrolled high fevers, upper respiratory infections, seizure disorders, or hereditary disorders of the red blood cells.

Patients using in-home oxygen tanks and delivery devices are cautioned to keep them away from flammable products and sources of direct heat.

Safety precautions are also necessary with ozone and hydrogen peroxide. Ozone is a gas and should not be inhaled directly into the lungs. Modern medical ozone generators are designed to prevent accidental ozone escape. Although hydrogen peroxide is commonly, and safely, used by dentists to rinse a patient's mouth after dental surgery or to disinfect ulcers in the mouth, patients should not drink it in quantity. Hydrogen peroxide is not poisonous in the standard 3% pharmacy dilution; it irritates the stomach lining, however, if it is taken directly into the digestive tract.

Description

Each form of oxygen therapy has its own methods of administration:

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

In HBO therapy, the patient is placed in a pressurized chamber in which he or she breathes pure oxygen within the chamber itself or administered through a mask, head tent, or endotracheal tube. A tight-fitting aviator or anesthesia mask is used for patients with carbon monoxide or smoke inhalation poisoning. The "rebreather" masks commonly used in hospital emergency rooms do not fit tightly enough for patients with carbon monoxide or smoke inhalation injuries and should not be used with them.

A nasal cannula or catheter may be used for small infants who need oxygen therapy for lung diseases because it allows them more freedom of movement. Otherwise, endotracheal tubes or anesthesia masks can be used with children as well as adults.

The length of time in the oxygen chamber, the degree of pressurization, and the number of treatments depend on the condition being treated. Decompression sickness from diving accidents may require up to two weeks of oxygen treatment. Patients with gas gangrene are given seven treatments over a three-day period. Skin graft patients are given two treatments daily for three to seven days. Patients with osteomyelitis may require as many as 40-60 treatments. Most treatment sessions for most conditions are 90 minutes in length, with one or two five-minute "air breaks" at 20-minute or half-hour intervals. Pressures are usually 2.5 or 3 ATA (atmospheres absolute).

HBO therapy appears to be effective in treating burn injuries, but has not been studied widely enough to be universally used by doctors.

Inhalation of pure oxygen from in-home oxygen tanks is sometimes recommended for cluster headaches or bronchitis. However, this procedure can be dangerous, and patients should consult a physician before undertaking this procedure.

Ozone therapy

Ozone is administered in a variety of ways:

• Intramuscular injection. A small amount (less than 10 mL) of a mixture of ozone and oxygen is injected into the buttocks for treatment of cancer.
• Rectal insufflation. A mixture of ozone and oxygen (100-800 mL) is introduced into the rectum and absorbed through the intestines. This method is used in Europe to treat ulcerative colitis.
• Autohemotherapy. Between 10-50 mL of the patient's blood are removed, treated with a mixture of ozone and oxygen, and then reinjected or reinfused into the patient. This method is used in Cuba to treat HIV infection, herpes, arthritis, and cancer.
• Intra-articular injection. Doctors in Germany and Russia inject ozonated water into the patient's joints to treat arthritis, rheumatism, and other joint diseases.
• Ozonated water. Ozone is bubbled through water, which is then used to cleanse or disinfect wounds, burns, and skin infections, or to treat the mouth following dental surgery.
• Ozonated oil. Ozone is bubbled through olive or sunflower oil to form a cream or salve to treat fungal infections, insect bites and stings, acne, and similar skin problems.
• Ozone bagging. A mixture of ozone and oxygen is pumped into an airtight bag surrounding the area to be treated. The mixture is absorbed into body tissues through the skin. Ozone bagging is used to treat slow-healing wounds, burns, leg ulcers, gangrene, and some skin infections.

Hydrogen peroxide therapy

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is a colorless liquid that mixes easily with water. It is related to ozone in that ozone turns into hydrogen peroxide when it is bubbled through water. The compound is available in several concentrations, 3% being the concentration sold over the counter for skin wounds or mouth ulcers. The 6% concentration is used to bleach hair. Food-grade hydrogen peroxide is a 35% concentration used by the food industry as a non-toxic disinfectant. It can be purchased in natural food stores.

