For much of human history, the causes and mechanisms behind the process of aging have mainly been in the dark, but science and medicine are finally catching up. Recent studies have not only begun unlocking the secrets of why we age but are also beginning to develop anti-aging treatments to mitigate the withering effects of time on the human body.
One of those treatments is hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
We will discuss how aging works, how it is dependent on the health of our DNA, and how hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be a powerful anti-aging tool that can help us live longer and in better conditions.
Aging is inevitable as the human body deteriorates over time. In medical terms, aging refers to the physiological changes our cells experience throughout the duration of our lives. One of the main reasons we age is simply due to time. We are made up of trillions of cells that enable the body to perform essential biological functions.
These cells are our body’s fundamental building blocks that are constantly dividing and multiplying. Many studies have found that cell components tend to deteriorate in function over the years, which leads to aging. As we get older, cellular damage also increases, making them less healthy and causing biological processes to fail.
Apart from the body’s natural tendency to age due to cell damage and deterioration, external factors such as alcohol consumption, poor diet, malnutrition, and UV light exposure can also speed up the aging process.
These external factors expose us to free radicals and environmental pollutants that eventually lead to aging. As we age, the risk of injury and sickness becomes greater. Most of us would love to learn how to slow down aging and have turned to many products that claim to do so.
A wide range of products and treatments are available in the market that claim to combat aging, whether it’s for cosmetic or health reasons.
Many people may not know that hyperbaric oxygen therapy has strong anti-aging benefits that contribute to stronger cells as well as longer and healthier lives.
To fully understand how hyperbaric oxygen therapy is anti-aging, we must first understand oxygenation. Oxygenation is a term describing an intervention providing a greater degree of oxygen supplied to the body. Every cell in the human body requires oxygen to function optimally. Low oxygen levels can result in shortness of breath, headaches, abnormal heart rate, and overall unwellness.
Improving oxygenation of the blood is proving more and more to be a viable step towards recovery from various health issues, as well as improving our body’s regeneration and performance. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the process of oxygenating the plasma in our blood through the use of special equipment.
Patients are placed in a hyperbaric chamber, where they breathe in pure oxygen in a high air pressure environment. This process infuses blood cells with up to 500% more oxygen than our blood can normally absorb under natural conditions. This extra oxygen gives our cells extra energy for various functions, such as healing.
When done in a controlled clinical environment by a licensed physician, infusing our cells with that much oxygen can give us a wide range of benefits. Regular hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions can speed up the healing process of internal and non-healing wounds, fight off severe infections, and improve our immune system.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy also has anti-aging properties that can mitigate the effects of aging by directly affecting the telomeres inside our DNA.
Inside every one of our cells are copies of our DNA, where the instructions for life are contained. When a cell divides, the process of replicating the DNA cuts a little bit off the ends of our telomeres, resulting in a slightly imperfect copy.
How clear the DNA was copied determines that cell’s functionality. As our cells continuously replicate over the course of our lives, the clarity of those DNA copies starts to get cloudy. And as that happens, the quality of our cell functions starts to decline.
Telomeres are the protective protein structures that extend out at the tips of our DNA. They act as a buffer for the more important parts during replication. Each time a cell copies itself, telomeres keep the DNA intact throughout the process by keeping the DNA from getting entangled, damaged, or frayed, acting as a protective cap to prevent damage. Wear and tear over decades shortens our telomeres to a point where they can no longer protect the DNA. When this happens, our cells break down and cease to function. The length of our telomeres acts as an internal indicator of aging in our cells.
Smoking, drinking, inflammation, and chronic stress are known to accelerate the wear and tear of our telomeres and therefore accelerate our aging.
Suppose we can protect our telomeres from any further damage and allow them to regenerate. In that case, we can keep them healthy for much longer, maintain our DNA quality, mitigate the effects of aging, and improve our quality of life. In that regard, hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been proven to contribute to healthy telomeres, therefore becoming a viable option as an anti-aging treatment.
In a recent study, 35 individuals over 64 years old attended a total of 60 daily sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy at an air pressure of 2 atmospheres.
Researchers measured their telomere lengths, specifically those in immune system cells. They measured once before the first session, measured again after 30 sessions, and again after 60. Follow-up measurements were conducted afterward to see if lengthening continued. The tests had shown a significant increase in telomere length by the time they hit 30 sessions, another increase between 30 and 60, and they were able to hold on to a total of around 20% lengthening after the study was done. That’s 20% more protection, making sure our DNA is kept safe from all the toxicity and stress our cells are exposed to on a daily basis.
Consistently making use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy isn’t just anti-aging, it also stimulates collagen, kills harmful pathogens, aids in wound healing, and reduces the risk of infections. Regular exposure to this type of therapy heavily contributes to being able to maintain a long and healthy life.
If you’d like to learn more about HBOT, we have many resources on our blog, or you can simply give us a call today.
