What are Burns?

Burns are damage caused to body tissue by heat, chemicals, electricity, sunlight, or radiation. Burns can be among the most painful of injuries, causing swelling, blistering, scarring, and, in serious cases, shock and even death. [1] Oxford Recovery Center clients have found HBOT to be a helpful treatment for burns. In addition, the FDA has approved thermal burns as a treatment indication of HBOT.

1. MedlinePlus: Burns

How does the Oxford Recovery Model approach Burns?

Hyperbaric oxygen has the ability to massively create stem cells in your body. In fact, studies show that your body produces 800% more stem cells after 40 treatments of hyperbaric oxygen. Your body uses these stem cells as extra resources to heal and recover, since stem cells are able to grow up into any kind of cell the body needs. In the case of burns, there can be body tissues which need to be repaired even after toxins and pathogens have been removed from the body. The stem cells produced by hyperbaric oxygen are able to repair this damage.

Hyperbaric oxygen also kickstarts the body’s natural immune system. Hyperbaric oxygen grows brand new white blood cells, modulates immune reactions, and causes new collagen to grow in the gut where 90% of the immune system is located. Better gut function translates to better digestion, absorption of nutrients, and more good probiotic bacteria that keep our immune systems healthy. A healthy immune system is essential for recovery from burns.

Burns are marked by chronic inflammation and constant oxidative stress. Hyperbaric oxygen dramatically lowers inflammation and decreases oxidative stress as it grows new blood vessels throughout the body, providing a new infrastructure of oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to reach inflamed tissue. Hyperbaric oxygen creates a new and ongoing positive chain of events in the body that helps lead to recovery from burns.

Research

Click on the links below to learn about the science behind the Oxford Recovery Model

• Adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of thermal burns: The study showed that using HBOT as an adjunct for a comprehensive burn care program is a cost-effective means to significantly improve morbidity and mortality, reduce length of hospital stays, and lessen the need for surgery. The author suggests the investigation of formal integration of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in early burn wound management.
• Adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen in the treatment of thermal burns. An economic analysis.: Researchers found that using HBOT as an adjunct to traditional burn care resulted in a 14.8 day decrease in hospital stay, a 39% reduction in surgical procedures, and an average savings of $31,600 per case.