Tel Aviv University in Israel is trying to make some big strides against Alzheimer’s disease. Their latest addition to the treatment of this form of dementia is to use hyperbaric oxygen therapy for those that are suffering from this disease. This type of treatment has shown to be effective in treating wounds that won’t heal using other methods, but for the treatment of dementia, this has never been used before.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves patients breathing in pure oxygen within a pressurized room for various lengths of time. Usually, the pressure will be twice that of the normal atmosphere, which allows the solubility of the oxygen in the blood to be higher. Effectively, this makes sure that more oxygen is in the bloodstream. The hope is that increased blood oxygen levels will help increase stem cell and other body cell growth and repair.
In recent trials conducted at Tel Aviv University, it was found that when applied to mice, hyperbaric oxygen treatment had a significant impact on the behavior displayed. Over the course of two weeks, mice were treated in a chamber for one hour per day. At the end of the 14 days, behavior tests were administered and compared to the displayed behavior before treatment. Behavior was improved, brain plaque was reduced by about 40 percent, and neuroinflammation was reduced by about 40 percent. In other words, the treatment not only helped to reduce the outward behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer’s, but also had a positive impact on the pathology of the mice with the disease, too.
More tests are currently being conducted on mice so that researchers can fully understand how and why this treatment is beneficial before they move on to seeing if this can be helpful for people, too.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been shown to be a helpful treatment when controlling Alzheimer’s symptoms in a mouse model.
To be clear, researchers are not stating that hyperbaric treatments will cure Alzheimer’s. This is more of a therapeutic approach so that some of the symptoms of the disease can be relieved. It is still a degenerative disease, and it is still fatal. However, this approach does show promise of temporarily alleviating the symptoms of Alzheimer’s so that there can be a small improvement in the quality of life of those that suffer from it. It looks like it will only be a temporary improvement, but an improvement nonetheless.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. There is no cure for the disease and it is a degenerative one, meaning that those who have the disease will experience a steady decline in health and functioning until they ultimately pass away because of the disease. Having a loved one with Alzheimer’s can be overwhelmingly difficult, and professional senior care is usually necessary. Before selecting a caregiver, be sure that you are familiar with the care that your parent needs, and then choose the right caregiver service to go along with those needs. Be sure to consult with a physician if you have further questions about the right care for your mom or dad. And feel free to schedule a free consultation with us if you have questions about memory care.
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