Hydrogen peroxide is used in 0.03% concentration in normal saline solution for intravenous treatment of chronic diseases, pneumonia, or influenza. Intravenous infusions of hydrogen peroxide also appear to help the immune system by stimulating production of white blood cells, including T-helper cells.

Hydrogen peroxide can also be injected in 0.03% concentration directly into joints and soft-tissue pressure points to treat arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

The addition of one pint of 35% food-grade hydrogen peroxide to a tub filled with warm water is helpful to patients with psoriasis, stiff joints, rashes, and fungal infections. The patient soaks in the warm water for 20 minutes. The bath can be repeated one to three times per week until the infection clears.

Risks

HBO therapy

Risks associated with hyperbaric oxygen treatment include seizures, irritation of the inner ear, numbness in the fingers, and temporary changes in the lens of the eye. In rare cases, HBO causes inflammation of the optic nerve that may lead to blindness.

Ozone and hydrogen peroxide therapy

Risks are connected with improper use of equipment or exceeding recommended concentrations.

Normal results

Normal results of HBO therapy are recovery from the disease condition and resolution of side effects (if any) of hyperbaric oxygen. Normal results of ozone or hydrogen peroxide treatments are increased oxygenation of tissues, improved immune function, disinfection of wounds or cuts, clearing of skin infections, and lowered inflammation.

Key Terms

Atmosphere

A unit of air or gas pressure equal to the normal pressure of the earth's atmosphere at sea level. One atmosphere = 14.7 pounds per square inch, or 29.92 column inches (760 mm) of mercury.

Bio-oxidative therapy

A treatment approach that uses the principles of oxidation to heal various disease conditions and strengthen the immune system.

Endotracheal tube

A tube passed through the patient's trachea, or windpipe, that can be used to administer hyperbaric oxygen treatments.

Hydrogen peroxide

A colorless, unstable compound of hydrogen and oxygen (HO), used as a bleach or disinfectant.

Hyperbaric oxygen

Oxygen administered at higher than normal atmospheric pressure.

Infusion

The introduction of saline or other solution into a patient's vein.

Interferon

A family of glycoproteins that can both stimulate the immune system and exert antiviral action.

Oxidation

A chemical process in which oxygen combines with another substance to form an oxide. It should not be confused with oxygenation.

Oxygenation

A process in which a substance is enriched with oxygen, as when blood is aerated in the lungs.

Ozone

A form of oxygen in which atoms combine in groups of three (O). Ozone is produced in nature when ultraviolet light or lightning causes the atoms to form O molecules.

Pneumothorax

A condition in which air or gas is present in the cavity surrounding the lungs.

Further Reading

For Your Information

Books

• Altman, Nathaniel. Oxygen Healing Therapies. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 1995.
• Cohen, Richard, and Brent R.W. Moelleken. "Disorders Due to Physical Agents." In Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 1998, edited by Lawrence M. Tierney, Jr., et al. Stamford, CT: Appleton & Lange, 1997.
• Editors of Time-Life Books. The Medical Advisor: The Complete Guide to Alternative & Conventional Treatments. Alexandria, VA: Time Life Inc., 1996.
• Larsen, Gary L., et al. "Respiratory Tract & Mediastinum." In Current Pediatric Diagnosis & Treatment, edited by William W. Hay, Jr., et al. Stamford, CT: Appleton & Lange, 1997.
• "Retinopathy of Prematurity." In Neonatology: Management, Procedures, On-Call Problems, Diseases and Drugs, edited by Tricia Lacy Gomella, et al. Norwalk, CT: Appleton & Lange, 1994.
• "Special Subjects: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO Therapy)." In The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, vol. II, edited by Robert Berkow, et al. Rahway, NJ: Merck Research Laboratories, 1992.
• Stauffer, John L. "Lung." In Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 1998, edited by Lawrence M. Tierney, Jr., et al. Stamford, CT: Appleton & Lange, 1997.

  Organizations

• International Bio-Oxidative Medicine Foundation (IBOMF). P.O. Box 891954, Oklahoma City, OK 73109. (405) 634- 7855. Fax (405) 634-7320.
• The International Ozone Association, Inc. Pan American Group, 31 Strawberry Hill Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902. (203) 348- 3542. Fax (203) 967-4845.

  Other

• Oxytherapy on Internet. http://www.oxytherapy.com.

Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Gale Research, 1999.