Presenter: Paul Harch, MD
Original Date: September 29 2024 

Hyperbaric and hyperbaric oxygen therapy are the use of greater than atmospheric pressure and breathing gases to treat disease processes. For 362 years the mechanisms of action of this therapy have been unappreciated and misunderstood. Traditionally used for wounds and inflammatory conditions it is now appreciated that the primary effect is on gene expression and suppression. In 2009 HBOT was demonstrated to up- or down-regulate over 8,101 of the 19,000 protein-coding genes in human chromosomes in normal tissue. The largest clusters upregulated were the anti-inflammatory and growth/repair hormone genes. The largest clusters downregulated were the pro-inflammatory and apoptotic genes. Oxygen has been found to largely upregulate genes and barometric pressure downregulate genes. This talk will review the evidence for HBOT’s beneficial effects on inflammation and disease at all stages in the disease process. It will be argued that the accumulation of bodily insults over the course of a lifetime are a constant source of inflammation and thus targets for HBOT. Since inflammation is at the root of chronic disease and aging is accelerated by chronic disease HBOT can be understood as an anti-aging tool for now and the future. In addition, aging appears also to be an epigenetic phenomenon. Vide supra, HBOT is an epigenetic therapy. These points will be argued with the HBOT basic science and clinical literature and by demonstrating the improvements in brain aging in dementia patients at the end of life with the prolongation of life in these patients. Some very personal illustrative case histories will be presented.

NUNM is accredited by the North American Naturopathic Continuing Education Council (NANCEAC). This activity qualifies for 1.5 General CEUs.