Hyperbaric chamber

Injuries of Addiction - How your brain is affected?

Currently, drug long-term use is a constant problem which is the cause of thousands of deaths and serious health effects. The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that there were nearly 35,000 deaths from opioid overdose in 2015. Prolonged use of drugs or alcohol has a negative influence on the chemical balance of brain cells over time, which ultimately leads to brain damage.

The brain is made up of billions of cells, called neurons, which are organized into circuits and networks. Each neuron acts as a switch that controls the flow of information. If a neuron receives enough signals from other neurons connected to it, it "triggers", sending its own signal to other neurons in the circuit.

Different brain circuits are responsible for coordinating and performing specific functions. Networks of neurons send signals to each other and between different parts of the brain, the spinal cord and the nerves in the rest of the body. To send a message, neurons are released to the neurotransmitter in the gap (or synapse) between it and the next cell. The neurotransmitter crosses the synapse and binds to the receptors of the receptor neuron.

Substance abuse interferes with the way neurons send, receive and process signals through neurotransmitters, to which these chemicals mimic the brain's own chemicals, do not activate neurons in the same way as a natural neurotransmitter and they lead to sending anomalous messages creating affectations at the neuronal level.

These affectations can occur in different important areas of the brain, which are necessary for life support functions.

Within the affected areas are the basal ganglia, which play an important role in positive forms of motivation, pleasure, habits and routines. These areas form a key node of what is sometimes called the "reward circuit" of the brain. The drugs over-activate this circuit, producing the euphoria of the high drug; but with repeated exposure, the circuit adapts to the presence of the drug, decreasing its sensitivity and making it difficult to feel pleasure for anything besides the drug.

The extended amygdala plays a role in feelings such as stress, anxiety, irritability and discomfort characteristic of abstinence. Circuit that becomes increasingly sensitive with the increase of drugs.
The pre-frontal cortex enhances the ability to think, plan, solve problems, make decisions and exercise self-control over impulses.

The change of balance between this circuit and the reward and stress circuits of the basal ganglia and the extended amygdala make a person with a substance use disorder look for the drug in a compulsive way with a reduced control of the impulses.

When a recipient receives the therapy in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, an expert medical practitioner is present for supervision throughout the session, which may last for hours. As a recipient breathes pure oxygen in an oxygen chamber, it gets dissolved with the body fluids, and the components of the blood. It is then carried to those parts of the body that are devoid of oxygen. This promotes the self-healing property of the cells, and enables the affected cells of the body to recuperate quickly. In addition, it also boosts the ability of the cells to fight against disease causing microbes.

One of the reasons why the therapy takes precedence over others is because it is painless. Further, it does not involve any surgery. Adding the fact that it is simple, and does not cause any major side effect explains why HBOT is gaining ground as a favorable treatment among patients with different complications in the United States.

Multiplace chambers are designed to hold several people at one time and oxygen is delivered through a mask or a hood.